Chapter 16

Motivating Employees
The Concept of Motivation

• Motivation refers to the forces either within or

external to a person that arouse enthusiasm and
persistence to pursue a certain course of action.
• Employee motivation affects productivity, and
part of a manager’s job is to channel motivation
toward accomplishment of organizational goals.
The study of motivation helps understand what
prompts people to initiate action, what
influences their choice of action, and why they
persist in that action over time.
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• People have basic needs such as for food, achievement
or money. Needs motivate specific behavior designed
to fulfill those needs. Feedback tells people whether
they were successful in fulfilling their needs.If so, they
feel rewarded by their success.
• Intrinsic rewards are the satisfactions a person receive
in the process of performing a particular action.
• Extrinsic rewards are given by another person, typicall
a manager, and include promotions, pay increases, and
other things employees value such as extra time off.
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A Simple Model of Motivation:

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Content Perspectives on Motivation

emphasize the needs that motivate people; people

have basic needs such as food, achievement, or
monetary reward. These needs translate into an
internal drive that motivates specific behaviors in
an attempt to satisfy the needs. To the extent that
managers understand employees’ needs, they can
design reward systems that meet them direct
employees’ energies and priorities toward attaining
organizational goals.

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16.3 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

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• ERG theory was developed by Clayton Alderfer
and is a modification of Maslow’s theory in an
effort to simplify it and respond to criticisms of
its lack of empirical verification. ERG theory
identified three categories of needs.
•  The ERG model and Maslow’s need hierarchy are
similar as both are hierarchical and presume
individuals move up the hierarchy one need at a
time. The Model contains a

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ERG Theory by Clayton Alderfer

 Existence needs - the needs for physical well-being

 Relatedness needs - the needs for satisfactory
relationships with others
 Growth needs - the needs that focus on the
development of human potential and the desire for
personal growth
frustration–regression principle: failure to meet a
high-order need may cause a regression to an already
satisfied lower-order need

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The Motivational Benefits of Job Flexibility

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A Two‑Factor Approach to Motivation

•  Frederick Herzberg asserted that work characteristics

associated with dissatisfaction were different from those pertaining
to satisfaction. This prompted the idea that two different factors
influenced work motivation and an employee’s behavior at work,
leading to his development of the two-factor theory.
•  Hygiene factors relate to lower-order needs and include things such
as working conditions, pay and security, company policies,
supervisors, and interpersonal relationships. When hygiene factors
are poor, work is dissatisfying. Good hygiene factors remove the
dissatisfaction, but they do not cause satisfaction or motivation.
Instead, employees are neutral toward work.

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– Motivators relate to higher-order needs and include
things such as achievement, recognition,
responsibility, the work itself, and the opportunity for
personal growth. When motivating factors are
present, workers are highly motivated and satisfied.
The absence of motivating factors removes
satisfaction, but does not cause dissatisfaction.
Instead, employees are neutral toward work.
•  The manager’s role is to provide hygiene factors to
meet basic needs and use motivators to meet
higher‑level needs to propel employees toward
achievement and satisfaction.
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16.4 Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

DQ – What is a manager’s role, from the Herzberg Model perspective?

McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory

Certain types of needs are acquired or learned

during an individual’s lifetime. People are not born
with these needs, but may learn them through life
experiences

 Need for achievement

 Need for affiliation
 Need for power
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• Need for achievement — the desire to accomplish
something difficult, attain success, master complex
tasks, and surpass others.
•  Need for affiliation — the desire to form close
personal relationships, avoid conflict, and establish
warm friendships.
• Need for power — the desire to influence or
control others, be responsible for others, and have
authority over others.

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Process Perspectives on Motivation

• To explain how employees select behaviors

with which to meet their needs and
determine if their choices were successful
Goal Setting Theory
Equity Theory
Expectancy Theory

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Process Theories –
Goal Setting Theory
• Increase motivation by setting goals - Specific,
challenging goals increase motivation and performance
when the goals are accepted by subordinates who
receive feedback to indicate progress toward goal
achievement
• Key components of the Goal Setting Theory:
– Goal specificity
– Goal difficulty
– Goal acceptance
– Feedback
• Goal specificity—the degree to which goals are concrete
ad unambiguous.
•  Goal difficulty—the notion that hard goals are more
motivating than easy ones.
•  Goal acceptance—employees must “buy into” the goals
and be committed to them.
•  Feedback—people get information about how well they
are doing in progressing toward goal achievement.
•  Goal setting increases motivation because it enables
people to focus their energies in the right direction.
People know what to work toward, so they can direct
their efforts toward the most important activities to
accomplish the goals. Goals energize behavior because
people feel compelled to develop plans and strategies to
accomplish the objectives.
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Process Theories –
Equity Theory by J. Stacy Adams

• Equity theory, developed by J. Stacy Adams,

focuses on individuals’ perceptions of how fairly
they are treated relative to others. People
evaluate equity by a ratio of inputs to outcomes.
Inputs to a job include such things as education,
experience, effort, and ability. Outcomes from a
job include such things as pay, recognition,
benefits, and promotions.

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• The ratio may be compared with another person in
the work group or to a perceived group average. If
people perceive that their input-to-outcome ratio is
equal to that of those to whom they compare
themselves, they believe their treatment is fair and
equitable. Equity exists when the ratio of one
person equals the ratio of another person. Inequity
exists when ratios are not equal.

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•  The most common methods for reducing a perceived
inequity are to:
•  change work effort, such as by decreasing the level of
effort or increasing absenteeism;
•  change outcomes, such as by obtaining a salary increase or
other additional benefits or perks;
•  change perceptions, such as by artificially increasing the
status attached to one’s job; or
• leave the job if equity cannot be restored through any of
the previous methods.
•  The implication for managers is that employees evaluate
the perceived equity of their rewards compared to others.
An increase in salary or promotion will not motivate if it is
perceived as inequitable relative to other employees.
Smart managers try to keep employees’ feelings of equity
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Process Theories –
Expectancy Theory by Victor Vroom
• Motivation depends on individuals’ expectations
about their ability to perform tasks and receive
desired rewards
• E  P: putting effort into a given task will lead to
high performance
• P  O: successful performance of a task will lead to
the desired outcome
• Valence – the value or attraction an individual has
for an outcome
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16.6 Major Elements of Expectancy Theory
Social Learning Theory

Individual’s motivation can result from thoughts,

beliefs, and observations
– Vicarious learning‫لنيابة‬66‫ا‬66‫ ب‬6‫لتعلم‬66‫ – ا‬observational learning
from seeing others’ behaviors and rewards

– Self-reinforcement – motivating yourself by reaching

goals and providing positive reinforcement for yourself

– Self-efficacy – belief about your own ability to

accomplish tasks

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Job Design for Motivation

 Job Simplification
 Job Rotation
 Job Enlargement
 Job Enrichment

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16.8 The Job Characteristics Model

Depending on an employee needs;

Cross-cultural differences
Core Job Dimensions

Dimensions that determine a

job’s motivational potential:
Based on:
 Skill variety → Critical Psychological
 Task identity States
 Task significance → Personal and Work
 Autonomy Outcomes
→ Employee Growth-
 Feedback Need Strength

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Innovative Ideas for Motivating

• Organizations are using various types of incentive

compensation to motivate employees to higher levels of
performance
• Variable compensation is a key motivational tool
• Incentive plans can backfire; They should be combined with
motivational ideas and intrinsic rewards and meeting
higher-level needs
• Incentives should reward the desired behavior
• Empowering employees
• Greater meaning at work
16.9 New Motivational Compensation Programs
Empowering People to Meet Higher Needs

 Employees receive information about company

performance
 Employees have knowledge and skills to
contribute to company goals
 Employees have the power to make substance
decisions
 Employees are rewarded based on company
performance
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A Continuum of Empowerment
Giving Meaning to Work through Engagement

• Instill a sense of support and meaning

• Help employees obtain intrinsic reward
• Focus on learning, contribution, and growth