Adam’s Equity Theory, Reinforcement Theory & Overall Conclusion

Adam’s Equity Theory

Instead of describing ‘what'' drives individuals, theories discuss 'how'' satisfaction happens. Contrary to others, as per Adam's Equity Theory, people preserve a good relationship between incentives and achievement. In other words, even when an employee's supply outnumbers his output, he gets dissatisfied with his job and the organization. Based on the equity theory, employees will weigh the commitment to a position towards the outcome; the higher the monetary incentives, the greater their satisfaction. Job satisfaction is the difference between employee participation and work performance (Al-Zawahreh & Madi, 2012). 

According to this theory, workers who feel they receive more value from their jobs than what people invest into things must be content. Several aspects of the job influence how an employee perceives it. Clearly stated duties lead to increased job contentment since a defined role develops a happy, dedicated workforce that participates actively in completed tasks. The researchers described five significant work traits that impact an individual's emotional condition and affect desire, productivity, and absenteeism, such as the variety of abilities necessary for the job, job identity and significance, flexibility, and assessment. Employees compare their "input-output ratio" to other workers and are happy if they feel it is fair. Employees became dissatisfied and less driven when they saw an imbalance in their "input-output" ratio compared to other workers (Oban, 2018). 

The equity theory is based on the presumption that people supply inputs in exchange for rewards (results) and verifies the transaction. A person checks his information and impacts with those of others to fix any disparities. Whenever the inputs and outputs of one person are related to those of others, three trade linkages develop. 

Therefore, Adam's equity theory indicates the level of motivation among individuals in the workplace. A person is believed to be highly engaged if he thinks he is treated fairly. When employees feel they are being treated unjustly in the workplace, emotions of demotivation occur. Therefore, a person's motivation is determined by the degree to which he believes he is being appropriately treated in terms of incentives compared to others.

Reinforcement Theory 

The Reinforcement Theory of Motivation was suggested by B.F. Skinner and his associates. Based on this viewpoint, conduct is determined by its consequences, implying that a person develops a behavior after engaging in particular activities. According to the reinforcement theory of motivation, “Reinforcement, Punishment, And Extinction” are all methods used to encourage employees. In the workplace, reinforcement theory may be excellent or unpleasant as provided as it promotes the intended employee engagement and conduct (Gordan, 2014).

This "Law of Effect" notion underpins the reinforcement theory of motivation, which says that a person seems more inclined to replicate actions with desirable results and reject those that result in undesirable or unfavorable consequences. This theory focuses on the interaction between the person's learning and the connected things, commonly referred to as "Operant Conditioning," which refers to the shift in behavior produced by the reinforcement (favorable incentive or penalty) provided till the response. Skinner claimed that the world outside the enterprise must be controlled effectively to boost employee motivation, and the reinforcement theory focused on environmental factors that influence behaviors. As a result, motivated reinforcement theories concentrate on what occurs after a person performs a given action. It has been demonstrated that individuals prefer to return to activities they like and avoid those that do not.

Conclusion 

Motivation is an essential component of every company; as such, it must be carefully handled if the firm's profitability is high. The psychological attitude pushes all people to accomplish their maximum potential with good spirits and a good mood. A business’s employees must be motivated to be productive, and leadership and management styles play an essential role. Employee motivation may be based on factors other than cash incentives; non-cash incentives can be employed to get the best out of employees. While individuals have aspirations, leaders must develop and engage with theories to help employees be satisfied at work. Nonetheless, no reliable approach can be utilized; a mixture could be employed. When it relates to enabling the workers, employees must be encouraged to share their thoughts on how they could be encouraged. After performance evaluations, awards and promotions may boost employee morale and feedback. All employees should know the company's vision and goals and work together to achieve them. Workers in certain firms do their duties in groups; hence, the whole company suffers if one team member is injured. Companies that place a high value on performance will make considerable efforts to motivate their employees to meet their objectives.

The several motivation theories presented previously assist us in comprehending which factors produce motivation. The role of a leader is to ensure that any employee in the team and company is inspired and motivated to accomplish their best. This is neither quick nor easy, but the rewards of satisfied workers much outweigh the time and effort spent supporting employees in the foreseeable future!

Reference List

Al-Zawahreh, A. & Madi, F. A., 2012. The Utility of Equity Theory in Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, 5(46), pp. 155-170.

Gordan, M., 2014. A Review of B. F. Skinner’s ‘Reinforcement Theory of Motivation’. International Journal of Research in Education Methodology, 5(3), pp. 681-688.

Jain, D. A., Gupta, D. B. & Bindal, D. M., 2019. A Study of Employee Motivation in Organization. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 9(6), pp. 65-68.

Oban, C., 2018. Part 3: Process Theories of Motivation. Motivation 101: A Guide for Public Servants.

Sai, M. M. V., 2022. Impact of Motivation Theories on Employee's Performance W.R.T Selected Manufacturing Industry. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government, 28(4), pp. 91-111.