Motivational Theories

Motivation is the driving force that propels individuals into action and motivates them to put in more effort to complete a task. Motivated workers are more at ease and experience sentiments of satisfaction and contentment. Furthermore, motivated employees tend to generate higher-quality outputs and are more efficient than their peers. Several elements might influence a person’s drive; for example, everybody has fundamental requirements, such as food and shelter, which can be met via remuneration. However, there are a variety of additional motivating factors that encourage individuals to take action. A creative setting may foster motivation, particularly in design, where a high degree of imagination is required. Considering the problem-solving nature of their occupations, some employees will perform nicely and support initiatives in the face of adversity. Furthermore, creative employees will like the variety of their job since it allows them to try out new roles.

Employee motivation to attain individual goals, company goals, as well as, to a limited extent, primary emphasis is critical in all enterprises, whether private or public. There are various motivation theories, the majority of which relate to or impact the outcomes of job satisfaction for employees. Although motivational theories are grouped based on their concepts and aims, a rigorous examination shows they will all be connected and promote employee satisfaction. To effectively motivate employees, combined topic and procedure ideas should be leveraged.  Workers are dissatisfied when hygiene components (outside variables such as working environment, salary, incentives, and benefits) are inadequate. Employers who wish to cultivate self-motivated employees should concentrate on job tasks or reward factors rather than hygiene. Management makes employees' tasks more difficult and provides comments and gratitude. Incentives as a significant motivation could also improve organizational loyalty, and more substantial work linkages and social interaction are required. Motivating provides employees with promises of job stability, good working circumstances, dedication, connection to the business, and inevitable difficulties.

 What is Motivational Theory?

According to Sands (2021), motivation theory investigates the motivational process. It explains why employees behave how they do at work due to their effort and their paths. The goal of understanding and using motivation theory is to acquire additional value via individuals so that the worth of their product exceeds the cost of producing it. This may be accomplished with discretionary effort. Individuals may choose how much work they wish to put forth in most, if not all, positions. They may do merely enough to get by, or they can immerse themselves in their job and provide value. That analyzes what drives an individual to achieve a specific aim or result. It is critical in many societal elements, notably business and management. A motivated worker is more effective, and a creative individual is more productive (Haque, et al., 2014).

According to Turabik & Baskan (2015), motivation theories are developed by psychologists and management professionals to understand the variables that inspire a person. These theories also address how an organization might use them to improve performance. Motivation is a driving factor that propels workers to strive toward personal and organizational objectives. Qualified professionals may need the incentive to perform at their peak continually. Because they get joy from their professional involvement, motivated employees are more likely to outperform disinterested employees. Motivation theory investigates an employee's intention and how it influences their behavior, whether for professional or private purposes. It is vital in several areas of society. However, it is especially crucial in management and business (Cook & Artino, 2016). Managers apply motivation theories to enhance productivity, profitability, staff retention rates, and worker satisfaction levels since motivation is a continual activity. A motivation theory aims to identify what variables motivate people to strive toward that aim or a result. Organizations and managers may use motivational ideas that work for them to develop continuously talented workers (Badubi, 2017).

Several Motivation Theories have been established to explain the idea of "Motivation." Motivation is a driving force that motivates a person to operate in a particular manner. The spirit inspires us to strive hard to achieve our objectives, even when the odds are stacked against us. With the formation of human organizations, individuals attempted to discover what drives an employee the most in the business. 

Content theories address "what" drives individuals, while process theories address "how" motivation happens. Content, process, and current. Process theories describe how cause arises and leads to satisfaction; ideas.

Thus, motivation theories may be roughly categorized as follows;

Content Theories

Content theories seek to solve the question of what drives a person and are concerned with a person’s needs and desires. In terms of content, the following thinkers have provided their ideas of motivation:

• Maslow’s Need for Hierarchy 
• Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory
• McClelland Needs Theory

Process Theories

Process theories are concerned with "How" motivation happens, i.e., the motivational process, and the following ideas were provided in this context:

• Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
• Adam’s Equity Theory
• Reinforcement Theory

Thus, these theories propose how a person becomes motivated to accomplish a task and what elements contribute to motivation

Reference List

Badubi, R. M., 2017. Theories of Motivation and Their Application in Organizations: A Risk Analysis. International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development, 3(3), pp. 44-51.

Cook, D. A. & Artino, A. R., 2016. Motivation to Learn: an Overview of Contemporary Theories. Medical education, 50(10), pp. 997-1014.

Haque, M. F., Haque, M. A. & Islam, M. S., 2014. Motivational Theories – A Critical Analysis. ASA University Review, 8(1), pp. 61-67.

Sands, L., 2021. What are motivation theories?. [Online] Available at: https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/blog/topic/employee-engagement/what-are-motivation-theories#:~:text=Motivation%20theory%20is%20the%20study,productive%20employee%20is%20more%20profitable. [Accessed 27 November 2022].

Turabik, T. & Baskan, G. A., 2015. The Importance of Motivation Theories in Terms Of Education Systems. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1055-1063.