Motivation theories explain how workers can be motivated to work well. They provide business managers and leaders with a starting point and framework for analyzing and discussing the main motivational issues in a workplace.
In short, motivation theories explain how managers seek to motivate their workforce in order to maximize on job satisfaction, labor productivity and staff moral. It is crucial for long-term business success because a demotivated workforce will hinder the performance of an entire business.
Main motivation theories
There are many theories of motivation related to the motivation of working people. Let’s take a look at 12 most popular ones which are grouped into three categories:
A. Content theories
Content theories focus on the assumption that individuals are motivated by the desire to fulfill their inner needs and wants. These approaches focus on these human needs and wants that impact direct human behavior. Business managers should then create conditions that allow workers to satisfy them.
1. Taylor – Scientific Management
2. Maslow – Hierarchy of Needs and Wants
3. Alderfer – ERG Theory
4. Herzberg – Motivators and Hygiene Factors
5. Mayo – Teamwork and Human Relations
6. McClelland – Needs for Achievement, Autonomy and Power
B. Process theories
Process theories emphasize why and how people choose to behave in certain ways to meet their personal goals. They investigate thought processes of people – what people are thinking about when they decide whether or not to put effort into a particular activity – that influence their behaviors. The main processes include expectancy, equity, goal-setting and reinforcement.
7. Skinner – Reinforcement
8. Adams – Equity
9. Vroom – Expectancy
10. Locke – Goal-Setting
3. Human theories
Human theories highlight the importance of evolved inner resources of humans for personality development and behavioral self-regulation. They investigate people’s inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs that are the basis for their self-motivation and personality integration as well as for the conditions that foster those positive processes. That is essential for facilitating optimal functioning of the natural propensities for growth of a human being and integration, as well as for constructive social development and personal well-being.
11. Pink – Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose
12. Deci and Ryan – Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
For business managers, it is important to identify the most appropriate theory to the question set and surrounding circumstances in order to explain the relevance of it for motivating staff.
Hence, they need to be able to apply the motivational theorists’ ideas and identify the potential difficulties in applying them to certain business situations to achieve success.
