UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND - GET UP & GO

Leaders job involve Creating an environment where productivity thrives and teams are inspired to do their best work. But that uniquely human brand of motivation can be quite slippery – hard to understand, inspire, and harness.

Theories of motivation help is such even though a much more practical approach is required in grasping the fundamentals that fuel individual and team performance and a discussion of how to put these theories into action.

What is motivation Theory?

Motivation theory explores the forces that drive people to work towards a particular outcome. Motivation theory doesn’t describe one specific approach rather, it’s an umbrella category that covers a slew of theories, each with a different take on the best “recipe” for motivation in the workplace.

Theories of motivation can be in two distinct categories.

Content Theory

• concentrate on the things that people need to feel motivated. They look at the factors that encourage and maintain motivated behaviours, like basic needs, rewards, and recognition. 

Process Theory

•  focus on individuals’ thought processes that might impact motivation, such as behavioural patterns and expectations.

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

“One’s only rival is one’s own potentialities. One’s only failure is failing to live up to one’s own possibilities. In this sense, every man can be a king, and must therefore be treated like a king.” 

-Abraham Maslow-

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs in Practice

A Leader needs to have the basics in place before anything else. Because Maslow’s tiers build on each other, promotion won’t do much to motivate your team members if they’re concerned about the safety of their work environment.

Herzberg's motivation-Hygyn Theory

There are two mutually exclusive factors that influence employee satisfaction or dissatisfaction – hence, this theory is often called the “two-factor” or “dual-factor” theory. He named the factors:

Hygiene encompasses basic things like working conditions, compensation, supervision, and company policies. When these nuts and bolts are in place, employee satisfaction remains steady – it’s the absence of them that moves the needle. When they’re missing, employee satisfaction decreases. 

Motivators are things like perks, recognition, and opportunities for advancement. These are the factors that, when present, increase employee motivation, productivity, and commitment.

Herzberg’s theory in practice

Herzberg’s two-factor theory is often described as complementary to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as both place an emphasis on ensuring an employee’s basic needs – like security, safety, and pay – are being satisfied. 

Vroom’s expectancy theory

• Instrumentality: People believe that a reward will correlate to their performance.

• Expectancy: People believe that as they increase their effort, the reward increases too.

Vroom’s theory indicates that people need to be able to anticipate the outcome of their actions and behaviours. And, if you want to boost motivation, they need to care about those outcomes. 

Vroom’s expectancy theory in practice

Remember that everyone on your team might not be motivated by the same rewards, so your first step is to understand what each of your team members values so you can create opportunities for corresponding outcomes. From there, you can set clear expectations that connect performance to their desired rewards.

 Reinforcement theory

This theory is so strongly correlated to human nature (hey, you probably weren’t eager to touch a hot stove again after it burned you once, right?), that it’s one of the most intuitive to apply on your team.

When an employee does something desirable, reward that behavior – whether in the form of well-deserved recognition,  taking a dreaded task off their plate, or offering a more tangible perk like an extra day off.

Self-determination Theory

People feel motivated when their choices are aligned with their internal goals and beliefs. Their behaviours aren’t directed by external approval, rewards, and punishments. Instead, their behaviors are self-determined. 

Motivation can feel fickle – like a fleeting phenomenon that magically happens when conditions are just right.

Reference

Hewett, R., Shantz, A., Mundy, J. and Alfes, K., 2018. Attribution theories human resource management research: A review and research agenda. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(1), pp.87-126.
https://hrmpractice.com/theories-of-motivation/ https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html https://www.simplypsychology.org/herzbergs-two-factor-theory.html