Thursday, 24 November 2022

MOTIVATION THEORIES & ITS APPLICATION IN AN ORGANIZATION

 Hierarchy of Needs theory by Abraham Maslow 

In a 1943 paper titled "A Theory of Human Motivation," American psychologist Abraham Maslow theorized that human decision-making is under girded by a hierarchy of psychological needs. In his initial paper and a subsequent 1954 book titled Motivation and Personality, Maslow proposed that five core needs form the basis for human behavioral motivation.

- a-guide-to-the-5-levels-of-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs  [Online]. Available at: https://www.masterclass.com/ [Accessed: 21 December 2022].

When a person's needs are met, according to Abraham Maslow, they will be motivated. 

The need begins with the most fundamental needs and progresses upward when each lower-level need is met. 

The hierarchy of needs is shown below.

 


Physiological  -                  Physical survival necessities such as food, water, and shelter.
Safety              -                  Protection from threats, deprivation, and other dangers.
Social (belongingness and love)    The need for association, affiliation, friendship, and so on
Self-esteem                                     The need for respect and recognition.
Self-actualization                            The opportunity for personal development, learning, and fun/creative /challenging work.  Self-actualization is the highest-level need to which a human being can aspire.

 

What can managers do to motivate employees with physiological needs?

Managers can:

Provide adequate food and water for employees or make sure that they know what they need to bring to work. The more you can provide, the better.

Ensure that the workplace is well heated or cooled to maintain the correct temperature and comfort levels

If your business requires work outdoors, be sure to give your staff clothing to suit all weather conditions.

Keep company cafeterias, kitchens, and vending machines stocked with a variety of healthy foods.

Adequately maintain work spaces, especially where workers spend any length of time, such as desks and production lines. Ensure good air quality, complete DSE assessments and act to improve these spaces.

What can managers do to motivate employees with safety needs?

Managers can:

Provide a safe, secure work environment with clear guidelines and responsibilities and ensure that workplace security is appropriate.

Ensure that employees know they can be there for their families without fear of judgement or adverse outcomes; this may include family-friendly policies like time off for emergencies, birthdays, flexible working hours and more.

Managers should use strategies such as implementing new policies regarding safety and well being, harassment, bullying and equal pay.

Consider providing health insurance as part of employee packages.

Ensure that all employees go through health and safety training courses and are empowered to proactively speak up when things aren’t as they should be.

Ensure that they’re not overworking their staff, providing them with a great living wage so they can provide for themselves and their families.

Ensuring staff are paid on time so that they can manage their finances effectively.

What can managers do to motivate employees with social needs?

Managers can:

Plan and organise activities that involve employees at work or outside the office. Exercises can be as simple as a lunch out with co-workers, going for coffee together after work and lunchtime walk and talks.

Hold team-building exercises in or out of work, where individuals are encouraged to bond during social activities such as outings and games.

Involve your employees’ family in work do’s and try to build a community around the business.

Have a company newsletter that shares information and helps to build a sense of community; a newsletter is an easy way to disseminate motivational information, even across multiple sites, and provide a sense of direction for staff.

What can managers do to motivate employees with esteem needs?

Managers can:

Provide a challenging job with opportunities for advancement that match the employee’s skills and abilities.

Give employees responsibility for projects or tasks which build up their experience, skill base, and self-confidence.

Don’t put employees in situations beyond their capabilities; the manager’s job is to build people up and support them by moving at the right pace for them.

What can managers do to motivate employees with self-actualization needs?

Managers can:

Offer opportunities for professional growth.

Provide access to self-help books, articles and videos on topics relevant to the employees’ interests. You may consider a learning management system with a library of self-help content.

Allow time off from work so they may attend classes or workshops required for their job.

Strive to understand a person’s higher-level goals and give feedback on how well they are advancing toward self-actualization (provide guidance when necessary but try to coach rather than tell)

Help with difficult decisions by providing a sounding board where the individual can air their thoughts without judgment before making any final decision about what they should do next.

 

summary

As human resource becomes most important and valuable asset for the business, the leaders should     concentrate much more on the Needs and Wants of the employees to motivate them.

 References

What-is-motivation (Online) available from https://www.verywellmind.com/   (accessed on 13/11/2022)
 
The Psychology of What Motivates Us. 2022. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-motivation-2795378 [Accessed: 13  November 2022]. 

Leadership and Management. [no date]. Available at: https://www.tsw.co.uk/blog/leadership-and-management/ [Accessed: 24 November 2022].

24 comments:

  1. Employees have diversified needs. As an employer it may be quite challenging to identify each employees fundamental needs and motivate them. What will be the best way to motivate a team who has low morale and productivity in general ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When we talk about morale at work, we’re referring to how the team members feel about the business, the work they do, and their place in the company. Managers can show their care about their employee’s , Be transparent ,Emphasize work-life balance ,Reward employees , Encourage feedback , Promote team bonding to motivate low morale team member.
      Thank you

      Delete
  2. The theories are well explained and gained a lot of knowledge. Expecting to see more insightful articles like the above.

    ReplyDelete
  3. For the purpose of motivating their workforce, leaders should undoubtedly focus considerably more on the needs and wants of the employees. If you include some real-world instances to demonstrate the realism, this will get additional value.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes i have explained What managers can do to motivate employees with The hierarchy of needs in real life situations for some extend. Thank you very much for your kind thoughts & i will further explain the theories with practical situations in my blogs.

      Delete
  4. In organization Increases productivity: Motivators like promotions create a drive for employees to work to the best of their capabilities. As such, motivation in an organisation will lead to an increase in the productivity of an employee are you agreed with this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes exactly agreed with you Mr Dhanushka

      Delete
    2. Employee motivation refers to the factors that drive employees to put their best efforts into their work. Motivated people are industrious, creative, dependable, and thoroughly engaged in what they do. When you find the right ways to motivate your employees, turnover becomes a non-issue and employee productivity soars.

      Delete
  5. Author has clearly explained importance of motivations. What do you think best motivation idea that can increase the production in an organization?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Maheshika Employee motivation refers to the elements that encourage workers to give their all to their jobs.
      People who are motivated are diligent, imaginative, trustworthy, and completely absorbed in what they are doing.
      Employee productivity soars and turnover becomes unimportant when you figure out how to motivate your staff.

      Delete
  6. Motivated employees are often more productive and better performers than the unmotivated employees.they tend to work harder and focus on their targets and contribute to the company success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Udara motivated people are diligent, imaginative, trustworthy, and completely absorbed in what they are doing.
      Employee productivity soars and turnover becomes unimportant when you figure out how to motivate your staff.

      Delete
  7. According to my point of view, motivation when combined with training and development programs can result more benefits to both employee and employer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Training can help employees understand how their work fits into their company's structure, mission, goals and achievements. As a result, employees can become more motivated and excited about their work as they understand how what they do matters to the success of the organization.

      Delete
  8. Yes human resources has more responsibility to motivation employees but employees work with other leaders in organization then there are clashes them

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Mr Wimal but if employees understand how their work fits into the structure, mission, and accomplishments of their company.
      when workers realize how important their work is to the organization's success, they become more inspired and enthusiastic about their jobs.

      Delete
  9. There are another motivation theory in HRM. You can point out idea according them

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mr Wimal . I will do with my future blogs.

      Delete
  10. Maslow hierarchy theory is some what old but I think there are new motivation factors in HRM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Mr Wimal I will discuss the modern theories of motivation with my blogs in future. Thank you.

      Delete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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