MOTIVATION THEORIES AND ITS APPLICATION IN AN ORGANIZATION

 Alderfer’s ERG theory of motivation

Alderfer’s ERG theory of motivation builds on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and states that humans have three core types of need: Existence, Relatedness and Growth. These needs may be of different levels of priority for different individuals, and their relative importance for an individual may vary over time.

Summary by The World of Work Project

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs was transformed by Clayton Alderfer into the three-factor ERG model of motivation.

The words Existence, Relatedness, and Growth are represented by the letters E, R, and G in this model, respectively.

The hierarchy of needs theory, which Maslow provided in his theory, is closely related to these core groups.

Both theories contend that a person makes an effort to take care of their fundamental needs throughout their lives.
They work to meet these needs before moving on to those with higher needs.
This stage is known as self-actualization in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Let's examine the three groups in the ERG theory, a condensed version of Maslow's theory. 

Existence

In alignment with Maslow’s basic needs which he categorized as physiological needs, Alderfer called them the existence needs. Maslow’s physiological needs stage concerns itself with basic human needs such as air, water, food, and shelter. Alderfer gave a similar idea in terms of employment, property, and health.

Relatedness

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the second level is that of belongingness to others and having social relationships. On a similar note, Alderfer’s relatedness speaks of the same idea. According to both theories, humans need to have social interactions which help them live a healthy life. Secondly, another important thing humans strive to gain is the respect of others.

Growth

The third complement of ERG theory is growth. Humans need to grow in terms of having self-esteem, confidence and focus on personal development. It is in this phase that a human being strives to become the best versions of themselves. In Maslow’s terminology, a person realizes their abilities and potential and ultimately gets on the road to self-actualization.  In other words, Alderfer’s growth need category corresponds to Maslow’s self-esteem and self-actualization level.

How Does ERG Theory of Motivation Work?

Value of ERG Theory for Managers
You’ve probably encountered Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs at some point in your life. In 1969, Clayton Alderfer created ERG theory to help account for some of the limitations he recognized in Maslow’s work. The letters ERG are an acronym for three..
Feb 10, 2011|2 min read
Joel Robitaille

Alderfer’s ERG theory suggests that a person may be motivated by different levels of needs at any given time. Any need which has a high priority for them can change from time to time. In other words, a person’s priorities, needs, and motivations aren’t constant. They can go from needs of existence to relatedness to growth. 

The needs affect a person in the following ways:

Satisfied Needs

Maslow’s theory suggests that a person can move to a higher level of needs only if their lower needs are met. For example, if an individual is deprived of basic needs like water, he wouldn’t prioritize having social connections. In ERG theory, however, a person’s needs don’t necessarily move from a lower level to a higher one. For instance, the progression upward from relatedness to growth doesn’t require their satisfaction of existence needs.

Unfulfilled Needs

If needs from a higher level remain unmet, it may be accompanied by frustration. In this case, a person will regress to one of the lower needs that are relatively easy to satisfy. In simple terms, an already satisfied need becomes more active if a person has trouble satisfying their higher needs. Therefore, a person who’s frustrated for not satisfying their growth needs may turn to relatedness as their motivator.
Strengthening Satisfied Needs
According to the theory, if a person has one level of needs satisfied, it may act to strengthen the lower needs and maintain its satisfaction. In other words, an already satisfied need can maintain satisfaction or strengthen lower-level needs iteratively when it fails to satisfy high-level needs.
  

In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, individuals need to have satisfied one level of needs before moving on to the next one. For example, they need to have satisfied their safety needs before being motivated by social belonging.

 In his model, individuals do not need to have satisfied their existence needs before being motivated by their relatedness need.

In fact, Alderfer went further and said that different individuals potentially prioritize the needs in different orders based on their life views. A standard example of this could be the starving actor who’s motivated by growth through their art, potentially at the expense of their existence (i.e. they can’t pay their rent but are pursuing their passion).

Implementing ERG Theory in the Workplace

Now let’s see how you can apply ERG theory to your workplace.

Although ERG theory and Maslow’s theory go hand in hand, Alderfer suggested that existence, relatedness, and growth needs aren’t progressive. 

That means, that even if a workplace is not well-equipped, has poor working conditions (existence), employees with high esteem still may come up with great work (growth).

According to the theory, if an employee doesn’t get enough growth opportunities, they get demotivated and frustrated. So instead of fulfilling those needs, they may regress to a lower satisfied need. This is known as the frustration-regression principle. For instance, an employee whose relatedness needs aren’t satisfied will regress to further satisfy their existence needs. 

It is therefore important for managers to look for their employees’ unsatisfied needs. Focusing on one need may not fully motivate them. Therefore, an employee whose growth needs aren’t being met in the workplace may try to socialize more to gain esteem. In this case, you should provide them with more growth opportunities. 

Implement the Following Three Steps:

Fulfill Their Existence Needs

As an employer, make sure that your employees’ needs of existence are satisfied. Ask yourself questions such as:
•    Are the working conditions fine?
•    Is the workplace safe?
•    Are you offering enough security?

If you answer no for most questions, chances are your employees are demotivated because of these reasons.

Check for Unsatisfied Relatedness Needs
Whether it’s ERG theory or Maslow’s theory, making connections with others is highly emphasized. Think of it in this way, if your employees don’t enjoy healthy relationships with you and their coworkers, they won’t be happy.
Every day at work, they would want to go back home where they can feel close, connected, and related to their family. Similarly, try building an environment where an employee can feel at home. Make sure to check for those employees who work isolated from others.  Relatedness is therefore important to live a healthy life.
Focus on Growth
Provide your employees with as many growth opportunities as possible. If your employees develop a feeling of doing the same thing over the years, that may decrease their motivation to work. Appreciate them more, give them interesting projects to work on, and recognize their work. Make sure you provide them enough opportunities to help them grow and feel satisfied with their job. As a manager, help them realize their potential and become the best version of themselves.

References

Career-development/motivation-in-management (Online) available from

 https://au.indeed.com/  (accessed on 13/11/2022)

What-is-motivation (Online) available from https://www.verywellmind.com/   (accessed on 13/11/2022)

What is motivation (online) available from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-motivation-2795378  (accessed on 13/11/2022)

Alderfers-erg-theory (Online) https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-introductiontobusiness/chapter/ (accessed on 27/11/2022)

Alderfers-erg-theory-of-motivation (Online)  https://worldofwork.io/2019/02/ (accessed on 27/11/2022)

Applying  Alderfer’s ERG Theory in the Workplace (Online) https://www.attendancebot.com/blog/erg-theory/ (accessed on 27/11/2022)

Value of ERG Theory for Managers. [no date]. Available at: https://www.labmanager.com/leadership-and-staffing/value-of-erg-theory-for-managers-18934 [Accessed: 22 December 2022].