Motivation

Understanding Motivation

Motivation is a key part of the managers job because through it the manager is able to make people want to perform activities so that goals can be achieved.

Motivation has been defined as the set of processes that determine behavioural choices. That is the processes which influence people to behave the way they do. Motivation is therefore concerned with the reasons for human behaviour, it explains why people behave in a certain manner.

Motivation is derived from motive which is an inner force that moves a person to behave in a certain way. Motives may stem from both physiological and psychological needs.

Motivation is greatly affected by the environment in which the employee is operating, and therefore management of the environmental factors that affect workers is one way to lighten the function of motivation.

 The concepts of reward and punishment are basic to motivation. For example most modern theories of motivation stress rewards as motivational factors. While punishments can also serve to motivate, it is difficult to draw reliable evidence that punishments help produce more effective or desirable behaviour. For example few prisoners get rehabilitated by prison conditions. How rewards and punishment are used in management depends on each individual manager. Management thinking on motivation has progressed through three distinct stages:

(a)    Traditional view

this view of motivation was held during the era of Frederick W. Taylor and scientific management. This was a simplistic way of looking at employees. The opinion was that employees worked only for economic reasons and presumably the more they were paid, the harder they worked. It is also known as the rational or economic concept of motivation.

(b)    Human related view

this approach was advocated by the behavioural school of management thought. It argued that social forces were the primary determinants of motivation. The opinion was that the more satisfied people were with their jobs the harder they worked. Also known as the social concept of motivation.

(c)    Human resources review

this view takes the most positive attitude towards employees' motivation. It argues that people are actually resources that can benefit the organization. It also argues that people want to help and managers should look upon them as assets.