Explain different Theories of Motivation?
Course: General Methods of Teaching
Course code 8601
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment
Answer:
Theories of Motivation
From the very beginning,
when human organisations were established, various thinkers have tried to
find out the answer to what motivates people to work. Different approaches
applied by them have resulted in several theories concerning motivation.
These are discussed in
brief in that order.
1. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory:
It is probably safe to
say that the most well-known theory of motivation is Maslow’s need hierarchy
theory Maslow’s theory is based on human needs. Drawing chiefly on his
clinical experience, he classified all human needs into a hierarchical manner
from the lower to the higher order.
In essence, he believed that once a given level of need is satisfied, it no longer serves to motivate man. Then, the next higher level of need has to be activated to motivate the man. Maslow identified five levels in his need hierarchy as shown in figure 17.2.
2. Herzberg’s Motivation Hygiene Theory:
The psychologist
Frederick Herzberg extended the work of Maslow and proposed a new motivation
theory popularly known as Herzberg’s Motivation Hygiene (Two-Factor) Theory.
Herzberg conducted a widely reported motivational study on 200 accountants and
engineers employed by firms in and around Western Pennsylvania.
He asked these people to
describe two important incidents at their jobs:
(1) When did you feel
particularly good about your job, and
(2) When did you feel
exceptionally bad about your job? He used the critical incident method of
obtaining data.
The responses when
analysed were found quite interesting and fairly consistent. The replies
respondents gave when they felt good about their jobs were significantly
different from the replies given when they felt bad. Reported good feelings
were generally associated with job satisfaction, whereas bad feelings with job
dissatisfaction. Herzberg labeled the job satisfiers motivators, and he called
job dissatisfies hygiene or maintenance factors. Taken together, the motivators
and hygiene factors have become known as Herzberg’s two-factor theory of
motivation
3. McClelland’s Need Theory:
Another well-known
need-based theory of motivation, as opposed to the hierarchy of needs of
satisfaction-dissatisfaction, is the theory developed by McClelland and his
associates. McClelland developed his theory based on Henry Murray’s developed
long list of motives and manifest needs used in his early studies of
personality. McClelland’s need theory is closely associated with learning
theory because he believed that needs are learned or acquired by the
kinds of events people experience in their environment and culture.
He found that people who
acquire a particular need behave differently from those who do not. His
theory focuses on Murray’s three needs; achievement, power, and affiliation. In
the literature, these three needs are abbreviated “n Ach”, “n Pow”, and “n Aff”
respectively’.
4. McGregor’s Participation Theory:
Douglas McGregor
formulated two distinct views of human beings based on the participation of workers.
The first is basically negative, labeled Theory X, and the other is basically
positive, labeled Theory Y.
Theory X is based on the
following assumptions:
1. People are by nature
indolent. That is, they like to work as little as possible.
2. People lack ambition,
dislike responsibility, and prefer to be directed by others.
3. People are inherently
self-centered and indifferent to organizational needs and goals.
4. People are generally
gullible and not very sharp and bright.
5. Urwick’s Theory Z:
Much after the propositions of theories X and Y by McGregor, the three theorists Urwick, Rangnekar, and Ouchi-propounded the third theory labeled as Z theory.
The two propositions in Urwicks’s theory are that:
(i) Each individual should know the organizational goals precisely and the amount of contribution through his efforts towards these goals.
(ii) Each individual should also know that the relation of organizational goals is going to satisfy his/her needs positively.
In Urwick’s view, the above two make people ready to behave positively to accomplish both organizational and individual goals.
However, Ouchi’s Theory
Z has attracted a lot of attention from management practitioners as well as
researchers. It must be noted that Z does not stand for anything, is merely the
last alphabet in the English Language.
6. Argyris’s Theory:
Argyris has developed
his motivation theory based on the proposition of how management practices affect individual behavior and growth In his view, the seven changes taking place in
an individual personality make him/her a mature one. In other words, the personality
of an individual develops.
Argyris views that immaturity exists in individuals mainly because of organizational setting and management practices such as task specialization, chain of command, unity of direction, and span of management. To make individuals grow mature, he proposes a gradual shift from the existing pyramidal organization structure to a humanistic system; from the existing management system to a more flexible and participative management.
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