Top 3 Theories of Motivation | Business Management

Motivation can literally be defined as the task of moving towards a goal or a desire to act. There are different levels of motivation that can allow an individual to stop lazing around all day and get up the energy to get up every single day and work. This is a concept which is extremely important in the field of psychology. Psychologists from all across the globe have been trying to study this concept for decades now. This has also resulted in a number of theories becoming popular in the world which are related to this concept. Each of these theories tries to explain what exactly the concept of motivation is and the different factors which can have a strong effect on this concept. The top 3 most popular and influential theories of motivation are Maslow theory of needs, Herzberg theory of two-factors, and McGregory’s theory of x and y. But before discussing these theories it is important to first be aware of the major components of this concept. In this business management academic writing piece, readers will be able to learn about Maslow theory, Herzberg theory, and McGregory’s theory. Readers will also be able to understand the different components of motivation and how readers can always stay motivated.

Components of Motivation

According to different business management academic writing pieces, there are three major components of staying motivated. And those three different components are mentioned below.

1.     Activation

This component basically involves the decision which is related to making some kind of decision that would initiate a behavior. For example, this could include enrolling in a class or getting up early to complete some task.

2.     Persistence

Persistence can be defined as the continued effort of persisting and making the efforts to continue moving towards a goal no matter how many obstacles might exist. For example, if an individual wishes to master the subject of psychology then to complete this goal an individual might make continuous efforts by taking extra psychology courses and pooling his or her resources and efforts to pass all of those different psychology courses.

3.     Intensity

This is the third and the last component of staying motivated. This component refers to the kind of intensity and vigor that an individual has while completing his or her goal. For example, if an individual wishes to master the subject of psychology then that student might also participate in a number of discussions, quizzes, and read a lot to help him or her in achieving that goal quickly. This clearly shows the high level of motivation and intensity that the individual has in achieving his or her goals.

These are the three different components which are also present in a number of business management motivational theories.

Theories of Motivation

As it was mentioned above that, there are three major motivational theories in the field of psychology. These three major theories are not just simply the three most popular theories but these are also the three most influential theories in terms of business management. These three different theories are Maslow theory of needs, Herzberg theory of two-factors, and McGregory’s theory of X and Y. All these theories are explained in detail in the sections which are mentioned below.

Maslow Theory of Needs

In this section, readers will be able to learn about the Maslow theory of needs. In this theory, Maslow gave a hierarchy of five tiers. These five tiers present a model of human needs which can be imagined as being in the shape of a pyramid. Those five needs are physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization. These needs are present in a bottom to top manner. A small explanation for all these needs is mentioned below.

·     Physiological Needs: This is a type of basic need. For example, water, food, rest, and warmth

·      Safety Needs: This is also a type of basic need. For example, having a feeling of safety and security

·    Belongingness and Love Needs: This is a type of psychological need. For example, having friends and intimate relationships

·  Esteem Needs: This is also a type of psychological need. For example, being surrounded with a feeling of accomplishment and prestige

·   Self-Actualization: This is a self-fulfillment need and it basically involves an individual who has succeeded in achieving his or her full potential in all the different aspects of his or her life

These are the five different needs which are mentioned in the Maslow theory.

In his theory, Maslow also gave the concept of deficiency needs and growth needs. According to Maslow, the bottom four needs i.e. the physiological need, safety needs; love and belonging need, and esteem needs. These deficiencies needs arise due to there being some kind of deprivation. These needs motivate an individual to fulfill these needs when those needs are unmet. On the other hand, self-actualization is a type of growth need. This need does not motivate an individual when it is lacking but it motivates an individual when there is a desire of that individual to grow.

This is all the information pieces which are related to the Maslow theory.

Herzberg Theory of Two-Factors

In this section, readers will be able to learn about the Herzberg theory of two-factors in detail. This theory is also extremely popular and influential in the business management field. F. Herzberg was a behavioral scientist who proposed this theory in 1959. According to this theory, there are certain tasks which can result in an individual experiencing satisfaction while there are other job factors or tasks which can prevent dissatisfaction. These job factors can also be categorized into two different categories. Those categories are mentioned below.

·        Hygiene Factors

This is one of those job factors which are important for an individual to stay motivated in a workplace. These factors cannot lead to motivation for a longer duration of time. But if these factors are not present in the workplace then that can lead to dissatisfaction. So, it can be said that these are the factors which can pacify an employee and will result in the employees in not being dissatisfied. These factors are also known as maintenance factors or dissatisfies. These factors allow individuals to avoid dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors can include different company policies, pay, fringe benefits, status, and job security.

·        Motivational Factors

The hygiene factors are not regarded as the motivators as only the motivational factors can result in positive satisfaction. These are also the factors which can allow an individual to be motivated to continue providing superior performance. These motivational factors are also known as satisfiers. These factors are also intrinsically rewarding. There are different motivational factors including responsibility, sense of achievement, growth, recognition, and meaningfulness of the work.

These are the two different factors which are stated in the Herzberg theory. Both of these factors, which are mentioned in the Herzberg theory,also, play an important role in the field of business management.

McGregory’s Theory of X and Y

In this section, readers will be able to learn about McGregory’s theory of X and Y. This theory has a number of applications in the field of business management. This theory was originally developed by Douglas McGregory during the 1960s. He was a social psychologist who attempted to state how the manager’s belief of what motivates the employees can have a strong effect on the strategies that the manager decides to follow. He gave two contrasting theories.

·        Theory X

According to this theory, the manager takes a pessimistic view. The manager believes that his or her employees naturally dislike work and are unmotivated. That is why the manager believes that his or her employees need to be prompted, punishes, or rewarded constantly to ensure that all tasks are constantly completed. In this approach, control is firmly centralized in the organization and authority is delegated rarely. Managers actively intervene and are also more authoritarian.

·        Theory Y

This theory assumes that employees are naturally motivated to work harder. This approach takes a positive and optimistic view of the employees. This allows the managers to take up a participative and decentralized style of management. In this theory, individuals take more responsibility. This allows those individuals or employees to develop different skills and improve the skills that were previously acquired by those individuals. In this theory, managers also provide constant appraisals to his or her employees but these appraisals are provided to encourage a more open form of communication instead of controlling the entire staff.

Theory Y is often more popular in terms of business management than the theory X. These are all the different theories of motivation which are extremely popular and influential. With this, the section of the different theories of motivation is finished.

The Conclusion:

Motivation can be understood as the desire to work towards achieving a goal. This is an extremely popular concept in the field of psychology and there are also a large number of psychologists who have studied this concept for a number of years. There are different theories of motivation. And three different theories were discussed in this writing piece. And those three theories of motivation include Maslow theory, Herzberg theory, and McGregory’s theory. Out of all these theories of motivation, the McGregory’s theory is the most influential. There are also two different theories which are a part of the McGregory’s theory.

The References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation

https://jamesclear.com/motivation

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/motivation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-motivation-2795378

https://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/motivation/section1/

https://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop412A/2011-0023_Psychology/030300.scorml

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/three-main-theories-motivation-1888.html

https://contactzilla.com/blog/5-psychological-theories-motivation-increase-productivity/

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

https://managementstudyguide.com/herzbergs-theory-motivation.htm

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_74.htm