work motivation
definitions
set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individual's being, to initiate work-related behaviour and to determine its form, direction, intensity and duration (pinder, 1998)
both a cognitive and affective component
if you are aligned with your task you're internally motivated then you'll feel better carrying out the work
traditional approaches
maslow's hierarchy
people are motivated at work by unfulfilled needs
good content theory but terrible process theory, the needs act more like taxonomies/descriptions
not universal across tie and space
people don't progress through the needs linarly as you do them in competition
needs don't matter to the same degree in the same order
implications
when pay and security are poor e's will be motivated towards these needs
as conditions improve, social needs will become more important
improved work environment = work now important in seld-esteem and self actualisation
need to ensure e's needs are fulfilled to get the best out of them (linked to SDT)
evaluation
theory is difficult to actually test and there is a lack of consistent empirical support)
some practical applications but mainly phiolosophical theory (descriptive)
implies everyone has exactly the same needs in life
SDT
focuses on the degree to which an individuals behaviour is self-motivated and self-determined (as humans we are cybernetic systems so we are all driven by goals consciously or not)
intrinsically motivated work behaviour
behaviour performed for its own sake
no apparent reward is received except the activity itself
extrinsically motivated work behaviour
behaviour performed to acquire material or social rewards or to avoid punishment
type of motivation is short-lasting and only persists as long as the reward is provided
empircal evidence shows
IM leads to positive outcomes e.g. creativity, positive well-being
EM leads to people taking shortcuts, unethical behaviours but does motivate when reward is performance relevant
functional fixedness
rewards narrow focus and concentrate the mind however, this limits creative abilities
the goal will mess up the process of thinking (tacks inside the box)
creative jobs matter more now as regular jobs can be outsourced to AI
jobs where it's hard to get IM rewards are needed to get people to work
implications
we all have basic needs for relatedness, autonomy and competence
the more meaningful the job the more motivated employees will be which facillitates IM
theories building on this
job characteristics model
meaningfulness/IM is derived from the job itself
job can be characterised by different skills
theory of purposeful work behaviour
same concepts but also linked personality traits
people have different personality traits you can cater tasks to specifically motivate them
equity theory
balance of inputs and outputs
perceived lack of equity = lack of motivation
organisational justice theory
distributive justice
procedural justice
interpersonal justice
implications
importance of fairness in word demands/rewards and visibility and fairness of procedures
evaluation
perceived inequity is highly stressful and detrimental
removal of equity promotes amotivation but presence of equity doesn't cause motivation
higher levels = higher perfomance and citizenship behaviours whereas lower levels = CWBs (colquitt et al., 2001)
goal setting theory
goals are targets a person is trying to attain, people are motivated to work by the goals they set about their performance
basic premises
achievable
specific
feedback
participation
evaluation
substantial empirical support for basic principles
very practical theory
unaswered questions on how we cope with multiple goals or ID's
dark side of goal setting
may encourage unethical behaviours
focuses attention on achievement rather than process
draws attention away from morality of beahviour
can help justify unethical behaviours
newer approaches
prosocial motivation theory
people are motivated at work by helping others
application
less egocentric view of motivation
strong evidence for theory
doctors wash hands more frequently when framed as patient safety than doctors safety (grant & hofmann, 2011)
firefighters work more overtime and fundraising callers make more calls and money (grant, 2008)
but
people might self-select into prosocial jobs
are those in other jobs so bothered about helping others
implications
design jobs that have
opportunities to benefit others (make people feel they are making a difference)
contact with beneficiaries (make people care more about making a difference)
procrastination theory
idea that people are motivated against things as well as toward things
people are motivated at work to avoid undesirable tasks
propositions
procratination is a problem of self-regulation not time management
it will cause work performance to suffer as e's will neglect important tasks
low conscientiousness and low SE p's will be more likely to procrastinate
evaluation
evidence procrastination does lead to poorer performance
often a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy
cure for procrastination?
implications
managers must try to reduce procrastination
selection, ensure person-job fit and help regulate e's emotion