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Different Content And Three Process Theories Essay

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Introduction

What is motivation? According to the Oxford dictionary, it is “a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way”.

Contemporary authors have defined motivation as the psychological process that gives behaviour purpose and direction (Kreitner, 1995); a predisposition to behave in a purposive manner to achieve specific, unmet needs (Buford, Bedeian, & Lindner, 1995); and the will to achieve (Bedeian, 1993).

This essay is to reflect on three content and three process theories used to motivate people in their jobs.

Quite simply, motivation is based on human needs. If someone is captivated by what they are doing, then we can safely assume that motivation is high. It is present in many aspects of our daily lives. For example, why do we eat breakfast in the morning? Because we are motivated by hunger. Why do people study and want to further their education? Because they want to broaden their knowledge. After all, knowledge is power. Motivating factors can be anything from a reward to compulsion.

So in short, motivation factors in the work environment include reward, expectation and performance feedback.

And this brings me to my next point. There is a common place where most people need motivation – at work. Being the best employee in an organisation does not exempt one from needing motivation. And any organisation, who wants to motivate their employees, must be familiar with “Howlett’s hierarchy of work motivators”. According to Oxford

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