Introduction – Understanding Motivation
To appreciate what motivates employees in the work place what must first be considered is what motivation actually is. Once this is understood then employers can look at where money comes into to play and how or whether it may be used as a tool in motivating employees. So what is motivation? Motivation consists of the “biological, emotional, social and cotgnitive forces” Cherry, K, (2016) Motivation: Psychological Factors That Guide Behaviour. Very Well. 16 June. Available Online: [https://www.verywell.com/what-is-motivation-2795378] that stimulate a behaviour or more simply why one carries out an action. At the centre of this essay will be Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943, 1954)) and its application to other theories of motivation such as those of Herzberg, Mayo and Warner.
Frederick Herzberg Theory of Motivation in relation to Maslow’s Triangle
Over the course of the 1950s and 60s Frederick Herzberg carried out research into what motivated employees in the workplace. The results of these studies were unexpected and confuse employers even to this day. What was uncovered, inter-alia, was a sub-standard work environment could make employees miserable to the point of demotivating them, but rectifying these so called “hygiene” factors would not necessarily reverse the effects. The way to motivate an employee was to give them interesting, challenging work that felt meaningful enough to instil a sense of responsibility. What
“Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review. People are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfill the next one, and so on.” (Maslow,1943).
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs teaches us that the human condition requires that certain needs be met such as our physical needs, our safety needs, our belongingness and love needs, our esteem needs, and our self-actualization needs. According to Maslow, it is when these needs are met that we become whole people. Ethan Frome is a book that centers on the needs of a man and his family. The author, Edith Wharton, shows a range of characters that are at times at various levels of the needs that Maslow explains in his hierarchy. What we humans need to fulfill our own self-actualization is often times shown in Wharton’s work. It is the building of one such character that mirrors the belongingness and love needs that is of particular interest because of her evolvement throughout the book. The character of Frome’s wife, Zeena, suffers from hypochondria who seems to be in search of something just out of her reach. The character is filled with illnesses that seem to trouble her on a daily basis with each one seemingly more significant than the other that leads the reader to understand just how manipulative she is. It is as if the character needs attention in order to participate in life. Edith Wharton creates a character in Zeena that fakes her illness because it parallels the relationship
To achieve self-actualization, or in easier term: happiness, one must go up the five stages of “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” by Abraham Maslow. The challenges society faces to be successful today are similar to the struggles of the characters in Mary Shelley’s, “Frankenstein.” Everyone has a common goal: prosperity. In Victor Frankenstein’s case, first he accomplishes the first stage of the pyramid by meeting his physiological needs thanks to his father’s wealth. Then, he completes the second stage of safety and stability through schooling and his pursuit of knowledge. Victor has also met the third stage of belonging and love with the help of four important beings in his life. When it was time to reach the fourth stage and accomplish something worthy of recognition, Victor crosses paths with failure. This failure destroys Victor and his ambition, causing him to take a U-turn down the mountain of success. Although Victor Frankenstein lived an eventful life, he could not manage to fully climb up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs because failure to achieve the next stage can result in descending the pyramid and having to start all over again due to discouragement.
Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist and at the forefront of the humanist movement in psychology, proposed a theory concerning basic human motivations that are based upon a hierarchy of needs. (Boeree 1998, 2006) Often described or pictured as a pyramid, basic physiological drives like thirst, hunger and sleep, as well as the need for safety, shelter and some feeling of security are the motivational needs that occupy the bottom tiers of the pyramid.. They provide the foundation for higher levels of needs to become present and available that the individual is aroused or driven to attain. Once those physiological and safety needs are met then the individual looks to love and be loved, to belong
Motivation is the force that makes us do things, whether accomplishing personal goals or completing tasks at work. Most people are motivated as a result of their individual needs being satisfied, which gives them the inspiration to perform specific behaviors for which they receive rewards (Kinicki & Williams, 2011). These needs vary from person to person, as everybody has specific needs to be satisfied. When we consider factors that determine the motivation of employees, many of us think of a high salary. This answer is correct for the reason that some employees will be motivated by money, but mostly wrong for the reason that it does not satisfy other needs to a lasting degree (Bizhelp24, 2010). This supports the idea that human
According to Maslow 's Hierarchy of Needs, after a person has achieved safety, satisfied their thirst, hunger and other physiological needs they continue towards self-actualization. In this is our desire for answers emerges. From the moment man had demonstrated his dominance at the top of the food chain, establishing a home, creating a life he set himself on a path towards higher thinking. They began to question why things happened. The best example of this would be the Greek philosophy and the tales of the Gods of Olympus. Tales of love, lust, creation, and destruction were a way of creating answers to what they did not understand. As Malcolm Gladwell
Pausing to reflect on my life, I see that it was the seemingly insignificant moments that nudged me forward, creating the person I would become. I was first introduced to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs during freshman year of my undergraduate Developmental Psychology class. This idea helped me think critically about my background and the steps I would need to reach my full potential. I realized that all of my life experiences leading up to that moment influenced the decisions I had made and would continue to make. This sparked my interest in the developmental stages of children and how quickly their early life experiences begin to shape them as well.
In three years Sophie made quite the improvement from an infant who was barely thriving to a toddler beginning to blossom. Moreover, it is evident that Mrs. O'Neil efforts in providing her child with speech, occupational and physical therapy along with other services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. At this point, if I were to place Sophie on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs she would have met all of his deficiency needs. To clarify, the deficiency needs are physiological, safety, and social. In Colin Ongdean article, “ Distinguishing Disability: Parents, Privilege and Special Education”, he states;
She makes him pretend that he would be talking to his closest friends (Mike, Donna and Jessica) and in a way, tries to guide him to realize that he needs to learn how to let go, that not every single person he meets will stay right beside him in his life. According to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, when people strive to be the best versions of themselves, there are certain levels that they must pass. I feel that Harvey is fixated on the esteem level of the hierarchy since he focuses primarily on achievements (motivated by achievements), considering the fact that his other needs are met (basic needs, safety needs...).
I agree that a sense of self should be the ultimate goal that one needs to achieve. Maslow Hierarchy emphasizes that self-actualization is the highest level of needs. It is important for one to identify who she is and where she is headed and not be concerned about reactions; but striving to reach one’s own potential as an individual and as a member of society as a whole. “Men make their own history, that what they can know is what they have made” (Said, 2002, p. 67). Conversely, some people struggle with the fact of showing the real them. We all are different and unique. We are a melting pot. However, society has conditioned us to reject something that has its individual identity. “Only when individuals recognize that their identity- which of course is an identity that they must value-depends on the existence of liberal democratic form of life will they be prepared to defend those institutions and to fight for them when needed” (Mouffe, 2000, p. 91).
Maslow 's Hierarchy of needs places the need to belong on the third tier; being a desire that must be met before completing the need of self-actualization. Psychologist Abraham Maslow believed that it is necessary that someone is accepted by others and if that requirement is not met that person can not move on to be self-fulfilled. Most individuals may meet their need of acceptance by conforming and dismissing characteristics that make them who they are. To fit in some people go along with things that they normally wouldn 't: some people follow trends, fads, and popular opinions that they do not even cherish. This is when the need for acceptance becomes out of control and even though they are accepted by many those who change themselves to fit in may not meet the need of self-actualization because they do not know who they really are. There’s this old saying that asks, “If everyone jumps off of a cliff, would you also”. This meant that even though everyone is doing something doesn 't mean its right and that just because everyone is doing something doesn 't mean it 's right for you.There are many examples of people who resisted their need to be accepted and loved to stand for what they believe in; some examples being Ruby Bridges, Equality 7-2521, and Jesus Christ.
Microsoft provides their employees with a cherishing environment in which they can be productive and come up with the best that they could. They give their employees freedom over their work and the working environment. Employees are never pushed to do something in a certain way. The goals and objectives are rather set supportively with the manager and the employees comforts and capabilities are always taken in to account.
The substance hypothesis highlighted the "what" highlight of inspiration. This is one of the best substance motivational hypothesis presented by Maslow in 1940 's as pyramid (allude to Pic 2.1) which distinguished the necessities in progressive system layer (wood et al. 2010). It demonstrates the five levels of human needs that straightforwardly influence the workplace. This hypothesis refines the motivational, administration and self-awareness of a worker. Maslow 's chain of command of necessities model 's objective is to accomplish self actualisation took after without anyone else regard, wellbeing need, social needs. It can be executed at administrator 's level to comprehend the essential metal and physiological needs of a worker to create high profitability and employment fulfillment. As per my situation, social needs were not fulfilled in light of the hole of correspondence and comprehension of group 's conduct at work. Then again, self regard likewise truant for my situation as there was absence of illumination, balance and coordination, as higher administration dependably push and carelessness our area of expertise for every situation without offering any support. The fundamental levels of pyramid was not satisfied, displaying wastefulness of Maslow 's hypothesis to examination the group 's social and regard needs in each
(Businessballs, n.a.) But before reviewing the reward systems affecting the contract, we must know what motivates an employee and what an employer must aim to provide in order to maintain a mutually beneficial psychological contract. Maslow explains this through his ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ model.
Motivation is one of the most discussed topics in the present era’s organisations, especially since renowned psychologists like Maslow and Herzberg are dedicating their efforts to understanding it. Companies are investing a significant amount of resources in improving productivity in order to maximise profits. One of these important resources is of human nature. In order to get the very best out of employees, some motivational approaches need to be used. But what is motivation and how do I successfully motivate? I will try to relate one of my personal experiences with a friend to some of the most influential motivational theories. After introducing my story and making a definition of motivation I will address the ideas of Taylor,