Organization Behavior & Communication – Motivation

Although studying theory might seem to be an effort separate from practice (e.g., professional activities), good theories emerge from assessing practice. Accordingly, theories can possess some usefulness in prescribing positive actions for leaders and organizations.

Assume you are the manager of a department in an organization. Select two of the theories you learned about this week that you believe will be most useful in managing your staff. (Be sure to review the supplemental readings as well). Select different theories or different combinations of theories than your classmates select. Address the following:

– Assess why you find the two theories you selected most practical or helpful.

– Evaluate how the two theories might interact with each other.

– Analyze whether you anticipate needing different motivational methods applying your selected theories according to the ages, races, national origins, cultures, genders, and educational backgrounds of your subordinates. Provide appropriate citations to support your conclusions.

– Justify three best practices that emerge from your selected theories (three best practices total. You do not need three best practices for each theory).

The final paragraph (three or four sentences) of your initial post should summarize the one or two key points that you are making in your initial response. For each Theory. 

Your posting should be the equivalent of 500–1000 words in length. For each of the bullet points. Include reference page in APA style to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.

Submission Details:

Submit your response in the Discussion Area, using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading:

Kinicki, A. (2020). Organizational behavior: A precritical, problem-solving approach (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9781260075076.

Chapters:

Foundations of Employee Motivation

Performance Management

Power, Influence and Politics

Content Theories

Motivational theories can be organized as two types: Content Theories and Process theories. Let’s first look at content theories of motivation. Content theories seek to understand what it is about the employee that leads to motivation or “what” motivates.  The theories seek to identify the factors within a person that energizes, sustains, and stops behavioral responses.

One of the most well-known content theories is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This theory suggests that individuals have very ordered needs. The lowest order needs are physiological, safety, and belongingness needs. These must be met to sustain well-being.

Physiological includes the need for food, drink, shelter and relief from pain.

Safety and security includes the need for freedom from threats (events and surroundings).

Belongingness, social and love includes the need for friendship, affiliation, and interaction.

The higher order needs are esteem and self actualization. They tend towards development and internal needs.

Esteem includes the need for self-esteem and esteem from others.

Self-actualization includes the need to fulfill oneself by making maximum use of potential, abilities, and skill.

According to the theory, a person can only be working on fulfilling one level at a time, and a person cannot advance to the higher needs until the lower needs are satisfied. Once satisfied, a need no longer exists and, thus, no longer motivates a behavioral response. Once the lower need is met, the person will move to the next need for motivation. Accordingly, the theory is sometimes called a satisfaction-progression theory. Maslow further indicated that no one ever fully self-actualizes; thus, that level would always be motivational.

For further information on Maslow’s theory . 

• Process Theories
• The process theories of motivation were the first to look at the progression of employee effort from job performance to job satisfaction. The content theories assumed that if employee effort led to performance, it also led to job satisfaction. The process theories did not make that assumption. If content theories answer “what” motivates, process theories answer “how” motivation occurs. That is, how behavior is energized, sustained, or stopped.
• One of the well-known process theories is the Vroom expectancy theory. This theory suggests that employees are motivated to put forth effort because they value the reward they will receive for achieving the required level of performance. Central to the theory is the employee’s thought process in determining how to behave. Essentially, the behavior is based on the employee’s estimated probability that a result will occur. The employee conducts this thought process prior to deciding whether or not to act. Three terms are crucial to the expectancy approach. 

Expectancy: Putting forth effort will lead to the desired level of performance.

Instrumentality: This performance will lead to a reward.

• Valence: The reward is a desired outcome for the employee.
• Employees develop two expectations. First, a perceived probability of successful performance given a certain level of effort. Second, a perceived probability of receiving an outcome given the performance.