Motivating Employees - Essay Example

Running head: MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES Axia College By: Carolyn Calabrese 16/10/09 Motivating Employees Employee motivation has been considered to be a success pathway for business organizations for years, because motivated employees are much more productive than those who are not motivated. Managers can motivate employees through different ideas and techniques that in turn make employees comfortable with working environment so that managers can achieve their goals effectively. Motivated employees can help companies survive, compete with others and to perform well in the market.

Scott (2009) emphasizes that managers need to look at their employees for their thoughts on the way that the company would be able to move rather than just listening them. Managers must be honest with them so that they will feel motivated (p. 18).There are different ways to motivate employees. According to drive-reduction theory of motivation, humans have bodily needs like need for food and water that create a state of tension which is called a drive. Employers can motivate their employees by reducing their unpleasant feelings (Morris and Maisto, 2005, p. 331). Managers mostly find it effective to succeed in their managing functions by providing basic needs of employees.

From various theories of motivations, it can be understood that motivation is like a force that activates behavior towards the goal to be achieved or provides stimuli to perform an action. When employees are motivated, it will create healthy relation between managers and employees that help them make fuller use of resources available in the business activities. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations Psychologists identified two basic principles of motivations, namely intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

When employees are motivated by an activity it self, it can be said to be intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation derives from the consequences of an action (Morris and Maisto, 2005, p. 332). An employer has many options to motivate his workers like praising them, co-operating with them, asking for their opinions and feedback, providing better facilities, rewarding and promoting them with newer tasks within their workplace. Managers need to be aware that intrinsic motivation helps employees satisfy with workplace environments and same time extrinsic motivation helps employees to find greater values in their actions.

The Need Hierarchy theory of Abraham Maslow (1954) is perhaps one of the most well known motivation theories. His theory describes that the effective tool for motivating others is to know what factors motivate them. Abraham Maslow arranged human needs in a hierarchy in which human motives are arranged from lower to higher. They are self-actualization, esteem needs, social needs, safety and psychological needs. According to this theory, higher motives like self actualization needs arise only after the more basic needs are satisfied (Morris and Maisto, 2005, p. 349). Managers can apply Maslow’s need hierarchy theory by identifying the level of need their employees have and by recognizing that their workers will be motivated by the ‘need’ factors.

Once a particular employee is satisfied with his physiological need, the manager may go for motivating them through security factors. Herzberg’s two factor theory is based on two motivational drives namely motivator and hygiene factors. Employees can be motivated either by hygiene or motivator. Hygiene factors are salary, benefits, policies, working conditions and employer and employee relationship etc. motivators include recognition, accomplishment and responsibility that are promoting achievement and satisfaction with working environment (Fisher, 2009, p. 349). Herzberg’s theory emphasizes that employers can motivate their workers through a number of factors within the workplace that in turn help workers either get rid of work dissatisfaction or to get job satisfaction.

This theory explains that employees who are motivated with different considerations like salary and other things can help business achieve more than those who are not motivated. ReferencesMorris C.G and Maisto A.A (2002),. Psychology: An Introduction (12th ed.). Chapter. 9, Prentice HallScott M (2009), Keep moving, Employee motivation, how to keep employees from losing hope, Smart Business Cleveland, September 2009, EBSCO data base, Retrieved 15/10/09 fromhttp://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.

com/ehost/pdf?vid=1&hid=111&sid=ea324907-2409-4615-a527-22a638e87e2d%40sessionmgr104Fisher E.A (2009), Motivation and Leadership in Social Work Management: A Review of Theories and Related Studies, Administration in Social Work, 33:347–367, Taylor & Francis Group, ebsco DATA BASE, Retrieved 15/10/09 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/pdf?vid=1&hid=111&sid=e6f156bf-24e5-4cb7-9064-d52003fbcfb9%40sessionmgr1042, February 2009: