Motivational Theories - Research Paper Example

Motivational Theories Before going to discuss some early theories related to the concept of motivation, let us get a better understanding of what motivation actually is. Motivation means to inspire people in order to make them achieve their personal or organizational goals. It is extremely important to motivate people to increase their productivity. In case of employees, motivation is the key towards success in their professional lives. Managers give extreme importance towards increasing employee motivation because motivation not only improves employee performance but also increases overall productivity of the companies. Williams states, “Motivating people to do their best work, consistently, has been an enduring challenge for executives and managers”. Let us now discuss some of the key motivational theories in order to know how different sets of needs motivate people to struggle in their lives to meet needs. Hierarchy of Needs by Abraham Maslow This is a psychological theory proposed by Abraham Maslow. This theory involves human motivation towards fulfillment of needs that people experience in their lives in a specific order. There are five levels in the hierarchy of needs, which the theorist categorized into deficiency needs and self-actualization needs. The needs in the bottom four layers are known as deficiency needs whereas the fifth layer is known as the stage of self-actualization, which involved personal growth and development. A person wants to achieve the next layer’s goals only if he/she meets the previous layer needs successfully. For example, safety needs comes after physiological needs and social needs come after the fulfillment of safety and security needs. People are motivated to achieve the safety and security goals upon the achievement of all physiological goals. Maslow showed in the theory that people are motivated systematically. When they meet their basic needs, then they plan to achieve other goals. The first layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is related to physiological needs. A person needs to drink, eat, sleep, and breathe in order to survive. Without meeting these needs, people do not struggle for other needs because health of person comes before anything else. “Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met” (Cherry). Therefore, these are the most basic needs, which people want to fulfill at any cost. The second layer is related to the safety and security needs of a person. People want to be secure financially as well as physically. Although security needs are important for people but their importance is identified after the fulfillment of physiological needs. Financial needs means to have proper job or a profit generating business. On the other hand, physical security needs mean shelter and personal security. Third layer in the hierarchy of needs is related to the social needs. People need to interact with their people in the society to form relationships. No one wants to be isolated in the society. Isolation adversely affects the psychological development of a person. Everyone wants to have some friends, some relatives, and sexual partners not only to get some love and affection but also to participate in all kinds of social and religious activities. Therefore, upon the achievement of physical and financial security goals, people are motivated to meet their social needs. Fourth layer of needs in the hierarchy is related to personal worth and esteem. People want to be respected from other people. Self-esteem and self-respect are two of the basic elements of life, which increase the level of confidence of a person. This layer of needs is very important because it makes a person progress in the society. Social recognition is one of the main aspects of this level of hierarchy. People want to be recognized by the society because it makes them feel proud, valued, and appreciated. Fifth or the last layer of hierarchy is related to the need of self-actualization. It is the highest level of needs in which a person is not worried about food or shelter rather all focus is towards progressing to the highest level of life. Struggle of a person goes beyond the struggle for food, shelter, relationships, and respect at this stage. “Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential” (Cherry). At this stage, a person is motivated to achieve the highest degree of autonomy and comfort in life. Needs Theory by Douglas McClelland Douglas McClelland presented this theory of needs. The theorist reveals that there are three needs, which affect or shape the behaviors of people. Those needs include need for power, need for affiliation, and need for achievement. The need for achievement is the need of a person to achieve all personal and professional goals. People struggle in their lives to achieve their goals and objectives. Achievement of any type of goal makes people happy and confident. In this world, every person wants to excel in all fields of life. Competition and challenges are two of the most influencing motivational factors which make a person achieve his/her desired set of goals and objectives. Achievement is not restricted to any specific field of life; rather a person wants to achieve certain goals in every field of life whether it is educational achievement, psychological or physiological needs’ achievement, or professional achievement. An urge to get positive feedback is also one of the main motivating factors for achievement. People want to be appreciated for their educational or professional achievements. Therefore, people make efforts to achieve their goals in order to get positive feedbacks and appreciation. According to the theorist, highly motivated individuals are gamblers who set high targets for them. Such people are very confident and do not hesitate to take risks for the achievement of those targets. Such individuals are highly talented and they make full use of their talent, commitment, and motivation to achieve their goals and objectives. Power is another human need. People want to influence others by their actions and behaviors. A person can have two powers, which include personal power and institutional power. Personal power makes a person dominate other people without any proper reason or logic whereas institutional power makes a person direct or lead others to achieve desired goals and objectives. We can observe the need for power in the politics of any country. Each party wants to win the election not only to make an impact on the other parties but also to show their political power and vote power. In third world countries, such as, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, the need for power in politics can be observed more openly. Political parties fight for gaining powers instead of fighting for the rights of people. In this world, every person has the desire to influence others in order to control their behaviors and actions but the level of desire to control other individual’s behaviors varies from person to person. People, who are motivated by power, want to dominate and shape other people’s views and behaviors. The third need is the need for affiliation. People want to make relationships with other people in order to remain active in the society. People need to interact with their people in the society to form relationships. People with such needs have constant desire to get respect and appreciation from the society. An urge for a friendly and supportive environment motivates a person to develop sociable interpersonal relationships. Summing it up, motivation is the key towards success of a person. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and McClelland’s needs theory are two of the major early motivational theories, which provide a good understanding of what people desire. The theories also reveal the needs, which motivate people to struggle in their lives. Works Cited Cherry, Kendra. “Hierarchy of Needs.” About.com, n.d. 2010. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. Williams, Ray. “How to motivate employees: What managers need to know.” Psychologytoday.com, 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. Read More