Explaining Employees Behaviours Using Psychological Motivation Theories - Research Paper Example

Explaining Employees’ Behaviours using Psychological Motivation Theories Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to evaluate the usefulness of psychological motivation theories in explaining behaviour in organizations. The aim of this study is to explain how employees in firms use psychological motivation to meet their work needs and determine their choices. Methodology/Design: The paper briefly explains the context of the study. After that, the literature review provides appropriate examples of how useful psychological motivation theories are when describing behaviour in organizations. Findings: The results of this paper reveal that there is a relationship between motivation theories and organizational behaviour. These theories can help human resource managers explain and predict human activities within their working environment. The approaches to be used to study organizational behaviour are content and process theories. Practical implications: HR managers can use the findings of this paper and examples of theories provided and apply them to suit their circumstances. Paper type: Research paper 1. Introduction 1.1 Context of the study In any firm, having a motivated workforce guarantees success. Motivated workers work harder, are less absent from their duties, produce better output and are very productive. The Human Resource Departments often use motivation to study organizational behaviour. Motivation is key in explaining and predicting activities within a working environment. Therefore, by conducting a detailed analysis of motivation, it is the same as analyzing the way employees conduct their activities in a working environment[ CITATION Dye05 \l 1033 ]. When studying organizational behaviour using motivation, there are two theories involved: content theories and process theories. Content theories cover things that make people motivated. The theory identifies the needs required by employees in order to be motivated. Process theories focus less on the needs required by employees, and more on thought-processes that impact employees’ behaviour[ CITATION Leo99 \l 1033 ]. This paper will conduct a detailed analysis of these two theories when evaluating the usefulness of psychological motivation theories in explaining behaviour in organizations. The paper has briefly explained the context of the study. After this brief background of the study, the next chapter is the literature review that will provide appropriate examples of how useful psychological motivation theories are when describing behaviour in organizations. The last chapter will be the conclusion, and it will summarise the results of this paper. 2. Literature review. 2.1 What is motivational theory? A study by Heng (2003) defined motivation as ‘the study why people think and behave as they do (2003, p. 45).’ Psychology motivation is concerned with examining what employees are doing (choice of behaviour), estimating time taken by an employee to initiate an activity (latency of behaviour), measuring the efforts taken by an employee to complete a task (intensity of behaviour), estimating the time an employee wishes to stay in a particular organisation (persistence of behaviour), and finding out what an individual thinks and feels when doing a task (emotional reactions of behaviour). There are two theories in motivation that are used to study organizational behaviour. These are content and process theories. As noted in a study by Kanfer (2014), content theories deal specifically with the factors that motivate employees. The theories look into things that enable an employee to be motivated. Process theories, as noted in a study by Leonard (1999), emphasize more on thought-processes that influence workers’ behaviour and less on needs. 2.2 Content theories Every employee in organizations has needs. These requirements need to be satisfied in order for employees to be satisfied. As discussed in a qualitative study by Renihard (2006), the needs can be satisfied through either extrinsic rewards or intrinsic rewards. An example of an extrinsic reward is good salary, and an example of intrinsic reward is recognition by the manager[ CITATION Ren06 \l 1033 ]. A good example of a content theory is Abraham H. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This theory mainly focuses on explaining human behaviour in organizations. The developer of this theory, Mr. Maslow, designed hierarchy of needs based on five sets of goals called basic needs. The main tenet of this theory by Mr. Maslow is that managers cannot fully realize efforts from employees if they cannot meet the employees’ needs[ CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 ]. The hierarchy of needs was organized in the form that, the lower level was the most basic needs, and the top level contained high-level needs. Before fulfilling the high-level needs, it is necessary to meet lower level needs. These are Mr. Maslow’s order of needs: physiological need, safety need, social need, esteem need, and self-actualization[ CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 ]. 2.2.1 The Hierarchy Needs that are in the first hierarchy are basic needs. Basic needs need to be fulfilled in order to motivate employees. The physiological needs that fall under basic needs are food, drinks, right temperature, and such. Additionally, there is need for safety needs such as good security[ CITATION Chr00 \l 1033 ]. Psychological needs are second in the hierarchy. This includes firms ensuring employees experience the feeling of love and belongingness. In other words, firms need to ensure proper social interactions. Additionally, this involves boosting the esteem. For instance, employees need to have the feeling of accomplishment after doing something great[ CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 ]. The third and fourth hierarchy include needs that concentrate on self-interest and needs that enable people achieve their full potential respectively. In broader terms, the basic needs that need to be fulfilled are often physiological. This includes hunger, food, air supply, and such. After these are fulfilled, the next needs to be fulfilled are safety needs[ CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 ]. These needs guarantee employees protection from danger. When these are fulfilled, employees are then in need for love and belonging. Normally, every human being has a desire to feel loved and the need for friendship and association. After fulfilling these, employees are in need for esteem[ CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 ]. Every employee demands self-esteem and self-respect. To ensure this, employers need to recognize and appreciate their employees. Finally, each employee has the right for self actualization. Employers need to guarantee their employees job-security, provide resources for creativity, and allow employees to self-develop[ CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 ]. The paper has conducted a detailed analysis of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. This is because the theory is a very popular psychological motivation philosophy. As validated in a study by Cullen (1997), the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory is easy to understand and logic. Many managers in the business field have relied on this theory to boost the morale of their employees. 2.3 Process theories These theories can be used to explain behaviours in organizations. It focuses on the way employees select actions intended to meet their needs. This paper will look into several theories in this category. a) Equity theory This is an approach designed by Stacy Adams and its main tenet is that employees demand rewards that are similar to the efforts they have used[ CITATION Leo99 \l 1033 ]. Apart from looking at their rewards, employees also look into other employees’ rewards. Employees will be de-motivated if they realize their pay is inferior to other employees, who are at the same level in an organization. De-motivated employees often put less into their jobs, always complain and seek better treatment. Additionally, they may seek transfer or tender their resignations[ CITATION Ren06 \l 1033 ]. The main ideology behind equity theory is that people behave based on their perceptions[ CITATION Her03 \l 1033 ]. This means that every human resource manager has to avoid what he/she thinks is the problem with the employees. The manager needs to understand that the real issues affecting employees are because of their perception towards a situation[ CITATION Her03 \l 1033 ]. The best way to deal with de-motivated employees is employers avoiding equity comparisons when allocating rewards[ CITATION Dye05 \l 1033 ]. As noted in a study by Nayab (2011), effective managers deal with negative perceptions by allocating visible rewards. This includes raising salaries, fairly treating the employees, and fair promotions[ CITATION NNa11 \l 1033 ]. Managers need to deal with equity issues early enough by communicating the rewards to be given, develop performance appraisal that define how rewards are offered, and develop comparison points[ CITATION NNa11 \l 1033 ]. b) Expectancy theory Victor Vroom developed this theory. According to Mr. Vroom, employees are guaranteed motivation if: i) They believe their efforts will lead to a good performance by the company. ii) A good performance can lead to more rewards. iii) More rewards will enable them (employees) satisfy their personal goals. The main tenet behind this theory is that employers need to understand employees’ goals, and connection exists between rewards and individual, performance and rewards, and rewards and goal satisfaction[ CITATION Chr00 \l 1033 ]. In many cases, high level of expectancy from employees, and attractive salaries lead to high motivation. To ensure motivation, employers need to develop strong workers’ perceptions of their efforts[ CITATION Hen03 \l 1033 ]. Additionally, the managers need to define clearly rewards to performance, and what they expect from employees. c) Reinforcement theory This theory is based on E. L. Thorndike’s law of effect. It investigates the connection that exists between behaviour and its consequences. The theory highlights four techniques that can be used to influence an employee’s behaviour[ CITATION Rutgy \l 1033 ]. The first technique is positive reinforcement: This includes rise in salary and guaranteeing promotion, and it is used to reward employees with desirable behaviour. Firms use positive reinforcement to boost employees’ morale. As a result, many employees work hard in order to be rewarded with better salaries or a promotion[ CITATION Rutgy \l 1033 ]. The second technique used is avoidance: Employers use this to indicate and demonstrate consequences of bad behaviour in a workplace. Employees who do not engage in improper behaviour are not eligible to experience the consequence. As a result, many employees under this rule often avoid situations that are categorized as improper behaviour, such as lateness, failure to meet deadlines, and more[ CITATION Rutgy \l 1033 ]. The third technique is extinction: In this type of case, firms ignore the behaviours of junior employees. When junior employees engage in improper behaviour, employers do not provide either a positive or a negative reinforcement. A good example of this case, though it is not employer-employee case, is when a teacher ignores a student who is not behaving well. In this example, the teacher perceives the bad behaviour as just temporary and not that serious[ CITATION Rutgy \l 1033 ]. Lastly, the fourth technique is punishment: Examples of punishment include sacking, suspension, half salary, and more. Employers apply punishment in order to implement a consequence for involving in improper behaviour[ CITATION Rutgy \l 1033 ]. Reinforcement theory has five implications for the leadership of organizations. First, managers need to understand behaviours that are acceptable in their firms[ CITATION Her03 \l 1033 ]. This would help in boosting motivation. Second, managers should not fear pointing out improper behaviour in organizations[ CITATION Leo99 \l 1033 ]. They should effectively implement consequences of improper behaviour when it is noticed. Third, managers need to define the terms and processes that can lead to positive reinforcement[ CITATION NNa11 \l 1033 ]. Fourth, leaders must administer reinforcement when bad behaviour has occurred. Lastly, managers should note that failure to reward can affect employees’ behaviours negatively. This can affect the productivity of a firm[ CITATION NNa11 \l 1033 ]. d) Goal-setting theory Edwin Locke designed this theory in the 1960’s. The main philosophy behind this theory is that, the main source of motivation is intentions to work towards a goal[ CITATION Leo99 \l 1033 ]. Managers can make their employees more productive by explaining to the employees the things that need to be done. For instance, if the difficulty of work is high, employees need to provide high level of performance[ CITATION Leo99 \l 1033 ]. The role of managers is to set goals. To set more realistic goals, managers need to team up with employees when setting them. Teaming up ensures employees are aware of the task ahead of them[ CITATION Dye05 \l 1033 ]. During the process of accomplishing the task, employees’ motivation will be boosted if they get feedback on their progress. Apart from getting feedback, the following are factors that can boost motivation: Commitment by employees towards the goal. Belief by employees that they are in a position to perform the task. There are simple, familiar, and independent tasks involved in order to achieve the goal. 3. Conclusion The paper has provided evidence on the usefulness of psychological theories in explaining behaviour in organizations. Motivation is a topic derived from the field of psychology, and psychology’s answer to what is motivation is that energy flows in the body and generates some actions (instinct theories), people try to reduce stimulation which is often irritating (drive theories), people balance their needs at the highest level (homeostasis), and external forces cause people to act more that required when satisfying their needs (incentive theories) (Herzberg, 2003; Adler, 2007). In order to study organizational behaviour, content band process theories are fundamental. A good example of content theory that is popular is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which focuses on the needs that must be satisfied in order to boost motivation[ CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 ]. Process theories include equity theory, expectancy theory, reinforcement theory, and goal setting theory. These theories are concerned with the thought-processes that influence workers’ behaviour[ CITATION Ren06 \l 1033 \m GAC00]. References Adler, N. J., 2007. International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour. New York: engage Learning. CITATION Dye05 \l 1033 : , (Dye, 2005), CITATION Leo99 \l 1033 : , (Leonard, 1999), CITATION Ren06 \l 1033 : , (Renihard, 2006), CITATION Cul97 \l 1033 : , (Cullen, 1997), CITATION Chr00 \l 1033 : , (Green, 2000), CITATION Her03 \l 1033 : , (Herzberg, 2003), CITATION NNa11 \l 1033 : , (Nayab, 2011), CITATION Hen03 \l 1033 : , (Heng, 2003), CITATION Rutgy \l 1033 : , (Kanfer, 2014), CITATION Ren06 \l 1033 \m GAC00: , (Renihard, 2006; Cole, 2000), Read More