Motivation Meaning and significance of employee’s

motivation Motivation process Major motivation theories 1. Hierarchy of needs theory2. Two factor theory3. Expectancy theory4. Theory x and theory y5. Motivation in Islam

1. Defining motivation• Motivation is widely studied as a

psychological concept. The ancient Greek who believed that human being always sought comfort and pleasure and avoided discomfort and pain. Later Psychological approaches perceived motivation as an instinct and studied as a basic psychological concept.

There are many definitions of the concept motivation e.g. :• Motivation is the process that starts

with a psychological or psychological deficiency that activates behavior • The inner state of activates, energizes

and directs behavior towards goals

The significance of motivation• One of the major effect of

motivation is on the output of the organization which concern both quantity and quality .• Motivated and satisfied employee

tend to be more productive, creative and committed in their job

• Organization relies heavily on the efficiency of staff to make sure it achieves organizational goal. If these employees lack of motivation to complete work, then the organization would face a problem that will lead to disastrous consequences

• Organizations have to admit that the employees are the greatest asset no matter how efficient the technology and equipment may be, it is no match for the effectiveness and efficiency of employees.

Motivation processScholars view motivation process in a cyclical pattern that consisted of three interacting and interdependent element:

1.Need2.Deficiency3.Action

Needs

Satisfaction Deficiency D

Action • The motivation cycle (process)

GOAL DRIVE

NEEDS

1. Needs: The process begins by the eminence of deficiency that leads to the rise of needs. It is the state of lacking something when a person feels a psychological imbalance, needs develop.

2. Drives: are those actions that the person forms in order to relieve that state of imbalance created by the need. It is the energy that pushes the persons towards a goal3. Goal: Is the fulfillment of the need that restores the imbalance or deficiency. Such fulfillment alleviates needs and reduces drive.

Major motivation TheoriesMotivation has been studied for many years. As a result a wide variety of motivational theory have been, some of which are:

1. Hierarchy of needs theoryAbraham Maslow reasoned that human needs are multiple and that individuals work to satisfy those needs in a specific sequence. He also noted that noneconomic needs are important to people. Maslow asserts that movement from two categories through the upper three takes place over the life times. Some people never satisfy the higher order of needs.

Maslow proposed a Need Hierarchy in 1943 in his article a theory of human motivation. There are 5 set of basic needs arranged in a hierarchy.

1. Self actualization need: the need for self fulfillment 2. Self and group esteem need : need for self respect,

self esteem and the esteem of others3. Love and belongingness: need related to affection,

relation with others and status within group4. Needs for safety: need for stable environment

relatively free from threat5. Physiological needs: need for food, sleeps and rest

etc.

Self actualization

Self and group esteem

Love and belongingness

Needs for safety

Physiological needs

Maslow is of the opinion that people tend to satisfy their needs systematically, starting from basic physiological needs then moving up to the hierarchy until the particular group is satisfied and a person’s behavior will be dominated by them.

• It applies that the hungry person is not going to be motivated by the consideration of safety and affection until his hunger is satisfied.

• But, there is an exception in respect to the self actualization needs in which satisfaction of this needs gives rise to further need for realizing one’s potential

• But, this concept is inconclusive. It is also claim that the systematic movement from one hierarchy to another is not consistent form of behavior of many person• However it does provide a useful

framework in discussing various level of needs people may experience at work and the way in which their motivation will be met by manager.

2. Two-factor theory• Frederick Herzberg’s two-factors or

motivator-hygiene theory was developed independently of the work of Maslow but somehow it supports Maslow hierarchy of needs. Herzberg focused on two factors of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

• It was empirical study of internal worker motivation put forth by Frederick Herzberg in 1959.

There are five factors called the determiners of job satisfaction:

1. Achievement 2. Recognition3. Work itself4. Responsibility 5. Advancement

Another five factors associated with NO job satisfaction:

• company policy and administration• supervision• salary• interpersonal relationship• working condition.

• According to Herzberg, the environmental context such as working condition, interpersonal relationship and salary served as preventive ( for dissatisfaction) they were termed as hygiene factors.

• The job content factors such as achievement, advancement and responsibility were termed as motivators because they are things that motivate people to superior performance.

The differences between two factors• The motivators and the hygiene factors are that the

motivators bring positive satisfaction and the hygiene factors are to prevent dissatisfaction.

• If the motivators are absent from the job, the employee will experience dissatisfaction. Even if the hygiene factors are available, they themselves could not bring job satisfaction. Hygiene factors only prevent dissatisfaction and not able to promote job satisfaction by themselves.

The contribution of the motivation-Hygiene theory is that it helps managers to identify factors inducing positive satisfactions and those causing dissatisfaction. It developed job enrichment (the design of work that contain maximum number of motivators. It put attention particularly on the motivation of professional group of employee.

The motivation-hygiene theory assumes that the highly motivated employee is not the one who has good salary or good working condition but it must be combined with achievement, recognition, and other motivators associated with the work they perform

The weakness of the motivation-hygiene theory is that it has been less received by the social scientist concerning their applicability to non-professional groups.

3. Expectancy theory• The expectancy theory developed from the

work of V.H. Vroom and E.E lawyer in the United States in 1960. The basic assumption of this theory is that an. individual behavior is as the result of how he sees the world around him/her.

•  The theory relates to how person perceived the relationship between three things

1.     efforts 2.     performance 3.     Rewards• The strength of the attraction of particular

outcomes (reward) is called Valence. The degree of belief that particular act will produce outcomes is called expectancy.

Valence and expectancy depend on individual own perception. For example the prospect of promotion can be seen by newly appointed employee as an attractive prospect (valence).

But his expectancy of gaining promotion would be low if the promotion depends on the duration of service. In such situation performance does not lead to reward, so effort in that direction is not seen as beneficial.

 The advantage of the expectancy theory is that, it takes a

comprehensive view of the motivational process.

indicates that individual will act when they have reasonable expectancy that their behavior will lead to the desired result or outcomes. It stresses the importance of individual perception of reality in the motivational process.

 It implies that job satisfaction follows effective

job performance rather than the other way around.

 It has led to development in work re-design, where

emphasis has been put intrinsic job factors such as variety, autonomy, task identity and feedback.

MC Gregor –theory X and theory Y

• Douglas McGregor, an American social psychologist, proposed his famous theory X and Y in his book the human side of Enterprise. Theory X and theory Y are still referred to commonly in the field of motivation

• Whilst recent studies have questioned the rigidity of the model, McGregor’s theory X and theory Y remains a valid principle from which to develop positive motivational style and techniques. McGregor X and Y theory remain central to organizational development and to improve organizational culture.

• McGregor maintained that there are two fundamental approaches to manage people. Many manager tend towards theory x and generally get poor result. Enlightened manager use theory y, which produces better performance and result, and allows people to grow and develop.

Theory X (authoritarian style)• Average person dislike work and will avoid it if

she /he can• Therefore most people must be forced with the

threat of punishment to work towards organizational objectives

• The average person prefers to be directed to avoid responsibility, is relatively unambitious and wants security above all else.

Theory Y (participative style)• Effort in work is as natural as work and play• People will apply self-control and self-direction in the

pursuit of organizational objectives, without external control or the threat of punishment

• Commitment to objective is a functions of rewards and associated with their achievement

• People usually accept and often seek responsibility The theory X and theory Y have made their impact

more in managerial world the weakness of this theory is that it only seems as either /or style where as in real world, it can be a combination of both

Motivation can be seen as amalgams of all the factors in one’s working environment that foster either negatively or positively productive efforts.

While there has been consensus about the need

for motivated employees, the same cannot be said about how to induce higher motivation among employee.

Different theories and model of motivation shows different ways of how to induce higher performance among employee but all of them pointed that individual behavior/ performance arises from some desired goal or end.

Motivation from Islamic perspectiveIslamic perspective also provide a motivating force to

inspire individual to conduct their worksIt is far more effective than any other approach.• Prophet Muhammad as motivator to Ummah1. Teaching Ummah that Islam is the complete code of life

and submission to the Will of Allah2. Basic principles of Islam are: freedom, justice,

consultation, equality, divine sha’riah, Amanah, Amal-ashsaleh

3. Spirituality is the basic element of human motivation• Paradise and punishment of fire• Brain that generates needs, desire, pleasure