Content theories of motivation: a brief overview, characteristics and features

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Motivation is a process that pushes a person to action. Since ancient times, people have tried to understand what exactly makes an individual do some kind of work. Why do some people enthusiastically get down to business, while others cannot be lured off the couch with a honey roll and forced to make minimal effort. As a result of these studies, the so-called theories of motivation have emerged.

Briefly about the main thing

For the first time, theories of motivation as a scientific direction were discussed in the last century. Arthur Schopenhauer was the first to use the term. In his Four Principles of Sufficient Cause, he tried to explain the pretexts that motivate a person to act. Behind him, other thinkers joined the process of developing a new idea. In general, the subject of research in the theory of motivation is the analysis of needs and how they affect human activity. Simply put, such studies describe the structure of needs, their content and impact onmotivation. All these theories try to answer the question: "What motivates a person to act?"

The main theories of motivation include:

• Theory of the hierarchy of needs - A. Maslow.
• Growth and connection existential needs – K. Alderfer.
• Acquired Needs - D. McClelland.
• Theory of two factors - F. Herzberg
• Porter-Lauler model.
• The Theory of Expectations – V. Vroom.

Features of content theories

The main part of motivational theories can be divided into two large groups: content and process. The first consider human needs as a basic factor that prompts action. The second considers how a person distributes his efforts to achieve the goal.

Content theories of motivation focus on the needs underlying performance. That is, they study what necessity prompted a person to be active. Primary and secondary needs are considered, and in what sequence they are satisfied. This allows you to determine the peak of human activity.

Content theories of motivation emphasize the important role of human needs in the process of shaping their work.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

The theory of the hierarchy of needs is considered the most famous in this field of knowledge. It was developed by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. In 1954, the foundations of the theoryMaslow's motivations were outlined in the book Motivation and Personality.

A clear model of this concept is the well-known pyramid of values (needs). The psychologist studied society for a long time and managed to determine that all people need certain things that can be divided into six levels of needs. Each of these positions generates motivation at a higher level:

1. At the first level of the pyramid are physiological needs. That is, the primary needs for food, comfort, sleep, etc.
2. The second level is represented by a sense of security.
3. At the third level, the need for love begins to emerge. That is, a person has a desire to be needed by someone, create a family, chat with friends, etc.
4. The fourth level is the desire for social recognition, praise, honor, gaining social status.
5. At the fifth level, a person feels interest in something new, begins to show curiosity and seek knowledge.
6. The sixth level consists of the desire for self-realization. Man seeks to unleash his creative potential.

Maslow's theory of motivation shows that until a person fully satisfies the previous level of needs, he will not be able to move on. Most of all, a person needs to satisfy physiological needs and achieve a sense of security, because the whole process of human life depends on them. Only after their satisfaction can a person think about social status, communication and self-realization.

What did Alderfer say?

Alderfer's theory of labor motivation is somewhat similar to Maslow's research. He also divided human needs into groups and distributed them in a hierarchical order. Only he got only three levels: existence, connection and growth.

The level of existence emphasizes the need for survival. Here, two groups stand out separately - the need for security and the satisfaction of physiological needs.

As for communication, it speaks of a person's desire to be involved in something, some social group, common activity, etc. Here Clayton Alderfer reflected the social nature of a person, the need to be a family member, to have friends, work colleagues, bosses and enemies. Growth needs are identical to Maslow's needs for self-expression.

Unlike Maslow, who believed that a person moves from need to need (from the bottom up), Alderfer is sure that the dynamics goes both ways. A person moves up if he has fully mastered the previous level and down if this has not happened. The psychologist also noted that an unsatisfied need at one of the levels entails an increased degree of action of a need at a lower level. For example, if a person has problems with self-realization, then he will by any means try to increase his circle of social belonging, as if saying: “Look, I am also worth something.”

Whenever a complex need cannot be satisfied, the person switches to the simpler version. Moving down the Alderfer scale is called frustration, buthaving the ability to move in two directions, additional opportunities open up in motivating a person. Although this study does not yet have sufficient empirical support, such a theory of motivation in management is useful for the practice of personnel management.

McClelland's theory

Another theory of human motivation is McClelland's theory of acquired needs. The scientist argues that motivation is associated with the need to rule and complicity.

It is believed that the vital needs of the lower levels in the modern world are satisfied "by default", so they should not be given such publicity, and the focus should be on higher goals. If the needs of higher levels are clearly manifested in a person, then they have a huge impact on his activity.

But at the same time McClelland assures that these needs are formed under the influence of experience, life situations and as a result of training.

1. If a person is trying to achieve their goals more effectively than before, this is the need for achievement. If an individual has this level high enough, it allows him to independently set goals for himself based on what he can do with his own efforts. Such people are not afraid to make decisions and are ready to take full responsibility for their actions. Investigating this feature of the human character, McClelland concluded that such a need characterizes not only individuals, but even entire societies. Countries where it is actively manifestedneed for achievement, usually have a developed economy.
2. The scientist also considers the need for complicity, which manifests itself in the desire to establish and maintain friendly relations with others.
3. Another acquired need is the desire to dominate. It is extremely important for a person to control the processes and resources in his environment. Here the main focus is manifested in the desire to control other people. But at the same time, the need to rule has two opposite poles: on the one hand, a person wants to control everything and everything, on the other hand, he completely renounces any claims to power.

In McClelland's theory these needs are neither hierarchical nor mutually exclusive. Their manifestation directly depends on mutual influence. For example, if a person occupies a leading position in society, he realizes the need to rule, but in order for it to be fully satisfied, the need for connections must have a weak manifestation.

Herzberg's denials

In 1959, Frederick Herzberg disproved the fact that satisfaction of needs increases motivation. He argued that the emotional state of a person, his mood and motivation show how satisfied or dissatisfied the individual is with his actions.

Herzberg's theory of motivation consists in dividing needs into two large groups: hygiene factors and motivation. Hygiene factors are also called he alth factors. This includes indicators such as status, safety, team attitudes, working hours andetc. Simply put, all the conditions that do not allow a person to feel dissatisfied with their work and social status are hygienic factors. But paradoxically, the level of wages is not considered an important factor.

Motivating factors include positions such as recognition, achievement, career growth and other reasons that encourage a person to give all their best at work.

True, many scientists did not support the scientific achievements of Herzberg, considering them insufficiently substantiated. However, there is nothing strange in this, because he did not take into account that some points may change depending on the situation.

Procedural concepts

Taking into account the divergence of opinions of scientists regarding what exactly influences effective work, process theories of motivation were created, which took into account not only the needs, but the efforts made and the perception of the situation. The most popular ones are:

• Expectancy theories - a person is motivated by the expectation of finishing work and the subsequent reward.
• The concept of equality and justice - motivation is directly related to how much the work of the individual and his colleagues was estimated. If you paid less than expected, then the work motivation decreases, if you paid the expected amount (and possibly paid additional bonuses), then a person will participate in the work process with greater dedication.

Also in this category of research, some scientists include the theory of goal setting and the concept ofincentives.

Porter-Lauler model

Another theory of motivation in management belongs to two researchers - Leiman Porter and Edward Lauler. Their complex process theory includes elements of expectations and fairness theories. There are 5 variables in this motivation model:

1. Efforts made.
2. Level of perception.
3. Results achieved.
4. Reward.
5. Satisfaction level.

They believed that high performance rates depended on whether the person was satisfied with the work performed or not. If he is satisfied, he is taken to a new business with greater returns. Any result depends on the efforts and abilities of the individual spent on it. Efforts are determined by the value of the reward and the confidence that the work will be appreciated. A person satisfies his needs by receiving rewards for the efforts spent, that is, he receives satisfaction from productive work. Thus, not satisfaction is the cause of performance, but just the opposite - performance brings satisfaction.

Theory of V. Vroom

Vroom's concept of expectation also belongs to the theories of motivation. The scientist believed that the individual is motivated not only by some specific need, but by the focus on a specific result. A person always hopes that the model of behavior he has chosen will lead to the achievement of the desired. V. Vroom noted that employees will be able to achieve the level of performance required for remuneration if their skills are sufficientto perform a specific task.

This is a very valuable theory of staff motivation. Often in small firms (especially when there is a lot of work and few people), employees are delegated those duties for which they do not have the necessary skills. As a result, they cannot expect the promised reward, because they understand that the assigned task will not be performed properly. As a result, motivation is completely reduced.

Carrot and stick

Well, what theories of motivation can do without the classical approach - the carrot and stick method. Taylor was the first to recognize the problem with worker motivation. He sharply criticized their working conditions, as people worked practically for food. Looking at what was happening in the factories, he defined such a thing as "daily output", and proposed to pay people according to their contribution to the development of the company. Workers who produced more products received additional wages and bonuses. As a result, after a few months, performance improved markedly.

Taylor said that you need to put a person in the right place, where he could fully use his abilities. The whole essence of his concept is described by several provisions:

1. Man is always concerned about increasing his income.
2. Each individual reacts differently to the economic situation.
3. People can be standardized.
4. All people want is lots of money.

Generalized conclusions

Despite such diversity of opinion andapproaches, all motivation can be divided into six types:

• External. It is determined by external factors, for example, acquaintances went to the sea and a person begins to save money to do the same.
• Internal. It does not depend on external factors, that is, a person goes to the sea based on personal considerations.
• Positive. Based on positive incentives. For example, I will finish reading a book and go for a walk.
• Negative. If I don't finish the book, I won't go anywhere.
• Sustainable. Depends on the needs of the person, that is, the satisfaction of physiological needs, such as hunger and thirst.
• Unsteady. It needs to be constantly fed by external factors.

Also, theories of motivation of needs can be moral and material. For example, if a person's work is recognized by society (he received a diploma, etc.), then he will take on a new job with a vengeance so as not to lose the status of the best worker or to increase it. And of course, financial motivation. In modern society, it is considered an exceptional factor in stimulating the workflow.

It is not difficult to make a person work, you just need to understand what levers to press so that his work brings profit to the company, and absolute satisfaction to the employee.