The seminar by Mohan Kumar G. discusses the concept of motivation, highlighting its definition, characteristics, classifications, and major theories. It elaborates on various motivation theories, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Alderfer's ERG theory, Herzberg's two-factor theory, McClelland's learned needs theory, and several process theories such as Vroom's expectancy theory and Adam's equity theory. The document explores how these theories explain individuals' motivations, emphasizing the psychological processes involved in achieving goals.

1. A Seminar by
Mohan Kumar G.
2nd Sem., M.Tech. (M.E.M.),
S.J.C.E., Mysore.
1
06-04-2016

2. Plan of Presentation
What is Motivation?
Characteristics of Motivation
Classification of Motivation
Major Motivation Theories
 Content Theories of Motivation
 Process Theories of Motivation
References
2

4. What is Motivation ?
"Motivation is the process that account for an
individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of
effort towards attaining a goal."
Motivation means "The psychological feature that
arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal;
the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and
direction to behaviour."
4

5. Motivation is derived from the latin word "Movere"
which means "To Move" or "To Energize" or "To Activate".
Motivation represents the reasons for people's actions,
desires, and needs.
A motive is what prompts the person to act in a certain
way, or at least develop an inclination for specific
behaviour.
Motivation is not simply about working hard, it also
reflects your view of your own abilities.
Performance = Ability x Motivation
5
Dive in Detail

6. A student who struggles to sit and read a textbook for
more than 20 minutes, may sit and watch his favourite
movie for a continuous 3 hours!
Why so?
What’s the reason for this kind of action / behaviour?
Who is stopping him from reading the text book and
who is energizing him to sit for 3 hours watching the
movie?
The answer is... MOTIVATION
6

7. Characteristics of Motivation
1. Motivation is a Psychological Concept
2. Motivation affects the Whole Individual, not part of Him
/Her
3. Motivation is an Unending Process
4. Non-fulfilment of Basic Needs Makes a Man Sick
5. Goals are Motivators
6. Motivation is different from Satisfaction, Inspiration, and
Manipulation
7. Motivation is a complex phenomenon
7

8. 8
Classification of Motivation
Positive Negative
Rewards, Recognition,
Promotion
Fear of Dismissal, Demotion,
Group disapproval
Financial Non-Financial
Incentives, Bonus Job Security, Job Enrichment
Extrinsic Intrinsic
Only after completion of the
job.
Ex: increase in wages,
holidays
At the time of performance of
job itself.
Ex: Praise, Recognition,
Authority

9. Motivational Approaches
9
Motivation theories can be classified broadly into
two different perspectives: Content and Process
theories.
•Content Theories deal with “what” motivates people
and it is concerned with individual needs and goals.
•Process Theories deal with the “process” of
motivation and is concerned with “how” motivation
occurs.

10. Major Motivation Theories
10

11. 1. Maslow – Hierarchy of Needs
11
Now let us learn about
“Content Theories of Motivation”

12. 1. Physiological needs :
Most basic needs for humans to survive.
The most dominant of all needs.
2. Safety needs :
In real dangers and traumas – like war, murder, natural
catastrophes, criminal assault, etc., the needs for safety
become an active, first-line and dominant.
3. Social / Love needs :
Human being is a Social animal. People need to love
and be loved. Few people suffer from loneliness, depression.
4. Self-Esteem needs :
Being valued, respected and appreciated by others.
5. Self-Actualization :
What humans can be, they must be.
12

13. 2. Alderfer – E.R.G. theory
Alderfer further developed Maslow’s hierarchy of
Needs theory, by categorizing the hierarchy into his ERG
theory (Existence, Relatedness and Growth).
13

14. 14
Alderfer agreed with Maslow that unsatisfied needs
motivate individuals and individuals generally move up
the hierarchy in satisfying their needs and as lower-order
needs are satisfied, they become less important.
But Alderfer also said: as higher-order needs are
satisfied they become more important. And it is also said that
under some circumstances individuals might return to a
lower need.
ERG theory is a more realistic approach as it
recognises that, because when a need is met, it does not
mean it will always remain met.

15. Let us see an example...
Ravi is a student, who has excellent grades, friends,
and high standard of living, and he also works at the
university. What happens if he is frustrated in attempts to
get more autonomy and responsibility at the university.
Frustration in satisfying a higher (Growth) need has
resulted in a regression to a lower level of (Relatedness)
needs (‘I need just my family and friends, I need some wine,
I do not want to go to the university anymore.’).
This event is known as the frustration-regression
process.
15

16. 3. Herzberg – Two Factor Theory
The two-factor theory, also known as Herzberg's
motivation-hygiene theory states that there are certain factors
(Motivation factors) in the workplace that cause job
satisfaction, while a separate set of factors (Hygiene factors)
cause dissatisfaction.
Motivators can bring about positive satisfaction
whereas hygiene factors can only prevent dissatisfaction.
Hygiene factors will not in themselves bring about
substantial job satisfaction, and they do not act as motivators.
But when they are withdrawn, they create dissatisfaction
and may result in lower productivity. Hygiene does not positively
promote good health but acts to prevent ill health.
16

17. 17
According to Herzberg, individuals are not happy
with the satisfaction of lower-order needs at work; for
example, those needs associated with minimum salary,
job security or safe and pleasant working conditions.
 These are Hygiene factors. The presence of these do not
motivate employees. But if we remove these factors,
then suddenly they cause dissatisfaction.
Employees look for the gratification of higher-
level needs like achievement, recognition,
responsibility, and the nature of the work itself.
 These are Motivation factors. The presence of these will
motivate employees.

18. 18

19. 4. McClelland - Need for Achievement,
Affiliation and Power
McClelland claimed that humans acquire and
learn their motivators over time. That is the reason
why this theory is also called as the ‘Learned Needs
Theory’.
He affirms that we all have three motivating
drivers, and it does not depend on our gender or age.
One of these drives or needs will be dominant in our
behaviour.
McClelland’s theory differs from Maslow’s and
Alderfer’s, which focus on satisfying existing needs
rather than creating or developing needs.
19

20. McClelland’s Three Motivators are:
• Achievement: a need to accomplish and
demonstrate competence or mastery
• Affiliation: a need for love, belonging and
relatedness
• Power: a need for control over one’s own work or
the work of others
These learned needs could lead to diversity and
variety between employees. More precisely,
prioritization and importance of these motivational
needs characterises a person’s behaviour. Although
each person has all of these needs to some extent, only
one of them dominates/tends to motivate an
individual at any given time.
20

21. 21

22. Similarities between Content Theories
22

23. 1. Skinner's Reinforcement Theory
B. F. Skinner, was an American psychologist. The
Reinforcement theory, based on Skinner's operant
conditioning theory, says that behaviour can be
formed by its consequences.
If the consequences are bad, there is a high
chance that the action will not be repeated; if the
consequences are good, however, the actions that led
to it will become more probable.
Skinner called this the principle of reinforcement.
23
Now let us learn about
“Process Theories of Motivation”

24. 24
Positive reinforcements, for example praise,
appreciation, a good mark/grade, trophy, money, promotion or
any other reward can increase the possibility of the rewarded
behaviours' repetition. This strengthens a behaviour by
providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding.
Ex:- Immediately praising an employee for coming early for
job. This will increase probability of outstanding behaviour
occurring again. It must be noted that more spontaneous is the
giving of reward, the greater reinforcement value it has.

25. 25
Negative Reinforcement : The removal of an
unpleasant reinforcer can also strengthen behavior. This is
known as negative reinforcement because it is the removal of an
adverse stimulus which is ‘rewarding’ to the person. Negative
reinforcement strengthens behavior because it stops or removes
an unpleasant experience.
Ex:- If an employee knows that, if he is not able to achieve
the predetermined daily production output, then his half day’s
salary will be deducted, then he will increase his Productivity.

26. Reinforcement Theory Assumes that a desired
behaviour is a function of its consequences, is
externally caused, and if reinforced, is likely to be
repeated. According to the theory, positive
reinforcement is a much better motivational technique
than negative reinforcement or punishment.
Once certain behaviour has been conditioned
through repetitive reinforcement, elimination of the
reinforcement will decline the motivation to perform
that behaviour.
Therefore it is better not to give a reward every
time. Reinforcement in the workplace usually takes
place on a partial or irregular reinforcement schedule,
when reward is not given for every response.
26

27. 2. Vroom's Expectancy Theory
Victor Vroom's primary research was on the
Expectancy Theory of Motivation, which attempts to
explain why individuals choose to follow certain
courses of action in organizations, particularly in
decision-making and leadership.
Vroom's expectancy theory assumes that
behaviour results from conscious choices among
alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize pleasure
and to minimize pain.
Vroom realized that an employee's performance is
based on individual factors such as personality, skills,
knowledge, experience and abilities.
27

28. Vroom stated that effort, performance and motivation
are linked in a person's motivation. He uses the variables
Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence to account for
this.
Crucially, Vroom's expectancy theory works on
perceptions – so even if an employer thinks they have provided
everything appropriate for motivation, and even if this works
with most people in that organisation, it doesn't mean that
someone won't perceive that it doesn't work for them. This
means that if any of these is zero, then the motivation to do
something will be zero as well.
28

29. A person who doesn’t see the connection between
effort and performance will have zero expectancy.
A person who can’t perceive the link between
performance and reward will have zero instrumentality.
For a person who doesn’t value the anticipated
outcome, reward will have zero valence.
For example if I think:
 - that no matter how hard I’m studying I can’t learn math
due to lack of necessary skills or
 - that no matter how good I perform on the test I don’t
always get good mark so the reward is unpredictable, not
dependent on my success or
 - the good mark from math is not important for me, and I’m
not interested in math, so the reward is not attractive, then I
won’t be motivated to learn for the exam.
29

30. 3. Adam's Equity Theory
J. Stacy Adam’s Equity theory, focuses on
determining whether the distribution of resources is fair to
both relational parties.
The equity theory states that people are motivated if
they are treated equitably, and receive what they consider
fair for their effort and costs.
People compare their contribution to work, costs of
their actions and the benefits that will result to the
contribution and benefits of the reference person. If
people perceive that the ratio of their inputs-outputs to the
ratio of referent other's input-output is inequitable, then
they will be motivated to reduce the inequity.
30

31. 31

32. 32

33. When inequity exists, a person might…
• reduce his/her inputs, efforts, quantity or quality of his/her
work
• try to increase his/her outputs (ask for better mark, or pay
raising)
• adjust his/her perception of reference person or his/her
outcomes or inputs (re-evaluate his/her or the reference
person's effort or outcome)
• change the reference person
• quit the situation.
Employees want to feel that their contributions and
work performance are being rewarded with their pay. If an
employee feels underpaid then it will result in the
employee feeling hostile towards the organization and
perhaps their co-workers, which may result in the
employee not performing well at work anymore.
33

34. 4. Locke's Goal-Setting Theory
Edwin A Locke (1990) and his colleagues have shown
that more specific and ambitious goals lead to more
performance improvement than easy or general goals.
It emphasizes that setting specific, challenging
performance goals and the commitment to these goals are
key determinants of motivation. Goals describe a desired
future, and these established goals can drive the behaviour.
Specific goals produce a higher level of output than
the generalized goal “do your best.” Why? Specificity itself
seems to act as an internal stimulus.
34

35.  SMART is a mnemonic acronym, giving
criteria to guide in the setting of objectives.
 Ideally speaking, each corporate, department, and
section objective should be:
 Specific – target a specific area for improvement.
 Measurable – quantify or at least suggest an
indicator of progress.
 Assignable – specify who will do it.
 Realistic – state what results can realistically be
achieved, given available resources.
 Time-bound – specify when the result(s) can be
achieved.
35

36. But why are people motivated by difficult goals?
1) Challenging goals get our attention and thus tend to help
us focus.
2) Difficult goals energize us because we have to work
harder to attain them.
3) When goals are difficult, people persist in trying to
attain them.
4) Difficult goals lead us to discover strategies that help us
perform the job or task more effectively. If we have to
struggle to solve a difficult problem, we often think of a
better way to go about it.
36

37. 37

38. Stephen R. Covey
38
.
Now...
We have completed studying the Motivational Theories. Let
us Go Practical !
Let us Play a mini Motivational Game...
Only 1 min. Game.
Are you Ready???

39. References
1. www.google.com
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation
3. Organizational Behavior, by Stephen P. Robbins and
Timothy A. Judge, 15th Edition
39

40. THANK YOU
40