University of Wales Institute, Cardiff

Classical motivation theories –
Similarities and differences between them

by Stefanie Hoffmann

Submitted for:
B.A. (Hons) International Business Management

2006

Contents

Contents ... 2

List of Figures ... 3

1. Introduction ... 4
2. Methodology ... 6
Secondary Data Collection ... 6
Primary Data Collection ... 6

3. What is motivation? ... 7

4. Why is motivation so important in management? ... 11

5. Motivation theories ... 15
5.1 Abraham Maslow - Hierarchy of human needs ... 15
5.2 Frederick Herzberg - Two factor theory ... 22
5.3 Clayton P. Alderfer - ERG-theory ... 32

6. Similarities and differences between the motivation theories ... 39

7. Conclusion ... 44

References ... 46
Books ... 46
Internet ... 47
Journals ... 48

Introduction

“We always do what we MOST WANT to do, whether or not we like what we are doing at each instant of our lives. Wanting and liking many times are not the same thing. Many people have done what they say they didn’t want to do at a particular moment. And that may be true until one looks deeper into the motivation behind the doing. What they are really saying is the price they will have to pay or the consequences they will have to endure, for not doing that something may be too high or onerous for them not to do it. Such as going to work. Many people say they don’t want to go to work and yet they do. Which means they don’t want to risk losing their jobs and the negative hurting emotions associated with not having a job. It has been estimated about 90% to 95% of all people work at jobs which are unfulfilling and which they dislike and would leave in a minute if they only knew what they really wanted to do.”
Sidney Madwed

(http://www.quotationspage.com/search.php3?homesearch=motivation accessed on 15.02.2006)

The quotation defines that nowadays motivation should be an indispensable part of every company. It is a complex and difficult topic and therefore management also has to take historical theories into account. Furthermore, it has to be figured out what employees designate as attractive for defining an effective motivation programme within the organisation.

This dissertation will critically evaluate what motivation is and illustrate the different kinds of motivation theories of Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg and Clayton P. Alderfer by explaining the key concepts for managing and motivating people. Due to the fact that motivation, especially employee motivation, is such a broad topic the dissertation will put a specific focus on the similarities and differences between the classical motivation theories.

2. Methodology

This dissertation was first of all intended to evaluate the similarities and differences between classical motivation theories.

It was the researcher’s intention to concentrate particularly on the work of Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg and Clayton P. Alderfer as the motivation theories which have been established by them are the most famous ones.

Secondary Data Collection

Research was initiated by reading books, journals as well as newspaper articles in order to obtain a theoretical framework for the research topic.

Furthermore, relevant books and electronic resources, for example Internet articles and journals were used to gather information and to broaden the range of secondary research.

Primary Data Collection

A primary research of this topic would not have been possible due to the required time to elaborate and carry out a meaningful survey. Furthermore,  primary data research such as questionnaires or interviews would not have been sufficiently representative for the intended purpose.

3. What is motivation?

Motivation is a psychological process and it can be explained as the willingness of individuals to do something for satisfying a need. A need is a psychological or physiological deficiency, which makes the attainment of specific outcomes attractive. Unsatisfied needs lead to drives which generate a search for particular goals. If these goals are attained the need will be satisfied. (Robbins and Coulter, 2002) In everyday life, people ask themselves the question why they do some things or why not. In response, individuals try to find a motive which justifies the behaviour. Motives form the basis of needs. Therefore, it can be said that people seek for solutions in order to solve deficiency which means that motives are activated. These incentives may derive from us or they can come from other persons. Motivation is divided in two different types. The first one is called intrinsic motivation which means that people engage in an activity for its own sake, for example pursuit of responsible activities or personal development potentialities. Extrinsic motivation is used by a third party, for example supervisors or managers to motivate employees with either tangible rewards (payments, promotions, punishments) or intangible rewards (praise, public commendation). (Steers, Porter and Bigley, 1996)

[...]