In today's economic situation the survival and the success of a company depends not insignificantly on its productivity and innovation capability. The most important source of innovation is every individual employee in the company. High productivity in turn depends not only on modern technology but also on the individual attitude of the employees. Beyond doubt, an employee who is willing to involve himself and who can identify with the objectives of the company is significantly more productive and innovative than one employee who only looks at the clock and awaits the knocking-off time.
Over the past years, the term “motivation” became a central point of discussions about leadership and cooperation. For the one side, motivation is a contemporary motivational technique that eliminates the need for authoritarian leadership, while others disapprove it because they think it is a tool for manipulation or exploitation.
At a glance
- Grade: 2.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Contrasts Alderfer’s ERG theory with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- Discusses Herzberg’s theory developed from an investigation of 200 accountants and engineers
- 12 sources in the bibliography
- 3 figures
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Terms
2.1 Motivation
2.1.1 Intrinsic motivation
2.1.2 Extrinsic motivation
3. Motivation Theories
3.1 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
3.2 Aldelfer’s ERG- theory
3.3 Herzberg’s two factor theory
3.4 McClelland’s acquired needs theory
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This assignment summarizes selected motivation theories and considers their relevance to employee motivation and management. Rather than stating a formal research question, it examines how different theories describe human needs and motivational factors.
- Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- Alderfer’s existence, relatedness and growth needs
- Herzberg’s hygiene and motivator factors
- McClelland’s acquired needs
- Implications for employee motivation
Excerpt from the Book
3.4 McClelland’s acquired needs theory
One of McClelland’s most well known theories is that human motivation, is dominated by three needs: need for achievement ( N-Ach), the need for power ( N-Pow) and the need for affiliation ( N-Affil).
McClelland asserted that a person’s needs are influenced by their cultural background and life experiences. He also asserted that the majority of these needs can be classified as the needs for affiliation, achievement or power. A person’s motivation and effectiveness can be increased through an environment, which provides them with their ideal mix of each of the three needs (N-Ach, N-Pow and/or N-Affil).
The need for affiliation (N-Affil): This is the need for friendly relationships and human interaction. There is a need “to feel liked” and “accepted” by others. A person with a high need for affiliation is likely to be a team player and thrive in a customer services environment. They will perform best in a co-operative environment. McClelland said that a strong need for affiliation will interfere with a manager’s objectivity. The “need to be liked” will affect a manager’s decisions, prompting them to make decisions to increase their popularity rather than furthering the interests of the organisation.
The need for power (N-Pow): This is the need to lead others and make an impact. This need can exhibit itself in two ways. The first which is the need for personal power may be viewed as undesirable as the person simply needs to feel that they have “power over others”. They don’t have to be effective or further the objectives of their employer. The second type of “need for power” is the need for institutional power. People with the need for institutional power; want to direct the efforts of their team, to further the objectives of their organization.
The need for achievement (N-Ach): This is the need to achieve, excel and succeed. A person with this type of need will set goals that are challenging but realistic. The goals have to be challenging so that the person can feel a sense of achievement. However the goals also have to be realistic as the person believes that when a goal is unrealistic, its achievement is dependent on chance rather than personal skill or contribution. This type of person prefers to work alone or with other high achievers. They do not need praise or recognition, achievement of the task is their reward.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The introduction connects employee motivation with productivity, innovation and human resource management. It presents the assignment as a summary of prominent motivation theories.
2. Terms: This chapter defines motivation and distinguishes intrinsic motivation from motivation driven by external rewards.
3. Motivation Theories: The main chapter presents the theories of Maslow, Alderfer, Herzberg and McClelland. It explains their categories of needs and factors and discusses their relevance to workplace motivation.
4. Conclusion: The conclusion compares the theories’ approaches and considers their usefulness and limitations for management practice.
Keywords
motivation theories, employee motivation, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, human resource management, Maslow, hierarchy of needs, Alderfer, ERG theory, Herzberg, hygiene factors, motivator factors, McClelland, acquired needs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this work about?
It introduces selected theories of motivation and relates them to employee motivation and management.
What are the central topics?
The work covers intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and the theories of Maslow, Alderfer, Herzberg and McClelland.
What is the primary objective?
The stated objective is to summarize prominent motivation theories. The work does not formulate an explicit research question.
What scientific method is used?
The assignment presents a descriptive review of published theories and sources; it does not report original empirical research or specify a formal review method.
What does the main chapter cover?
It explains four theories, their categories of needs or motivational factors, and selected workplace implications.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include employee motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, hierarchy of needs, ERG theory, hygiene factors and acquired needs.
How does Alderfer’s theory relate to Maslow’s hierarchy?
The work describes Alderfer’s existence, relatedness and growth categories alongside Maslow’s needs and discusses their different treatment of the order in which needs are addressed.
Which needs are discussed in McClelland’s theory?
The chapter discusses needs for achievement, power and affiliation, including the distinction between personal and institutional power.
- Quote paper
- Marina Jelencic (Author), 2010, Motivation theories - an overview, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/171355
