module 4 #motivation
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This is the fourth of ten modules in which I am organizing my delivery of the course on organizational behavior at ICBM-SBE, 2014. Wherever I felt I used copyrighted content, I tried to make sure I gave appropriate credit to the author/source. In case you see that I missed something, please do let me know. I would be happy to improve.TRANSCRIPT
Organizational Behavior
Module 4: Motivation
Vinay Kumar, Ph.D
Vidisha Garg, MBA
ICBM-SBE, 2014
Defining motivation
• “a process that accounts for intensity, direction, and
persistence of effort towards attaining a goal”
– What we mean by these words:
• Intensity: how hard an individual tries
• Direction: how channeled are the efforts in the productive ways
• Persistence: how long an individual can sustain the effort
• Goal: not any goal, but an organizational goal
Vinay Kumar; Vidisha Garg 2
Using theories
• Remember:
– Theories are developed in experimental setting which may or may not
mimic real life. So blind reliance on theories can hurt where reality is
different from the experimental setting.
– Application of theories is best done after developing a careful
understanding of the assumptions they carry. Be watchful therefore,
because the most common mistake is to apply a good theory in an
inappropriate situation.
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Vinay Kumar; Vidisha Garg 4
Source: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1518
Theory 1: X and Y Types
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• Why do some individuals take an initiative while others don’t?
– Explanation: Predispositions toward work
– Theory X
• Employees inherently dislike work
• They must be guided or even coerced to perform
– Theory Y
• Employees treat work like others such as rest or play
• They can learn to accept, or seek, responsibility
• Key question:
– If you are a manager, carefully crafting your workplace
dynamics, which theory would you subscribe to, and why?
Douglas McGregor
Theory 2: Two factors
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• What do people want from their jobs? In what situations do
people feel good or bad about their jobs?
– Two types of factors exist in how people describe their feelings
about their job:
• Intrinsic factors relate to job satisfaction
• Extrinsic factors relate to job dissatisfaction
– Dual continuum
• What is the opposite of ‘satisfaction’?
– It is an absence of satisfaction, but not dissatisfaction.
• Two scales to be studied together:
– No satisfaction --- Satisfaction
– No dissatisfaction --- Dissatisfaction
Frederick Herzberg
Theory 2: Two factors
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Frederick Herzberg
Source: Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational Behavior,15th Edition. Pearson: New Jersey.
Theory 3: Hierarchy of needs
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Abraham Maslow
Theory 3: Hierarchy of needs
Principles:
– Needs motivate people
– There are types of needs
– Some needs motivate more
than some other needs
– Needs can be arranged in a
hierarchy by their capacity to
motivate
– Even if needs are never fully
satisfied, there may be a level at
which a type of need may cease
to motivate
Failures:
– The hierarchy itself becomes
debatable, because someone
could be oblivious to satiating
lower-level needs and just be
focused on higher level needs.
– Even if the hierarchy is taken as
a given, the order may not hold
in a general case.
• For example, in cultures that
are characterized by
uncertainty avoidance, security
needs could top the hierarchy.
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Theory 4: Another hierarchy of needs
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• Given any job, when do people perform best?
– Three needs
• Need for affiliation
• Need for power
• Need for achievement
– Need for achievement AND Executive performance
• Three factors seem to influence this relation positively:
– High degree of personal responsibility
– Frequent feedback
– Intermediate degree of risk
– Issues (Or not!!):
• Need for achievement and managerial performance do not
exhibit any relationship. Instead, need for affiliation and power
tend to be related closely to managerial performance
• More effective managers tend to exhibit high need for power
David McClelland
Theory 5: Determination
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• What can sustain or fade motivation on the job?
– Extrinsic rewards are likely to reduce intrinsic motivation to perform, if
the original motivation to take up the job was intrinsic
• Consider a volunteer who works for an NGO out of compassion. By
this theory he could like his work as long as he remains
compassionate. But if there is any other extrinsic incentive , say for
example, fixed monthly salary, the chances are that his motivation to
work in the same job may fade.
– Why?
• Original motivation was intrinsic
• There is an introduction of extrinsic reward
• Job does not feel the same anymore
• Read more @ http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/
• Key question: How can people feel that ‘being paid’ is not so good in
their job? How would you explain such thinking process?
Edward Deci
Would you take a U-turn?
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• Simple questions:
– Is motivation related to earning? Yes / No
– Is performance related to motivation? Yes / No
– Does earning therefore affect performance? Yes / No
• Yerkes-Dodson Law (Demo Video)
– Performance changes with motivation
– But there is a non-linear relationship
Image Source:
http://ceirepsych.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/
assignment-6-eye-witness-testimony/
(Dramatized) Yerkes-Dodson Curve
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Source: http://www.positivehealth.com/article/breathing/mindfulness-and-the-breath
Theory 6: Job characteristics
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• What aspects of job motivate individuals to perform?
– Autonomy
– Task identity
– Variety
– Feedback
– Task significance
• Key question: Can you recall where you have earlier
seen a very similar explanation to managing people?
Richard Hackman
Theory 6: Job characteristics
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Source: Miner, J. B. (2005). Organizational Behavior 1. ME Sharpe, New York.
Theory 7: Goal-setting
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• Can goal specificity improve performance?
– Yes; because intentions to work towards a goal is a source of motivation
– Assumptions
• Commitment to goal
• Disincentive to abandon
• Capacity and desire to achieve the goal
– Goal clarity
• Signals how much effort is needed and in what direction
• Feedback plays a critical role in mediating performance
– Self-generated feedback (more powerful)
– External feedback (less powerful)
– Works well for (Demo Video)
• Independent tasks more than interdependent tasks
• Self-set more than assigned
• Learned goals rather than novel goals
Edwin Locke
Theory 8: Efficacy
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• Does confidence improve performance?
– Greater confidence, greater likeliness to persist
– Improvements in performance transform to greater confidence, and
hence greater likeliness to persist
– Greater confidence does not necessarily imply greater competence
• How do we improve confidence (self-efficacy)?
– Enactive mastery (confidence from gaining relevant experience)
– Vicarious modeling (confidence from others’ performance)
– Verbal persuasion (confidence because others believe in you)
– Arousal (confidence from psyching up; this can hurt sometimes)
Albert Bandura
Theory 9: Reinforcement
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• Is performance repeatable, reproduce-able?
– Behavior is driven by social environment
– Reinforcement conditions behavior
– Individual learn to behave in those ways, where
• They get what they want (desired stuff)
• They avoid what they do not want (avoidable stuff)
– Underlying principle (what influences individual behavior):
• Attention – Retention
• Reproduction – Reinforcement
– Problems:
• Ignores feelings
• Ignores expectations
• Ignores capacity to think and alter choices
B F Skinner
Theory 10: Equity
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• What comparisons do individuals make before they
choose to calibrate their performance on the job?
John Stacey Adams
Self Others
Inside
Outside
Other position in the same firm
Others in similar position in the same firm
Others in similar position in other firms
Similar position in other firm
Theory 10: Equity
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• What comparisons do individuals make before they
choose to calibrate their performance on the job?
– Individuals experiencing inequity make choices:
• Change inputs
• Change outcomes
• Distort perceptions of self
• Distort perceptions of others
• Choose a different referent
• Leave the field
• Exercise
– Think about the comparisons you often make
– Reflect on your choices
John Stacey Adams
Theory 11: Expectancy
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• Why do people perform at all?
– They expect to fulfill their personal goals
– Therefore, they are motivated to put in effort to that extent to
which it helps them in realizing their goals
Victor Vroom
Source: Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational Behavior,15th Edition. Pearson: New Jersey.
Exercise
– Read any one of the two recommended texts to find out more explanation and
examples for all these motivation theories.
– From the examples, compile a list of things that they refer to:
• Sample example here:
– The work has proved to be as challenging and satisfying as Jane had hoped. Her employer
is extremely pleased with her performance; in fact, Jane recently received a $200-per-
month raise. However, her motivational level has dropped dramatically in the past few
weeks.
– Things that the example refers to:
» Nature of work (as challenging and satisfying)
» Employer satisfaction (pleased)
» Performance
» Pay Raise
– After compiling a list of things, try to map the relation described in example.
– You should do this for at least three examples. You may also think about forming
into groups to do this exercise.
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Exercise
– Think about the things you like to do and why?
– Think about the things you want to avoid and why?
– In situations where you had to perform an act, or do a job, you would
have felt either one or both of these kinds of feelings. Recall a couple of
experiences you have, which you think were important to you, and
reflect on the first two question again. Make a note of your experiences
and bring them along to the class for discussion.
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End of module 4.
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Upcoming
Activity: Applying motivation theories at workplace