Motivation - Week 2

Many theories have been proposed as to what motivates individuals. Abraham Maslow's (1908-1970) hierarchy of needs theory suggested that people are motivated by a range of needs which he presented as a hierarchy. Maslow assumed that employees will try to move from one level of need to the next striving to move up the hierarchy until they reach the top. The five levels suggested by Maslow are:

Self-Actualisation - e.g. job satisfaction, promotion, development through growth and control over work

Self Esteem - e.g. confidence, status, recognition, job perks and responsibility.

Social Needs - e.g. relationships that work and group or team work.

Safety Needs - e.g. job stability, security and order during times of change.

Physiological Needs - e.g. shelter, warmth, food and drink, pay and conditions of work.



I believe that Maslow’s content theory on motivation is relevant to me because all human beings have needs and desires that they work towards. As each stage in the hierarchy is achieved an individual will automatically look for additional motivators as people always want to achieve more. For example the first level of basic needs are necessary for survival i.e. food and shelter. Once this stage has been achieved, the next stage automatically is job security and so on. I know that I have to achieve all the stages of Maslow's hierarchy of needs to reach my goals.

Motivation for starting my degree course

The motivation for starting my degree course is that I want to be successful in life. This business management degree will provide me with the necessary knowledge and understanding of business to help me in the future, as I wish to start my own business or work for an organisation in a managerial role. I enjoyed business studies at GCSE level and A level therefore decided to carry on with this subject. This relates back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs as I am looking beyond the basic needs of food and shelter to reach my ultimate goal. My aim is to get a good degree so that in 2-3 years time I will stand a better chance of getting a good job that pays well or starting my own business. To do this I have to work hard and keep focused.

When I felt de-motivated

I felt de-motivated at the beginning of 2009 when I lost my part time job at Woolworths where I worked at weekends. This was due to redundancy because of the recession. It took me several months to get another part time job and this meant I did not have enough money to pay for my mobile contract etc. This relates to both Hertzberg’s two factor theory due to hygiene factors as I did not receive a salary anymore and also to Maslow’s hierarchy theory (social) because my job security was taken away.

Although job applications were turned down and this was de motivating I tried even harder to find myself work as I knew other people were in the same situation because of the recession. There was no point in giving up and not trying for other jobs as I knew I had to get another job and determination pays off in the end.

Conclusion

This topic on motivation was very interesting. People are motivated in many ways and the different theories on motivation showed us how individuals get motivated. Employers reward employees to make them more committed to the company by paying bonuses, promotions and company benefits. People have their own individual needs which have to be met before they move to the next level as suggested by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Hertzberg’s two factor theory and Aldefer’s ERG theory.

Reference list:

Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited