An Essay on the Application of Motivation Theories in Management

This essay delves into the critical aspects of motivation within organizational settings, focusing on two prominent theories: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Vroom's Expectancy Theory. The introduction establishes the significance of motivation as a key factor in workforce management and organizational efficiency. The main body provides a detailed analysis of both theories, outlining the hierarchical levels of needs in Maslow's model, including physiological, safety, belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs, and how these influence employee motivation. It then explores Vroom's Expectancy Theory, examining the concepts of expectancy, instrumentality, and valence, and how these elements impact an employee's drive and performance. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of a motivated workforce in achieving organizational goals, enhancing customer satisfaction, and improving overall business practices. The essay utilizes supporting resources, including journal articles and online sources, to strengthen its arguments and provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Visual aids, such as illustrations of Maslow's Hierarchy and Vroom's Expectancy Theory, are also included to clarify the concepts presented.

Motivation Theories

Table of Contents
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................3
Introduction............................................................................................................................3
Main body...............................................................................................................................3
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

PART 1
ESSAY
Introduction
Motivation or encouragement is a major influencing factor that will help in managing the
workforce within the organisation. It can be defined as the major purpose behind a person's or a
group to perform in the best and most effective manner. It helps the person to improve the
overall efficiency of an individual or manpower of an organisation (Herzberg, 2017). In order to
manage the workforce, different motivational tools and theories like appraisal, rewarding,
fulfilment of the needs and demands of work force that will help in proper planning of
encouraging measures that will help in improving the working capabilities of employees within a
firm.
Main body
Motivation is a physical, emotional and psychological factor that drives an individual and
thus, helps in the proper increase in efficiency and effectiveness of the employee's in order to
perform the best and effective planning of the encouragement operations that will help in suitable
rise in the efficiency of employees to perform the organisational functions. The motivation is
significantly impacted by the environment, cultural backgrounds, lifestyle, knowledge, education
and other influential factors that will help in proper assessment that will help in proper
management of the motivation or encouragement factors that will help in suitable planning of the
business operations that are been taken within the organisation (Peters, 2015). Managers at an
organisation will follow various measures that will help in proper assessment of the operations.
Different theories of motivating the work force will be followed by the firm that will look after
the suitable rise in operations and hence, support maintaining quality of performance by the
employees'. Two major theories that will be taken in consideration by an enterprise are as
follows:
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: This is process theory that emphasise on the fulfilment of
certain needs and requirement of the individual that will help in proper rise in the operational
capability of organisation in an organisation this will help in suitable rise in operations and
gaining of the operations that will help in suitable rise in the effectiveness of employee's at a
business enterprise (Wlodkowski and Ginsberg, 2017). The factors that affect the work force
motivation are:

 Physiological needs: This are the basic biological or physical needs that are required to
be taken in consideration. It includes the factors like food, clothing, shelter and money,
which is required for the survival of a person (Lepper and Greene, 2015). The
organisation must look after the providing of these measures and activities that will help
in proper motivation of the workforce, improve their efficiency and reduce the chances of
their turn around from firm.
 Safety needs: It includes the safety and security measures that will help in proper
assessment of safety needs that will help in proper assessment of safety and wellness
needs of an individual that will help in proper rise in motivation of employees'. The
safety measures include the safeguarding from different threat factor including physical,
financial and professional safety of employees within organisation.
 Belonging needs: It involves the sense of attachment and association of an employee
within an enterprise. An enterprise can adopt these measures by including the employee's
or workers within decision making at workplace. The biggest advantage of this factor
Illustration 1: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(Source: Maslow’s Hierarchy and Employee
Engagement, 2019)

from the motivational point of view is that it makes the employee believe that he/she is
been valued within the firm.
 Self Esteem: this is the feeling of possessing a status or achievement that a person has in
personal and professional life. These plays a very crucial role in gaining a recognition
within the society or a firm. The firm can provide suitable rewards or appraisals in the
achievement of certain goals that will help the organisation that will help in retaining the
talent and motivating the employee's within an organisation.
 Self actualisation: It is the utmost growth and development stage that an individual
employee gains. It helps in improving their work performance and helps in gaining a
good control over the motivational measures which will help in suitable growth and rise
of encouragement level of a person and leading to rise in individuals and firm's
performance.
These measures will help the enterprise to motivate its workers for having high level of
efficiency. Motivated employee's within the firm will contribute to rise in effectiveness of the
measures that are been undertaken within the firm. This theoretical approach will increase the
organisation's performance and enhancing the performance level of the organisation that will
help in meeting operational needs of the firm.
Vroom's Expectancy theory: this is based on the expectations of an individual employee within
an organisation. It is largely based on the perception of an employee towards the working of the
measures. This theory motivates the employee's to have good outcomes. It includes:

 Expectancy: This is based on an employee's belief that hard work leads to success. It
focuses on the self learning and development, which motivates the workforce to have a
high level of performance.
 Instrumentality: this is a connection of actions or efforts undertaken by a person and
achievement of goals by a person. This will help in achieving the work based objectives
of the organisation by employee's.
 Valance: This is the setting up of goal or reward that will be placed by an employee or a
team in return of efforts applied. This indicates the efforts applied within an enterprise.
The Expectancy theory will attract and motivate the employees or workforce within the
organisation to set suitable targets lay their efforts in a right direction, in order to achieve
objectives of the organisation (Cetin, 2015.). The motivated workforce will work in a suitable
coordination that will achieve the goals and improving core performance of an enterprise.
Illustration 2: Vroom's Expectancy theory
(Source: Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, 2019)

Conclusion
From such measures, this can be concluded that motivated workforce will also help in
meeting the customers or team needs and undertake suitable measures which will guide the firm
to have a good encouragement and rise in revenue generation measures of the firm. It will also
improve the working practices of the organisation.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Cetin, B., 2015. Academic Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning in Predicting Academic
Achievement in College. Journal of International Education Research. 11(2). pp.95-106.
Herzberg, F., 2017. Motivation to work. Routledge.
Lepper, M.R. and Greene, D. eds., 2015. The hidden costs of reward: New perspectives on the
psychology of human motivation. Psychology Press.
Peters, R.S., 2015. The concept of motivation. Routledge.
Wlodkowski, R.J. and Ginsberg, M.B., 2017. Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A
comprehensive guide for teaching all adults. John Wiley & Sons.
Online
Maslow’s Hierarchy and Employee Engagement. 2019. [Online]. Accessible through:
<https://www.managementstudyguide.com/maslows-hierarchy-and-employee-
engagement.htm>
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. 2019. [Online]. Accessible through:
<https://www.toolshero.com/psychology/theories-of-motivation/vrooms-expectancy-
theory/>