Theories of Motivation and their Application in Modern Workplace: A Case Study of Amazon

This report discusses the importance of motivation in improving employee performance and achieving organizational goals. It explores Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg's Motivation Two-Factor Theory and their application in the modern workplace, using Amazon as a case study. The report also discusses Vroom expectancy theory and its impact on employee behaviour and performance.

Individual Recruitment

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
Discuss theories of motivation and how to apply them in the modern workplace.................3
Herzberg’s Motivation Two-Factor Theory.....................................................................................4
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES:...............................................................................................................................7
Books and Journals.................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Motivation can be defined as the tool that helps to encourage the employees and
providing them all the needs and wants through which they can work effectively in the
organisation. It is the internal state of mind through which employees get the right direction to
carry out the work. It is very important for the organisation to perform this function. For this
report Amazon has been undertaken into account. Amazon is an America multinational company
that provides an e-commerce platform to their customers for buying and selling of the goods and
services. In this report there will be discussion on the theory Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Herzberg’s theory will also be taken into account.
Discuss theories of motivation and how to apply them in the modern workplace
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
It is motivational theory that consists of five stages through which the needs and wants of
the employees are fulfilled in the organisation (Hanaysha and Majid, 2018). It is very beneficial
for the company as it facilitates the company to know about the basis needs as well as higher
level of needs of their employees. Maslow hierarchy of needs in relation to Amazon are as
follows:
Physiological needs can be defined as providing the basic needs to the employees. These are the
basic human needs that includes food, water, shelter and clothing etc. Amazon is one of the
largest brand in the world. They ensures that their employees should get the enough salary
through which they can satisfy their basic needs.
Safety needs means providing the security and safety to the employees of the company. This
type of needs includes safety from the theft, fights, illness etc (Hitka and et.al., 2020). These
type of needs can be fulfilled in the company by providing them medical care, emotional
security etc. Amazon after fulfilling the physiological needs focuses on to provide the safety
needs. They provides the best medical facility to their employees through which they stay
motivated towards the goal of the company.
Love and belonging needs are also known as the social needs that focuses on to make the inter
personal relation in the organisation. Through providing these needs companies become able to
make friendly and healthier relationship with their employees (Reizer, Brender-Ilan and
Sheaffer, 2019). Amazon motivates and encourages their employees towards the objective by

providing these needs to their employees. They arrange employee meetings and cultural
programs in the company through which they become able to develop friendly relationships with
them.
Esteem needs can be defined as providing the respect and recognition in the company to the
employees. The main element of this needs is giving self-respect through which employees feel
confident while working in the company. This helps in the overall growth of the company.
Amazon ensures that all the employees and staff of the company should respect each other and
also they focus on building the confidence of the employees in the company.
Self-actualization needs are the highest and superior level of needs that focus on achieving the
goal of the organization with the personal goal. It focuses on the employee’s growth that helps to
accomplish their personal goal and objective. Amazon ensures that the goal of their employees
should be achieved with the goal of their company. They focus on to finds the potential and
ability of their employees that helps them to achieve more success in the future.
Herzberg’s Motivation Two-Factor Theory
This theory consists of two factors that explains that there are kinds of elements in the
work environment which causes the satisfaction as well as dissatisfaction to the employees. This
theory includes two types of factors that are motivating and hygiene factors. Herzberg’s
motivation two-factor theory in relation to Amazon is as follows:
Motivating factors are the factors in the workplace that keep motivating the employees and
encourage them towards the goal of the company. This factor includes various elements through
which organization motivates their employees (Jensen, 2018). This helps the organization to give
a feeling of achievement to the employees. This gave confidence to the employees that they are
achieving some goal in the company. By using this factor organizations can provide with
appraisal to their employees. They also focus on providing promotions in the company that helps
them to give more boost to their confidence. Amazon uses this factor as they critically analyse
the performances of the employees that helps them to give promotions in their company. They
also give responsibility and authority to their employees for carrying out the work in the
company. From this they get the sense of responsibility on their shoulder which gives confidence
to them. They also provide various kinds of new skills and knowledge to their employees which
helps them in getting the practical knowledge about the tasks. Amazon is one of the biggest

Brand and their employees are the main assets of the company, so their prior focus is to provide
various growth opportunities to them.
Hygiene factors are the second factor of this theory that focuses on providing various elements
apart from the motivating factors. These factors emphasize on to give the right direction to the
employees in which they have to carry out the work. This factor also includes the element of the
salary that is a crucial part of the company. Salary should be decided fairly and enough
according to the nature of the work. If employees get enough salary then they will be able to
work with full motivation (Razak, Sarpan and Ramlan, 2018). This factor focuses on to provide
meaningful job to the employees that help in increasing their status. Amazon is a reputed
company and they focus on providing all these elements to their employees. They provide
enough salary to their employees through which they can satisfy their needs and wants. They
also focus on to build healthy relationships between superiors and subordinate. They ensure that
the workplace in which the employees are working should be safe and hygienic. They also
provide job security to them through which they can work more effectively in the company.
Leaders of the company provide right direction to their employees in which they have to carry
out the operations of the business.
Vroom expectancy theory
This theory aims to minimize the pain and maximize pleasure by selecting the best alternatives
from the large varieties. It evaluates the performance of employees working in an organization
according to their behaviours such as skills, abilities, personality, knowledge and experiences
(Kueakomoldej and et.al., 2022). Amazon always focus on the employee development because
performance, efforts and motivation are interconnected with each other. This theory uses
instrumentality, expectancy and valence which describes the behaviour and performance of
employees in an organisation.These can be discussed below:
Expectancy: This believes that employee’s efforts create direct impact on the performance.
Employees should work hard in order to improve their performance which results in higher
success. Amazon ensures that all the resources should made available on time so that they can
perform operations. These resources may include time, capital and raw material.
Instrumentality: It refers to the valued outcome according to the performance of employees.
First level outcome ensures that the outcome of second level is effectively derived. It may affect
the relationship between results and performances in Amazon. Managers who are involved in

decision making should be trusted by employees so that they can perform well. All the processes
should be carried out in transparent manner so that the outcomes are positive.
Valence: It is the importance which employees carried on the outcomes which are expected.
Employees of Amazon performs according to their desire which are more preferable for them
(Incorvaia, Hintze and Dyer, 2021). Motivating factor for each and every employee is different
according to their behaviour which impact the performance.

Conclusion
From the above report it can be concluded that motivation plays important role in
improvement of performance and achievement of goals. Every organisation should motivate their
employees by providing them monetary and non monetary benefits. It increase the abilities if
employees so that they can work according to the needs of organisation. Different motivational
theories are used so that employees can utilise resources in effective manner.

REFERENCES:
Books and Journals
Hanaysha, J.R. and Majid, M., 2018. Employee motivation and its role in improving the
productivity and organizational commitment at higher education institutions. Journal of
Entrepreneurship and Business, 6(1), pp.17-28.
Hitka, M and et.al., 2020. Factors related to gender and education affecting the employee
motivation. Entrepreneurship and sustainability issues, 7(4), p.3226.
Incorvaia, D.C., Hintze, A. and Dyer, F.C., 2021. Spatial allocation without spatial recruitment
in bumblebees. Behavioral Ecology, 32(2), pp.265-276.
Incorvaia, D.C., Hintze, A. and Dyer, F.C., 2021. Spatial allocation without spatial recruitment in
bumblebees. Behavioral Ecology, 32(2), pp.265-276.
Jensen, J.D., 2018. Employee motivation: A leadership imperative. International Journal of
Business Administration, 9(2), pp.93-98.
Kueakomoldej and et.al., 2022. Recruitment and retention of primary care nurse practitioners in
underserved areas: A scoping review. Nursing Outlook.
Kueakomoldej, S., Turi, E., McMenamin, A., Xue, Y. and Poghosyan, L., 2022. Recruitment and
retention of primary care nurse practitioners in underserved areas: A scoping review.
Nursing Outlook.
Martins, R.S., de Camargo, R. and Gasalla, M.A., 2020. Effect of retention processes on the
recruitment of tropical arrow squid (Doryteuthis pleii): An individual-based modeling case
study in southeastern Brazil. Fisheries Research, 224, p.105455.
Razak, A., Sarpan, S. and Ramlan, R., 2018. Effect of leadership style, motivation and work
discipline on employee performance in PT. ABC Makassar. International Review of
Management and Marketing, 8(6), p.67.
Reizer, A., Brender-Ilan, Y. and Sheaffer, Z., 2019. Employee motivation, emotions, and
performance: a longitudinal diary study. Journal of Managerial Psychology.
Wilfred, D., 2018. AI in recruitment. NHRD Network Journal, 11(2), pp.15-18.