Content Theories of Motivation: Theories and Criticisms Examined

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of content theories of motivation, focusing on the contributions of Maslow, Herzberg, and McGregor. It begins by differentiating content theories from process theories, establishing a framework for understanding the internal factors that drive employee behavior. The paper then delves into Maslow's hierarchy of needs, explaining its levels and implications for workplace motivation, alongside criticisms of its assumptions. Herzberg's two-factor theory is examined, with an analysis of its impact on job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Finally, the paper explores McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y, contrasting management styles and their effects on employee performance. The paper also includes criticisms of each theory, offering a balanced perspective on their practical application in organizational settings and their contribution to the field of management.

Running head: CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Content Theories of Motivation
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Management summary:
Business organisations require motivating their employees on regular basis to achieve high
levels of performances. Motivation forms a vital part of organisational operations because it
is the high performance of employees which ultimately transforms into the high
organisational performances. The assignment would delve into the motivation theories of the
two categories namely, content theory and process theories. The content theories consist of
theories by Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor. The process theories on the other hand consist
of theories like Goal theory and Equity theory. The paper would delve into the content
theories and also point out their shortcomings. The findings would clearly show the important
roles these theories play in organisations towards employee motivation.

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Table of Contents
Management summary:..........................................................................................................1
Introduction:...........................................................................................................................3
General framework:...................................................................................................................4
Differences between content and process theories of motivation:.............................................5
The basic concept:..................................................................................................................5
Implications:...........................................................................................................................6
Maslow’s theory of motivation..................................................................................................6
Criticisms for the theory.............................................................................................................9
Hertzberg’s theory....................................................................................................................10
Criticism of the theory.............................................................................................................14
3. McGregor’s theory of motivation:.......................................................................................15
Theory X:.............................................................................................................................15
The soft approach:............................................................................................................16
The hard approach:...........................................................................................................16
Theory Y:.............................................................................................................................16
4: McGregor’s theory of motivation criticisms on the grounds of behavioural sciences:.......17
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................20
References:...............................................................................................................................22

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Introduction:
Motivation can be defined as the force which encourages employees to achieve high
levels of performances. There are several factors both internal and external, which are said to
motivate employees to achieve high levels of performances. The external factors consist of
organisational policies, work pressure, compensation policies, pay packages and team
cooperation. The internal factors consist of attributes and perceptions of employees which
urge them to achieve high levels of performance (Healy 2016). These different external and
internal factors give rise to two categories of theories of motivation namely, content theories
and process theories. The content theories study that employees are motivated to perform
highly due to their internal attributes like their will to experience job satisfaction and get
rewards. These employees do not need to be pushed or threatened and perform highly to
achieve career developments. The theories by Herzberg, Maslow and McGregor form a part
of the content theories. The second category of theory, the process theory mainly deals with
motivating factors existing within organisations which encourage employees to achieve high
levels of performances (Aithal and Kumar 2016). The Goal theory, Equity theory and
Expectancy theories form a part of this category of motivation theories. The paper would
deal with these motivation theories with special emphasis on the content theory. It would start
initially by comparing the two categories of theories namely, content theory and process
theory. The next section would with hierarchy of needs theory by Maslow and then go on to
study the criticisms against the theory. The next theory to be studied would be McGregor’s
theory and criticism against it. The theory content theory to be studied would McGregor
theory X and theory Y motivation theory. The final section would explore the criticisms
against McGregor’s theory and take into account Hofstede’s model to study the theory.

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Theories of motivation
Content theories:
Maslow’s theory
Herzberg’s theory
McGregor theory
Process theories:
Goal theory
Expectancy theory
Equity theory
General framework:
The theories of motivation in general can be divided into two broad categories
namely, content theories and process theories of motivation. The content theories of
motivation takes into account factors which energise, encourage or restrain people to do
actions or to refrain from doing them. The process theories study how actions of human being
can be energised, encouraged or restrained by certain factors (Healy 2016).

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Figure 1. The two broad classifications of motivation theories
(Source: Author)
Differences between content and process theories of motivation:
The following are the difference between the content and the process theories:
The basic concept:
The content theories of motivation delve into internal factors which energise,
motivate or restrain people from doing actions. The content theories thus, study motivation
from the view of the individuals. For example, the theory of motivation proposed by
Abraham Maslow, also known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs takes into the five needs that
impact the motivation of employees in the workplaces. According to Lee and Hanna (2015),
Maslow’s theory takes into account the basic requirements of people which impact their
motivation levels. The employees in organisations often set their goals and priorities. Aged
employees are more concerned about saving while the younger employees are more
concerned about investing. Rise in salary motivate lower level employees while upper level
managers are motivated to perform better by promotions and increasing decision-making
power (Aithal and Kumar 2016). This discussion clearly reveals that the theory is applicable
very much to the workplaces.
The process theories of motivation study the external factors which energise and
motivate people from doing certain things. Thus these theories give more importance to
factors which motivates people from doing certain things or achieve certain goals. For
example, Vroom’s expectancy theory, unlike the content theories of Herzberg and Maslow
separates effort from performances and outcomes (Hur 2017). The theories states that
expectancy among employees to bring about the career development is the outcome of

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
availability of right resources like a supportive team leader and cooperative team members.
These employees can also expect to get positive appraisals if they are skilful. Thus,
according to the above discussion process theories study motivation as a product of
external factors rather than internal factors (Healy 2016).
Implications:
The implications of content theories are that people are motivated to do or not to do
certain actions due to their own instincts. The content theories like Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs and Herzberg’s two factor theory stress on the perceptions of people regarding job
satisfaction, behaviour and rewards systems. These theories point out those deficiencies
within individuals create tensions that trigger certain behavioural responses (Mawere et al.
2016). These theories emphasise that people are motivated to achieve targets which they
perceive as difficult to achieve at their present levels of capabilities. For example, average
performing employees are motivated to work harder to get incentives and appraisals. These
employees at the same tend to achieve meaningful rewards (Aithal and Kumar 2016).
The process theories on the other hand point out the factors external factors like
extrinsic awards which motivate employees to work hard to achieve their targets. The content
theories form base of the all the theories of motivation but cannot be applied directly to
workplaces. Although theories like Maslow’s theory are hugely applicable in the
practical world they are not a part of the content theory. The content theories have
failed to qualify the process theory criteria and have been dropped from the list (Healy
2016).
Maslow’s theory of motivation
Maslow had developed his theory based on the judgment of needs by the humans, as
he had a better concept regarding the needs that can satisfy the personal gains of the human

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
beings. He had identified that if the needs are not met in a proper manner then it will hamper
the proper functioning of the individuals in a healthy manner. He had identified that most of
the individuals depend on five types of need that should be in a hierarchical order so that the
highest form of the need can be satisfied followed by the lowest needs (Hur 2017).
The physiological needs form the base of the triangle, which indicates that it is the
basic need of the individuals. The elements that are part of this need include air, food, shelter
and water, which are the basic requirements of the individuals to sustain in this world. The
employees who are working in an organization needs to have a basic salary from where they
can satisfy their basic needs and have a proper condition of living so that they can be
productive within the organization (Lee and Hanna 2015). The reason behind this need is that
a hungry employee cannot concentrate on the organizational procedures, which may affect
the level of productivity within the company.
The second layer of the triangle consists of the safety needs, which can only be
considered after the physiological needs of the individuals are met in a proper manner. This is
where the individuals require a secure place of work, which is free from threats and harms
through an internal or an external manner. The reason behind this need is that the employees
can be more productive if the organization can provide safety and security to the individuals
regarding the job that they are performing within the company (Aithal and Kumar 2016).
The third level of needs as identified by Maslow is known as social needs, which can
be provided after the safety issues have been met in an efficient manner. The social needs are
those, which will help the employees in participating in events that are organized by the
society such as picnic and other events. This will help the employees in living within the
society so that they do not get the feeling of being an outcast within the external environment
(Hur 2017).

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
The esteem needs form the fourth level of the triangle that has been identified by
Maslow. It involves the approvals that the employees get from others and the self-respect that
the employees possess. The introduction of award systems within the organization will help
the employees in being recognized with respect to their achievements within the company
(Moradi, Shekarchizadeh and Nili 2015). This will help the employees in being motivated
and increase its productivity level for the firm as well.
Figure 2. Figure showing Maslow Need theory
(Source: Aithal and Kumar 2016)
The top tier of the triangle represents the need of self-actualization, which helps the
individual in being capable of developing their needs to the fullest potential. This will help
the employees in gaining a competitive advantage within the organization. The reason behind

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
this need is that it helps the employees in being a valuable asset within the organization
where they are currently working (Hur 2017).
The factors that have been identified by Maslow will help the employees in being
recognized within the organization due to its accomplishments. This will help the employees
in satisfying their needs of esteem, which will help them in improving their performance of
business as well. The financial security of the employees is also important, as it will make the
employees financially stable so that they can be independent and work in a better manner
towards the organization (Moradi, Shekarchizadeh and Nili 2015). The company will be able
to achieve its organizational goals, as most of the employees will be able to increase its level
of production for the firm as well. The other factor is that a work force that is healthy can be
promoted within the organization by providing incentives and rewards to the employees. This
will help in boosting the level of motivation of the employees so that they can remain
productive within the organization. It will also help in providing a positive mental and
healthy nature of the employees so that the employees can be able to work in an efficient
manner (Aithal and Kumar 2016).
Criticisms for the theory
The theory that was provided by Maslow was criticized by other scholars as well due
to the assumptions that were not accounted within the theory. The first assumption was that
the theory was proposed based on the individuals who grew in an environment where the
needs were not met on the first instance. This would lead to the unlikeliest of functioning of
the individuals in a healthy manner. Most of the employees who hold a better position in the
organization will be able to satisfy their needs and will be able to satisfy their level of
deficiency and growth where as the low level employees will only be able to satisfy their
level of deficiencies (Mawere et al. 2016).

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
The major criticism regarding this theory of motivation is that there is no empirical
data that would help in supporting the conclusions that have been drawn by the scholar in the
theory. It is also based on the assumption that the employees are mostly alike and are
working within the same business environment. Another important criticism was that the
factors stated by Maslow were not motivational theories at all but rather it just focused on the
level of satisfaction that can be achieved by the employees in the organizational culture (Hur
2017).
The assumptions that were made in this theory were also unrealistic with respect to
the employees that most of the employees are alike in nature along with the situations that
where they are working as well. Apart from this, the best way to meet the needs of the
individuals is only through this method. The researcher also failed in taking in to
consideration that influence that culture has on the individuals, which may change their basic
needs as well. Another well observed criticism was that Maslow created this theory from the
perspective of an individual while he was based in a country like United States, which was a
highly individualistic nation at that time (Aithal and Kumar 2016). The need of an
individualistic nation is more likely to be centred towards them rather than in a collectivist
society, which has its focus on the improvement within them. Another criticism that was
pointed out in the pyramid provided by Maslow was that the needs of the individual after
being met will not disappear entirely. It may again recur due to certain environmental
conditions, which may bring the basic needs again in the life of the individuals (Moradi,
Shekarchizadeh and Nili 2015).
Hertzberg’s theory
Fredrick Hertzberg developed a theory that was known as the motivator-hygiene or
two-factor theory. This theory was developed on the basis of some of the factors that are

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
required in a job so that it can help the employees in removing their level of dissatisfaction
within the work place. He further stated that the opposite of satisfaction was no satisfaction
and that of dissatisfaction was no dissatisfaction (Hur 2017).
The factors of job were further divided in to two categories, which are hygiene factors
that play an important role for the motivation to exist in the place of work within the
organization. The factor of hygiene will not lead to a positive outcome in the longer run
among the employees but if it is absent or does not exist within the work place, it may lead to
the rise in the level of dissatisfaction among the employees (Mawere et al. 2016). The factor
of hygiene has to be reasonable within the process of the job so that it can help in pacifying
the employees and decrease the level of dissatisfaction among them. These are some of the
factor that is extrinsic in nature, which needs to be maintained within the work place (Aithal
and Kumar 2016). The factor of hygiene is also known as the maintenance factor or
dissatisfiers within the work place, which is required in the organization so that it can result
in eliminating the factor of dissatisfaction among the employees. The factors of hygiene are
inclusive of the following things:
1. Pay- The structure of payment or salary has to be appropriate and reasonable for the
employees so that they can be motivated within the work place. The salary has to be
competitive and equal to the conditions present in the market regarding the people who are
working in the same domain so that it can help the organization retaining back the employees
and improve its level of productivity (Lee and Hanna 2015).
2. Company and administrative policies- The organizations need to keep in mind that the
policies that are framed with respect to the employees are not that rigid, which might affect
the productivity levels of the employees. The policies need to be clear and fair so that it can
help the employees in working in an efficient manner. This will help in increasing the level of

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
productivity of the firm and the margin of profit will also increase as well. Some of the
policies can be providing the employees with flexible hours of shift, timely vacations so that
they can rejuvenate themselves and come back within the organization with a renewed vigor
(Moradi, Shekarchizadeh and Nili 2015).
3. Fringe benefits- The management of the organization also needs to take in to account the
plans of health care so that it can provide a security to the employees within the working
environment. The organization also needs to provide benefits to the family members so that it
can help the employees in maintaining a better relationship with the organization (Aithal and
Kumar 2016).
4. Physical working conditions-The organizations need to maintain a safe and hygienic
condition within the work place by ensuring that the equipments are all well-maintained and
updated to the latest technology. This will help the organization in gaining a competitive
advantage against the rival companies by manufacturing the products at a lesser period of
time as well as ensuring the security of the employees. The updated technologies are all based
on providing maximum security to the employees so that they do not face any hazardous
conditions within the work place (Mawere et al. 2016).
5. Status- The organization should provide a better description of the status that the
employees hold within the work place so that they can have a proper understanding regarding
the process of job for which they are being hired within the organization. This will help the
organization in retaining the employees within the process of job as well (Hur 2017).
6. Interpersonal relations- The organization needs to encourage the relationship between the
employees and their subordinates along with the peers so that they can converse with them in
an easy manner. This will help the employees in exchanging their ideas with each other so
that the quality of work within the organization can be increased. The factor of conflict within

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
the organization among the employees will be reduced to a great extent, as harmonious
relationship will help in increasing the productivity level of the organization as well (Fareed
and Jan 2016).
7. Job security- The security of job for the employees creates a major impact on the
organization, as most of the employees will feel safe within the organization regarding the
nature of process that they are working in. This will help the organization in retaining its
employees within the organization so that a higher level of productivity within the work place
can be achieved (Moradi, Shekarchizadeh and Nili 2015).
Motivation factors Recognition, career progression
Hygiene factors Company policies, employee benefits etc
Figure 3. Herzberg's theory
(Source: Oluwakayode et al. 2017)
Motivational factors according to the theory will also result in increasing the level of
satisfaction among the employees, as these factors will play a positive role in motivating the
employees towards their job roles. These factors are known as satisfiers and are required by
the organization so that the employees can perform the job in a better manner. Some of the
motivational factors are as follows:
1. Recognition- The organization needs to recognize its employees for the accomplishments
and the achievements that they have within the organization. This will help the employees in
being motivated within the organization (McCracken et al. 2015).
2. Sense of achievement- The employees need to have a sense of achievement among them so
that they can be recognized within the process.

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
3. Promotional opportunities- The organization needs to provide growth opportunities to
those employees who have been productive and has been showing a positive attitude towards
the work for a continuous period of time so that they can remain motivated within the work
place (Moradi, Shekarchizadeh and Nili 2015).
Criticism of the theory
The critique of this theory is that the respondents who had participated in this process
have taken in to consideration the good times where as the bad times have been eliminated by
them, as the good times has helped them in gaining a personal control over the matters, which
can result in crediting themselves (McCracken et al. 2015).
The categorization done by Herzberg was done based on the basic needs of the
humans, which was clubbed under the factors of hygiene. This resulted in the fact that the
basic needs are not accountable for providing motivation to the employees unless they are
fulfilled and it only results in removing the level of dissatisfaction among the employees.
Another criticism is that the different factors that are present in the job have not been taken in
to account regarding the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction that can be achieved by the
employees. The theory is also based on the standard scale that may result in errors during the
time of analyzing the findings (Oluwakayode et al. 2017). Additionally, the findings will be
in a generalized pattern and is not based on the actual experience that the employees may
have within the work place.
The two factor theory of Herzberg can only be applied to motivate the employees by
the managers within the organization. The managers will be able to identify the basic needs
of the employees so that it can help in providing the maximum satisfaction to the employees
within the work place (McCracken et al. 2015). The removal of the dissatisfaction levels will
result in motivating the employees within the job environment so that the level of

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
productivity can be increased as well. This theory cannot be applied to the employees who
are at a managerial level, as the factors that will motivate them cannot be identified in a
proper manner.
Another important criticism that was identified was that the theory considered money
as a factor of hygiene, which can also act as a factor of motivation for a number of
employees. Most of the employees work harder within the organization so that they can get a
better incentive, which would create an impact on their payment structure (Mawere et al.
2016).
3. McGregor’s theory of motivation:
The motivation theory proposed by McGregor is known as theory X and theory Y.
The motivation theory considers two sets of individuals, the X type individuals and Y type
individuals. The following section would throw light on the two types of individuals as per
the theory of McGregor:
Theory X:
The X category employees are employees who avoid or are reluctant towards work.
These individuals lack ambition and seek leadership support to a greater extent. These
workers desire protection. The theory proposes that these types of workers are poor
performers and the management have to deal with them strictly by using methods like
coercion, control and reprimand. The management of organisations according to McGregor
theory can use two approaches to deal with these individuals namely, hard approach and soft
approach (Dwivedula, Bredille and Müller 2015).

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
The soft approach:
Managers use soft approach to deal with the reluctant and less motivated workers.
They are lenient and supportive towards these employees and encourage them to learn the job
to arouse motivation in them. Aithal and Kumar (2016), state that this method is not
applicable for all employees. They state that employees who are reluctant by nature often use
the soft approach to get away with low productivity. This is more applicable in companies
where there are employees who are involved in unions. Zheng et al. (2016) further states that
employees who are new can feel motivated by the soft approach but the method is not
applicable for deliberately low productive employees. These employees can best be dealt
with by application of the hard approach.
The hard approach:
The hard approach consists of using punishments, intimidation and supervision of low
performing employees. The aim of this approach is to make these employees work harder by
making them feel insecure and threatened. Although Aithal and Kumar (2016) state that this
method is applicable for reluctant employees, this method leads to a hostile environment
which lead to companies experiencing high employee turnovers (Hou et al. 2016). Thus
overuse of the hard approach on employees lead to companies losing their employees which
increases their turnover costs.
Theory Y:
The Y theory in contrast to the perception that employees are inefficient, perceives
that employees are inefficient. The theory believes that the employees are motivated from
within due to the rewards and job satisfaction. The employers in order to deal with these
employees use delegation methods. They employees working under the theory Y approach
enjoy more liberty in their work (Mawere et al. 2016). The departmental heads use
participative leadership style to lead the employees and encourage them to participate in the

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work. The mangers and the subordinates share the workload and help each to carry on their
duties. This leads to high productivity in the organisations which ultimately transforms to
great organisational performances (Sahito and Vaisanen 2017). The employees working
under this condition are more productive and participating, thus experience greater degree of
job satisfaction.
4: McGregor’s theory of motivation criticisms on the grounds of behavioural sciences:
Behavioural science refers to the systematic investigation and evaluation of the
behaviour of human beings by studying the past, observing the present and conducting proper
experiments to understand the behaviour. Behavioural research involves the proper study to
the several variables that largely influence the formation of one’s habits. It is necessary to
scrutinize the behavioural science research such that it has positive impact on an organization
(McCracken et al. 2015). With the increase in the globalization, the organizations have
developed international influences and have started operating on an international level. This
has also encouraged the movement of the human resources from one nation to another in
search of better job opportunities. The multinational organizations nowadays comprise of
employees belonging to different nations, backgrounds, cultures and religions which results
in a complex working environment (Sahito and Vaisanen 2017). This makes it difficult for
the management of the multinational organizations to handle complex situations involving
employees belonging to different nations and cultures. The people belonging to different
nations, cultures and background have different thoughts, ideas and beliefs, which results in a
complex working environment.
Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory addresses the issue of cross- cultural
communication. It identifies the impacts of the culture of the society on the values, thoughts
and beliefs of the organizational members. The theory helps in understanding the cross-

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
cultural psychology, cross-cultural communication and international management (Aithal and
Kumar 2016). The theory divided the national cultures into six dimensions namely power
distance index (PDI), Individualism vs collectivism (IDV), Uncertainty avoidance index
(UAI), Masculinity vs femininity (MAS), Long-term orientation vs short-term orientation
(LTO) and Indulgence vs restraint (IND).
The power distance index indicates “the extent up to which the less powerful
members of an organization accept and expect that power is distributed unequally”. The
higher degree of PDI indicates that the employees of an organization are satisfied as there is
proper organizational hierarchy (Sahito and Vaisanen 2017). For instance, a majority of the
Asian countries have a high degree of power distance index whereas countries like Austria
and Denmark have very low power distance. On the other hand, IDV is the “extent up to
which the organizational members are integrated into groups”. Individualistic culture
emphasizes more upon “I” rather than on “WE”, which negatively impacts the relationships
between the employees. However, collectivism culture emphasizes more upon “WE” than on
“I”, which indicates strong relationships between the organizational members. Collectivism is
necessary for the growth and development of an organization especially in case of
multinational organizations as the organizations comprise of employees belonging to
different cultural backgrounds (Aithal and Kumar 2016). Collectivism ensures loyalty and
presence of support among the organizational members.
Uncertainty avoidance index indicates “the extent up to which a society is tolerant
towards ambiguity”. The higher the degree of uncertainty avoidance, the more is the strict
guidelines, codes of behaviour and laws. However, on the contrary, the lower the degree of
uncertainty avoidance, the more is the flexibility and acceptance of the different thoughts,
ideas and beliefs of the members of the society (McCracken et al. 2015). Therefore, lower
avoidance index is more appropriate for the multinational organizations as they comprise of

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
people belonging to different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Flexibility in the rules
and regulations help the organizational members to easily adjust with the environment and
become more productive (Mawere et al. 2016).
Masculinity vs femininity indicates “the preference in the society for achievement,
heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success”. Women usually portray different
values in different societies such as they tend to share modest views in feminine societies
whereas in masculine societies, the women are more competitive in nature. Masculinity has
been observed to be very high in countries like Japan, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland
whereas it has been observed to be extremely low in countries like Norway and Sweden
(Aithal and Kumar 2016). This also impacts the organizations as the organizations comprise
of both men and women and the type of organizational culture and environment determines
the effectiveness of the men and women employees.
Long-term orientation vs short-term orientation indicates the connections of the past
with the present and future challenges. Short-term orientation indicates that an organization
aims at conserving its values and traditions whereas; long-term orientation indicates that an
organization emphasizes more on adaptation and problem solving approach. Long-term
orientation is necessary for the development of the organizations as the rapid changes in the
business environment demand changes in the organizational culture accordingly
(Oluwakayode et al. 2017).
Indulgence vs restraint indicates the measure of happiness within a society or an
organization. Indulgence refers to the society or organization that permits fulfilment of basic
human desires in relation with enjoyment and having fun whereas; restraint refers to the
society or organization that does not allow or strictly controls the basic enjoyment needs of
the human beings by imposing strict social norms. In case of organizations, it becomes

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
necessary to encourage an environment of indulgence such that the employees become
motivated in order to become more efficient (Aithal and Kumar 2016).
Therefore, on critically examining McGregor’s theory of motivation and Hofstede’s
cultural dimension theory, it can be stated that and Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory is
superior to McGregor’s theory of motivation as the Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory
emphasizes more upon the behavioural sciences than on the managerial style. The
performance and efficiency of the employees in an organization are more dependent upon
behaviour than on the managerial style (Oluwakayode et al. 2017). Additionally, the
managerial style must be decided while keeping into consideration the difference in the
behaviour of the employees due to the difference in their cultural backgrounds and
nationalities. The motivation theory of McGregor does not lay emphasis upon the behaviour
of the employees within an organization, which is a result of differences in their cultural
backgrounds. The theory emphasizes only upon the style of management and the motivation
derived by the employees therein. However, the theory neglected the concept of behavioural
science, which largely determines the manner in which an individual can be motivated
(Dwivedula, Bredille and Müller 2015). Therefore, it can be concluded that behavioural
science research is required to be scrutinized and critically examined such that the
organizations can implement appropriate motivational techniques within the organizations for
improving the overall organizational efficiency.
Conclusion:
Thus, it can be concluded that content theories of motivation are extremely applicable
in the present organisations. The theory of Maslow sheds light upon the hierarchy of needs of
the employees. It is evident that these needs are important to all employees though their order
may vary according to the status of the employees. For example, the lower level employees

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CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
may be motivated by increasing salary while the upper level managers are motivated by
career growths. The theory by Herzberg sheds light into the fact that employees are motivated
by factors like salary and job conditions. Thus, it can be concluded that both these theories
throw light on the fact the employees are influenced by both internal and external factors of
motivation. Those factors consist of both internal attributes of employees and characteristics
of the organisation. McGregor throws light on two categories of employees namely, X and Y
category. The Y category employees are more motivated to perform than X category of
employees. The study clearly shows that none of the theories are devoid of criticism and
shortcomings. However, these theories are very much applicable even in today’s world and
organisations can still use them to motivate their employees.

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References:
Aithal, P.S. and Kumar, P.M., 2016. Comparative Analysis of Theory X, Theory Y, Theory
Z, and Theory A for Managing People and Performance.
Alshmemri, M., Shahwan-Akl, L. and Maude, P., 2017. Herzberg’s two-factor theory. Life
Science Journal, 14(5).
Botana, L.F.S. and Neto, P.L.D.O.C., 2015. The development of an incrementally evolving
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