University Report: Critical Analysis of Motivation Journal

This report provides a critical analysis of a journal article exploring the complex relationship between money, motivation, and organizational behavior. The study, based on self-determination theory and economic agency theory, examines how factors such as pay, managerial support, and organizational justice influence employee motivation. The research highlights the contrasting views of these theories, emphasizing that while monetary rewards are important, intrinsic motivation and a positive work environment significantly impact employee performance and satisfaction. Key concepts discussed include self-determination theory, various types of motivation, organizational justice, the role of pay, psychological need satisfaction, managerial support, employee satisfaction, intrinsic work motivation, interpersonal climate, and rewards and benefits. The analysis reflects on the importance of these factors in creating a motivated and productive workforce, and how management can foster a positive environment to enhance employee performance and achieve organizational goals. The report emphasizes the significance of both monetary and non-monetary rewards, including opportunities for learning and positive feedback, in boosting employee motivation.

Running head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
Olafsen, A. H., Halvari, H., Forest, J., & Deci, E. L. (2015). Show them the money? The role
of pay, managerial need support, and justice in a self‐determination theory model of
intrinsic work motivation. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 56(4), 447-457.
MAIN THEME
The journal is based on the study of link of money with motivation and the ways by
which this affects the operations of the organizations. This research is mainly related to the
study of the compensation systems in the organizations and their effects on motivation. Self-
determination theory is used in this research to analyse the connections between pay provided
to the employees and motivation. Another theory that is considered in this article is economic
agency theory which further promotes the relationship between performance and motivation.
The theory states that if more pay is provided to the employees in the compensation system,
then the employees are also motivated to perform in the way the organization requires.
SUPPORTING FACTS
The research has shown that the self-determination theory and economic agency
theory depict contrasting views on the human behaviour. The self-determination theory
mainly differentiates the various types of motivation and also suggests that greater pay does
not always relate to better performance of the employees. The theory states that the
employees are mainly motivated by a positive working environment and not money. The use
of monetary motivation and rewards do decrease the effect of intrinsic motivation for the
employees. Most part of the research is based on the relationship between intrinsic motivation
and monetary rewards. Another concept that is taken into consideration for analysis is related
to pay satisfaction and pay justice. The justice is an organization refers to the perception of
the employees regarding resource allocation. The psychological needs of the employees are
also a part of the self-determination theory. Self-determination theory relates to the

2CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
interpersonal environment in the organizations which needs to be supportive in nature and
also should understand the needs of the employees. The results of the research suggest that
the interpersonal climate of the organization has an effect on the compensation related
variables. The amount of pay provided to the employees and the justice of distribution does
not relate to the intrinsic motivation of the employees.
TEN SPECIALIZED TERMS
1. Self-determination theory Self-determination theory of SDT is a
theory related human personality and
motivation that deals with the inherent
tendencies of growth and the psychological
needs. It is mainly concerned with
motivation behind the choices that the
employees of an organization make without
any interference or external influence. This
focusses on the degree up to which the
behaviour of an individual is self-
determined or self-motivated. SDT also
involves the comparison of the extrinsic and
the intrinsic motives. The various types of
motivation are described with respect to the
degree up to which they are internalized.
Internalization mainly refers to the attempts
of transforming an extrinsic motive into
values that are endorsed personally. SDT is
focused on the belief that the nature of
humans shows positive features that are
persistent and it depicts the levels of agency,
effort and commitment.
2. Motivation Motivation can be defined as the process of
stimulating individuals to achieve their
goals. The creation of willingness among
the employees in the organization is one of
the major task of the management. The
leaders play an important role of arousing
interest among the employees so that they
can perform well in their jobs. The
motivation process mainly consists of three
major stages, a drive or need, a stimulus
where the needs are aroused and the last
stage is the satisfaction or the
accomplishment of the goals. The major
benefits that are provided with the help of
motivation are as discussed further.

3CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
Motivation helps in the achievement of
goals, helps in building friendly
relationships, leads to the stability in the
work force.
3. Organizational justice The concept of organizational justice is
mainly related to the ways by which the
employees judge the behaviour of the
company which ultimately impacts the
behaviour of the employee. Fairness or
justice is focussed on the idea that whether a
decision or an action is right on the moral
grounds. This can be decided by taking into
consideration the fairness, ethics, law and
equity related to the organizational policies.
Individuals or employees react to the
decisions taken by the organizations on a
daily basis. The perceptions of the
employees about the decisions and whether
they are right or wrong can further impact
their behaviour in the organization. Fairness
plays an important role in the operations of
an organization as it can have implications
related to the perceptions of injustice of the
employees.
4. Role of pay in motivation Payment and monetary compensation play
an important role in the organizations.
Payment offered to the employees helps in
increasing the motivational levels. Although
monetary rewards and pay not the only
factors important for providing motivation,
it however is a major factor that helps in
attracting talent to the organizations.
Competitive rate of pay is an important way
that can be undertaken by the organizations
to attract fresh talent. The takeaway that an
employee excepts from an organization is a
huge motivating factor for the employees.
The employers always try to develop fair
and effective strategies related to payment,
however the monetary attraction also a limit
up to which it can help in retaining
employees.
5. Psychological need satisfaction Satisfaction of the psychological needs of
the employees is an important function of
the management of an organization. As
explained by the self-determination theory,
the psychological needs of human beings
are mainly divided into three components,
which are, competence, relatedness and
autonomy. Once these needs are satisfied in

4CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
the organization, the employees are
catalysed to be goal-oriented and motivated.
Need related to autonomy deals with the
sense of self-initiation instead of coerced or
pressured feeling. Need for the competence
is related to the sense of self-effectiveness
instead of helplessness and passiveness.
Need for the relatedness deals with the
perception of the extent of love and care
from the people who are close to him. The
satisfaction related to these three needs can
further have a positive impact on the self-
growth of the individuals.
6. Managerial need support The support provided by the managers play
an important role in providing motivation.
The managers can motivate the employees
to improve their performance and
productivity. Motivation can be provided to
the employees with the help of proper
incentives, fair treatment and compensation.
The management plays a vital role in
motivating the employees so that they can
show their best performance. The managers
can understand the needs and the goals of
the employees and align them with the goals
of the organization. The alignment of the
goals of employees and that of the
organization requires communication and
strategic planning. The managers can
motivate the employees by understanding
their needs and supporting them to fulfil
those. The needs and responsibilities of the
employees need to be assessed by the
management.
7. Employee satisfaction Employee satisfaction can also be referred
to as job satisfaction. The satisfaction levels
of the employees are decided with the levels
up to which they are happy in the
organization. Employee satisfaction plays
utmost importance for the employees to
remain happy and deliver the best
performance. The satisfied employees of the
organization are the ones who seem to be
loyal to the company. Employees always
need to be passionate towards the role that
they play in the organization and passion
can only be developed with the help of
satisfaction levels that they get from their
work. Employee satisfaction can also lead to
a positive ambience in the organizations.

5CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
The employees seem to complain more and
concentrate less on their work.
8. Intrinsic work motivation Intrinsic motivation in the organization can
be derived from factors that are intangible in
nature. Employers or managers can use the
intrinsic motivation for the purpose of
getting maximum productivity from the
employees. This type of motivation can help
the employees in developing their goals
related to career development. The
encouragement given by the management to
help the employees in gaining knowledge
can act as intrinsic motivation. Providing
managerial positions to the employees can
help the management in increasing their
responsibilities. Responsibility provides
intrinsic motivation to the employees.
Employees can derive intrinsic motivation
from the recognition and accomplishments
provided to them.
9. Interpersonal climate A climate of communication can be created
in an organization with the help of the
network developed by interpersonal
relationships. The communication climate
created by employees in an organization
fosters the healthy and open employee
relations. The relationship should be healthy
both among the employees and with the
management. The managers and the workers
need to respect and trust each other. It helps
in creating a cooperative and effective
framework that helps the leaders to
implement the strategies effectively and
efficiently. Interpersonal communication
acts as an important factor in creating a
positive climate in the organization so that
they can increase their productivity.
10. Rewards and benefits Rewards play an important role in providing
encouragement towards the positive
behaviour and creating values in the
organizations. The employers are constantly
searching for much more innovative
benefits that can be provided to the
employees so that they increase their
productivity. The human resource managers
of the organizations need to think in a more
creative manner so that they can provide
benefits to the employees. The employers
need to provide benefits to the employees so
that they can meet the needs of the

6CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
workforce. This also further helps the
organizations in improving the reputation
and levels of retention. The rewards and the
benefits that are provided to the employees
not only help in motivating and retaining the
employees, it also helps in attracting and
recruiting new employees. Benefits and
rewards act as important factors for
increasing the employee engagement in the
organizations. The poor conditions in the
workplace and too much stress can create
disengagement in the jobs. The low amount
of benefits provided to the employees and
the low salary range also act as factors of
disengagement for the employees. The long-
term problems that are faced by the
management and other negative factors can
also cause disengagement.
REFLECTION
According to me, motivation plays a major role in the organization and it can also
influence the behaviour and the productivity of the employees. The amount of pay provided
to the employees and the support provided by the management will also motivate the
employees. The perceptions of the employees regarding the fairness of the pay provided to
the employees acts as a major factor of motivation. The psychological needs of the
employees are a major part of the entire motivational process of the organizations. The
fulfilment of psychological needs of employees can help in increasing the levels of
motivation so that they can provide their best performance. The organizational climate affects
the performance and the profitability of the organization. The positive climate in the
organization impacts the level of motivation and the ways by which they behave. The
management needs to create a positive environment in the organization so that they can
motivate the employees to perform in their jobs. The other most important factor according
that affects the motivational levels of the employees are the compensations and rewards
offered to them. The compensation and rewards that an organization can provide to the

7CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JOURNAL ON MOTIVATION
employees can also be non-monetary or intangible in nature. The research has further proved
the organizational climate and other non-monetary benefits provided to the employees
including, chances of gaining knowledge are able to impact the levels of motivation in the
organization much more as compared to monetary benefits. The management can also
motivate the employees by providing them with positive feedback. The company can
promote motivation by providing them with monetary or non-monetary compensation so that
they can improve their performance. The acknowledgement provided by the management to
the employees also motivates them to improve their performance in the organizations.
According to me, the employees can be motivated effectively by the rewards and the
recognitions provided by the management. The management should therefore find more
innovative ways by which they can encourage the employees to perform more in their jobs by
increasing their levels of motivation. This will further help the management in increasing the
productivity of the organization and increase their profits in the highly competitive business
environment.