Theories of Motivation in Managing People and Systems: An Essay

This essay delves into the critical role of motivation theories in managing people and systems within organizations. It examines three prominent theories: Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, and McClelland's theory of needs. The essay provides a detailed overview of each theory, explaining their core concepts and how they contribute to employee motivation and satisfaction. It discusses the practical applications of these theories in the workplace, including strategies for managers to influence and engage employees effectively. The essay also highlights the importance of creating a positive work environment, offering equal treatment, and recognizing individual needs to enhance overall organizational performance. The essay concludes by summarizing the benefits of applying these theories in the modern workplace to foster employee engagement and achieve organizational goals. The essay draws upon the work of Menard, Dohlman, Hur, Rybnicek, Sobaih, and Suyono among others to support the arguments presented.

Managing People and Systems

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Managing people and system refer to the strategy or plans that are made by the managers to
control or manage all the activities in an organization (Menard and et.al., 2017). It is important to
manage employees to achieve goals and objectives of the company. In the essay different
theories of motivation are described which help managers in managing people.
MAIN BODY
Assessment 2
Theories of motivation are important in every organization because it helps in satisfying
employees and motivate them to work efficiently so that organizational goals can be achieved. It
is essential to influence or motivate employees because sometimes workers feel demotivated due
to the environment of the company or behaviour of colleagues, they are not able to understand
work. So, to motivate employees there are some theories which will be helpful for organization
in boosting confidence of workers.
Maslow theory of motivation
Maslow hierarchy of motivation is a theory which describes the basic needs or requirements that
help in motivating employees. As all the people are having some needs and they want that need
to be fulfilled. In this theory Maslow describes a model or pyramid which includes 5 stages with
different needs such as, physiological need, safety needs, love and belongingness need, esteem
needs and self actualisation needs. This pyramid represents these five needs of a person which
are to be fulfilled and this helps in boosting confidence of employees (Dohlman and et.al., 2019).
The needs are started from basic level or bottom level and reach till top level, the first need is
physiological needs which means the basic requirement of a person like, food, water, warmth
and rest. These are basic needs of every person as an individual is doing work to earn money or
can live life properly. If this need is not fulfilled then workers get demotivated because they are
doing hard work to live their life properly. According to Maslow this need gives internal
satisfaction to employees because everyone want food, water, shelter, shelter, clothes and rest.
To satisfy workers the first step is to provide them good basic facilities so that they can give their
best in accomplishing goals and objectives of the company.
The next step is safety needs which include well being, personal security, emotional and
financial security. In this an employee want safety like, in the company they should get healthy
and safe environment, it also includes job security as workers are having tension that whether

their job is secured or not. It is important for an organization to provide safe environment to
employees and job security should be given so that they can work properly and contribute in
achieving goals and objectives of the company.
The next need of an employee is love and belongingness need which includes family, friendship
and intimacy. In an organization employees want that respect should be given to them. In the
company task should be given in group so that they can interact with each other and understand
about each other. This will help in building good relationship among employees and create a
friendly nature in the company. This need motivates employees more as if they will get good
working environment and friendly nature of all the colleagues then they will feel good and like to
work in the company. Every worker should help each other in completing the work on time and
contribute in achieving goals of the organization (Suyono and Mudjanarko, 2017).
The next need is self esteem need which includes self respect, strength, self confidence, freedom
and independence. According to Maslow employee need freedom whole taking decisions, they
want that no one should give them instructions. After sometime when employees have
experience they want that they should have some freedom to take decisions on their own which
will be beneficial for the company as well as for the employees.
The top level need is self actualisation need which includes, creative activities that will help in
achieving one’s full potential. After all the other needs are fulfilled then the focus of managers is
to fulfil self actualisation need (Alrawahi and et.al., 2020).
Herzberg motivation hygiene theory
Herzberg theory of motivation refers to certain factors that helps in job satisfaction and
dissatisfaction among employees at the workplace. In this theory generally there are two factors
i.e., motivation and hygiene factors. Motivation factors helps employees in satisfying them by
fulfilling all their needs. Managers of the company try to influence workers by giving them
rewards, benefits, vacations, holidays or leaves when they perform well (Sobaih and Hasanein,
2020). As nowadays employees want non monetary benefits like, gifts, holidays, one week
vacation etc. All these factors help organization in motivating employees so that they can give
their best and work efficiently so goals can be achieved. Another factor is hygiene which
includes, position of employee in the company, job security, salary, good working conditions. If
these factors are absent then it will affect working of workers as all the employees want healthy

and safe environment so that they can work properly (Hur, 2018). According to Herzberg it is
important to satisfy employees and motivate them to work efficiently, this will company in
building good image in the market and more people want to work with the firm.
McClleland’s motivation theory
This theory states that there are three main factors that help managers in motivating employees to
complete their work properly. The three factors are, need for achievement, power and affiliation.
If managers want to influence workers they should try to satisfy them by giving them some
powers like, decision making, ask for suggestions or ideas, involve them in activities of the
company. The first factor is achievement which means that workers should be given difficult
task or standards should be set that are to be achieved within the given time period.
This is the need for achievement which motivates employees as if they will achieve target they
will be happy (Rybnicek, Bergner and Gutschelhofer, 2019). The need for power means that an
individual person should have some powers to control or influence other, they can take decisions
on their own without asking to leaders. The ned for affiliation refers to social relationship with
other persons, like task or work is given in groups then a relationship is build among team
members as they understand nature of each other.
In today’s world it is important that to motivate employees by giving them rewards or non
monetary benefits so that they can work effectively and efficiently. Nowadays, managers try to
provide good working environment to workers for the smooth working of industry. All these
theories helps managers in influencing employees and the performance of workers is being
measured by managers so that rewards can be given according to that. In the modern workplace
it is applied as it helps in creating friendly nature in the organization and all the employees are
given equal treatment and there should be no discrimination among employees on the basis of
gender, caste, religion, caste, income or related to job position.
CONCLUSION
From the essay it can be summarised that theories of motivation such as, Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs, Herzberg’s motivation hygiene theory and McClelland’s motivation theory. All these
theories are described, how it is beneficial for the company and it is applied in the modern

workplace to motivate employees. Motivational theories help managers in managing activities of
workers and create a good working environment in the organization.

REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Alrawahi, S.,and et.al., 2020. The application of Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation to
job satisfaction in clinical laboratories in Omani hospitals. Heliyon. 6(9). p.e04829.
Dohlman, L.,and et.al., 2019. Global Brain Drain: How Can the Maslow Theory of Motivation
Improve Our Understanding of Physician Migration?. International journal of
environmental research and public health. 16(7). p.1182.
Hur, Y., 2018. Testing Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation in the public sector: is it
applicable to public managers?. Public Organization Review. 18(3). pp.329-343.
Menard, P.,and et.al., 2017. User motivations in protecting information security: Protection
motivation theory versus self-determination theory. Journal of Management
Information Systems. 34(4). pp.1203-1230.
Rybnicek, R., Bergner, S. and Gutschelhofer, A., 2019. How individual needs influence
motivation effects: a neuroscientific study on McClelland’s need theory. Review of
Managerial Science. 13(2). pp.443-482.
Sobaih, A. E. E. and Hasanein, A. M., 2020. Herzberg’s theory of motivation and job
satisfaction: Does it work for hotel industry in developing countries?. Journal of Human
Resources in Hospitality & Tourism. 19(3). pp.319-343.
Suyono, J. and Mudjanarko, S., 2017. Motivation engineering to employee by employees
Abraham Maslow theory. Journal of Education, Teaching and Learning. 2(1). pp.27-33.