Discussing Theories of Motivation and Their Application in Workplace

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of motivation theories and their application in the modern workplace. It delves into various theories of motivation, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y, examining how these theories can be effectively implemented in contemporary organizational settings. The report highlights the importance of motivation in enhancing employee satisfaction, productivity, and overall organizational performance. It also explores how companies like TESCO utilize these theories to meet the diverse needs of their employees, foster a positive work environment, and drive individual and collective success. The essay concludes that a thorough understanding and strategic application of motivation theories are crucial for modern workplaces to thrive and achieve their goals.

MANAGING PEOPLE AND
SYSTEM

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Motivation in an organisation or in a workplace is important for making its employees work
with full satisfaction. Motivation is required for attaining the gaols effectively and efficiently
with individual efforts for accomplishing individual and group goals together (Grant, 2022).
Motivation guide employees or team members to maintain goal oriented behaviours which
makes the person to do the work with full efficiency and effectiveness to achieve something.
People working in group or in an organisation workplace motivation is the only main thing
which makes them work with full satisfaction and efforts with coordination and harmony among
the groups. The companies tries to motivate its team and with different techniques and tools or
theories and models of motivation. This report will include various theories of motivation like
maslow’s hierarchy of needs, two factor theory etc used by modern companies and how to apply
them in the modern workplace according to different situations.
MAIN BODY
Motivation
Motivation is the urge or need of an individual without which a person cannot do its work
effectively and it is one of the driving forces of human behaviours without which a person
remains dissatisfied and demotivated (Kostiani, 2022). Every company uses different techniques
and methods of motivation for motivating its employees or group of employees for doing the
work with full efficiency. Modern business and in modern workplaces there are various models
and techniques which is being used by the company’s for motivating its people and team for
accomplishing the goals with full efforts.
Theories of motivation
There are various theories of motivation of modern business and workplaces the most
common theory is Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory which is used universally by all the
organisation and the workplaces. This theory focuses on individual lower to higher level needs
like from basic to all higher needs that an individual need to remain motivated or satisfied while
doing a work. This theory is proposed by American Abraham Maslow in his 1943 called a theory
of human behaviour or motivation (Prottas and Nummelin, 2018). This theory says that human

needs are never satisfying and never endings so he created 5 level needs from lower to top level
and infinity needs of an human beings. This theory is used by all the companies and workplaces
for making its team work according to the needs of the goals with full satisfaction. In this theory
the basic level need which is Physiological need include, food, water, cloth, basic wage etc that
is minimum of wages or things which is required for the survival of an individual without which
a person cannot work or remains dissatisfied whole life (Keerthana, 2018). Secondly, Safety and
security need which an individual need to feel safe while doing the work or this are all the needs
which many company provides to its employees like medical insurances, educational facilities
and other safety precautions for making its employee to feel safe while doing the work.
Thirdly, Social needs like every person or an individual working in team or an
organisation wants to feel loved or appreciated by all. The person who is not accepted in an
friendly environment and to whom the group of individual does not communicate always remain
dissatisfied while doing his/her work. Furthermore, Self esteem need this are the need like to be
rewarded or recognised against the work done by the employee to feel motivated for example
rewarded for good performances in an organisation and increase in wages for god performances.
Lastly, Self-actualisation need are the last level need which every person wants to achieve these
are the dream position or highest opportunity one wants in his/her life to feel motivated (Hale,
and et.al., 2019).
This theory is applied in modern workplaces for example company TESCO is giving all
his employees basic wages for fulfilling their basic level needs and providing all the employees
all type of insurances for their safety so that they can work with full freedom and full efforts.
This company in the modern workplaces using various techniques to socialising peoples or
employees for interacting with each other and share their ideas and thoughts with each other for
more efficiency in the work so that they feel socially involve through group discussion. The
modern workplaces are providing all type of incentives and rewards for good performances to
encourage employees to work more hard with full motivation. The modern workplaces are also
providing all the opportunity to its employees or groups to achieve their individual dream by
giving all the opportunity.
Herzberg's motivation hygiene theory also called two factor theory mainly focuses on
job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction and states that they both are interrelated (Yousaf, S.,
2020). This theory says that there are various hygienic factors which increases job satisfaction

and whose presence prevents dissatisfaction among the peoples. The motivator factor which is
needed for doing a task with full satisfaction and which increases the morale of the peoples are
recognition for good performances by the employees or team members, Performance and
achievements without this the person feel dissatisfied and work without interest, Status if a
person in team task has given some status for example team leader, seniors etc increase the
morale of an individual for working more hard. Opportunity for advancements The persons with
various opportunity for going far or achieving its dream then he/she will work with more
satisfaction for achieving its dream. Personal growth every individual feel motivated for
increasing its personal growth and if the company or workplace does not provide this then they
will not work hard according to the needs.
Whereas Hygiene factors include those factors whose presence does not make an
individual dissatisfied they are salary, working condition, physical workplace, policies and
rules, work environment etc all this does not lead to motivate the employees but helps in
maintaining the group or individual to not feel dissatisfied (Hopper, E., 2020).
The modern workplaces uses this theory to make its employees or group members work
with full efforts by removing all type of dissatisfaction. The motivators in this theory helps an
individual to make them feel satisfied and work to achieve the full satisfaction and providing all
sort of things and methods so that an individual does not at least feel dissatisfied while doing
his/her work so that the efficiency or effectiveness in the groups can be maintained properly.
McGregor’s theory also called theory X and theory Y in which in the person or individual
are based on two human behaviours which is theory X in which an individual views regarding
the work is negative and in theory Y the views of an individual are positive towards the work
(Zhang and Khan, F., 2020). Both the perceptions are studied carefully in the theory X the
negative behaviours of the individual towards work is most individual have little desire and
responsibility towards the work. Employees or person resist the change, mostly peoples are self
centered, people have little aptitude or interest in solving the problems creativity. People does
not bring new ideas and thoughts in the group and communicate less to other team members.
Theory from the above negative human behaviour states that motivation relies on by strict rules
and regulation and tight control so that every individual work according to the needs of an
organisation. The soft approach should be used for maintain harmony in the groups and complete
coordination between the work of all the peoples (Struzhkin and et.al., 2020).

Theory Y is on assumption of positive human behaviours states that individual working in
groups are self directed and self controlled and having much interest in the working of the
company and solving various types of issues or problems with new ideas and techniques. Peoples
are doing work with full quality and efficiency increasing the production with full efforts.
Peoples are seeking responsibility and have more skills and knowledge of doing the work with
full accuracy. In this theory the peoples morale can be improved through decentralization and
delegation or authority and job enlargement so that they can feel motivated by learning every
job. Participative management so that each individual can share his/her thoughts openly and feel
involved in decision making process.
In modern workplaces this theories are applied to get to know how to motivate the
employees or group of peoples in a single direction for achieving group goals. The peoples are
divided in two categories and actions and decisions are taken for motivating the type of peoples
due to cultural diversity of peoples working differently in a work place.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that motivation is important in every filed of
work small or big because without motivation the individual or group of people will not work
with full efficiency and accuracy. The coordination and cooperation in groups can be maintained
only with the help of motivation. It is also concluded that modern workplaces uses different
theories or models of motivation for guiding its peoples towards the achievements of work
efficiently. Different company and workplaces uses different strategy and methods for efficiency
in their work and making its team to work with full satisfaction by providing all sort of
opportunity and platforms for increasing there morale. Satisfying all level needs with the help of
theories will increase the morale and satisfaction of peoples for doing the work with full efforts.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Grant, A.M. and Shandell, M.S., 2022. Social motivation at work: the organizational psychology
of effort for, against, and with others. Annual review of psychology, 73, pp.301-326.
Kostiani, N. and Galanakis, M., 2022. Organizational Psychology in the 21st Century: The Big
Five Theory Contribution in the Modern Workplace. Psychology, 12(6), pp.323-328.
Prottas, D.J. and Nummelin, M.R., 2018. Theory X/Y in the health care setting: Employee
perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. The health care manager, 37(2), pp.109-117.
Keerthana, Y. and Babu, M.K., 2018. A study on theory x & theory y: implications of teachers in
higher education. International Journal of Management, IT and Engineering, 8(10), pp.222-
233.
Hale, and et.al., 2019. Adapting Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a framework for resident
wellness. Teaching and learning in medicine, 31(1), pp.109-118.
Yousaf, S., 2020. Dissection of Herzberg’s two-factor theory to predict job satisfaction:
empirical evidence from the telecommunication industry of Pakistan. The Lahore Journal
of Business, 8(2), pp.85-128.
Hopper, E., 2020. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explained. ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 24.
Zhang and Khan, F., 2020. The influence of social media on employee’s knowledge sharing
motivation: A two-factor theory perspective. SAGE Open, 10(3), p.2158244020942495.
Struzhkin and et.al., 2020. Superconductivity in La and Y hydrides: Remaining questions to
experiment and theory. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 5(2), p.028201.
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