Professional Development: Analysis of Key Motivation Theories

This essay provides a comparative analysis of several prominent motivation theories, including Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the Hawthorne Effect, Expectancy Theory, and Hertzberg's Two-Factor Theory. It highlights the core concepts of each theory, such as Maslow's tiered system of needs, the impact of observation on employee behavior in the Hawthorne Effect, the focus on employee outcomes in Expectancy Theory, and the distinct factors influencing job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in Hertzberg's theory. The essay concludes that while no single theory fully explains human motivation, they offer valuable insights for enhancing employee performance across various work settings, emphasizing the importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in achieving employee satisfaction.

Continuous
Professional
Development
Part 2

Table of content
• Introduction
• Comparison between Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs &
Hawthorne effect
• Comparison between Expectancy theory & Hertzberg’s
two factor theory
• Conclusion
• References

Introduction
• Motivation can be said as an general desire of someone to do
something.
• Factors such as stimulating work, promotion, recognition of
ability and so on could enhance a persons motivation.
• Due to the complexity of humans and their continuous
changing behaviour there is development of certain
motivational theories.
• Poor personal engagement and poor communication could lead
to demotivating of employees.
• By putting the motivational theories it is possible to understand
the employees and their behaviours could be enhanced.

Comparison between Maslow’s Hierarchy of
needs & Hawthorne effect
• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs presents the 5 stage tier system
which is depicted in a triangle format.
• Hawthorne effect can be said as an type of reactivity where the
employees modify different aspects of behaviour.
• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has the desires of safety needs,
belongingness, esteem needs, self-actualization needs, biological
and the psychological needs.
• As per Hawthorne effect employee’s will start perform better
when they know that they are being observed.
• The prevention of attaining the needs could result to stress in
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory.
• The Hawthorne effect can be said as overstated or also erroneous.

Comparison between Expectancy theory &
Hertzberg’s two factor theory
• Hertzberg’s two factor theory has been focusing on the needs of
employees.
• Expectancy theory whereas focuses on the results of the employees.
• As per Hertzberg’s theory job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are
controlled by diverse set of factors.
• As per expectancy theory an employee believes on the consequence
of a particular behaviour that could be different then the actual one.
• Herzberg’s two factor theory could be applied to understand the
elements that motivate the employees.
• Expectancy theory could be applied to understand the ways in which
employees goals have been influencing their efforts.

Conclusion
• None of the theories of motivation has been explaining the
aspects behind the people’s motives or the lack of motives.
• This theories can be applied in various fields from a support
to the range of work settings.
• With the assistance of motivational theories performance of
the employees could be enhanced at a whole new level.
• The level of the satisfaction has been depending upon the
level of rewards that are achieved by the employees.
• Rewards for motivation may be in the form of intrinsic as
well as of extrinsic ways.

References
• Boll, T., 2018. Emotional ambivalence in adult children of care-dependent
older parents: Heuristic impulses from cognitive-motivational emotion
theories. Trans-generational family relations: Investigating ambivalences,
pp.141-175.
• Brown, R. and Capozza, D. eds., 2016. Social identities: Motivational,
emotional, cultural influences. Psychology Press.
• Rudolph, C.W., 2016. Lifespan developmental perspectives on working: A
literature review of motivational theories. Work, Aging and Retirement, 2(2),
pp.130-158.