Before proceeding to the consideration of theories, we define the meaning of the word motivation.
Motivation- one of the processes of psychology, pushing a person to commit actions. Motivation is the main factor in creating behavior and is aimed at satisfying one’s own needs. Simply put, motivation is the engine to action.
Theories of motivation began to study from ancient times.
To date, they counted several dozen.
There are different types of motivation:
- external;
- internal;
- positive and negative;
- as well as stable and unstable.
External motivation is determined by external factors. For example, friends went abroad, and a person begins to save money for a trip.
Internal motivation is born regardless of external factors. For example, a person has long wanted to go abroad, based on his personal considerations.
Positive based on positive incentives. For example, "I will get a good mark in school, parents will give a bicycle."
Negativeon the contrary, it is based on negative incentives. For example, "if I study badly, parents will not give anything away."
Steady motivation due to human needs. For example, quench thirst and hunger.
Unstable needs constant support from outside.
Motivational basics are often used in organizations to encourage staff to work.
So, consider the most popular.
Theories of motivation.
One of the first steelautomaton theory anddecision theory.
Automaton theory explains animal behavior, and decision theory explains human behavior. A more detailed study of these theories, psychologists have come to the conclusion that animals and people are quite similar in emotional terms, forms of behavior, instincts and needs.
The success of the theory of motivation Maslow.
Based on the fact that all people need certain things, a psychologist from America, Abraham Maslow, identified six levels of human needs. Moreover, each level that follows the previous one gives rise to motivation at a higher level. Consider them, starting with the lowest.
- The first level is Physiological. These are the primary human needs, such as food, income, comfort;
- The second level is the security level. The need to protect themselves from ill-wishers, harm and other hardships;
- The third level is Love and a sense of belonging. It is expressed in the desire to be necessary for someone: to create a family, to make friends, colleagues;
- The fourth level - Prosperity, honor. Let's take here the recognition of society, status, praise;
- Fifth level - The level of knowledge. There is curiosity and interest in the new;
- The sixth level - Self-realization. This is the need to unleash their creative potential.
Maslow's Level Hierarchy shows that until a person achieves a sense of satisfaction of the first levels, there will be no motivation to move on to the next. And at the physiological level and the level of safety, we need more than the others, since the process of vital activity directly depends on them.
Theory K. Alderfera similar to the theory of A. Maslow. Alderfer also splits needs into groups, arranging them in a hierarchical order, but divides everything into three levels: existence, communication, and growth.
The level of existence implies the need for survival, the level of communication in isolation, and growth in readiness to learn and learn new things. Recall how Maslow, in his theory, envisioned a movement in the hierarchy of needs from the bottom up; here the movement can move in both directions: if the need of the lower level is not satisfied, then up, and if the need of the highest level is not satisfied, then down. Nevertheless, the Alderfera theory also includes a movement in both directions, which gives chances to reveal new possibilities of motivation in human behavior.
However, in 1959, when entering his studies, Frederick Herzberg denied the fact that meeting the needs increases motivation to act. He argued the opposite - depending on the motivation of a person, his mood and emotional state fluctuates in the direction of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with his actions.Herzberg theory identifies two groups that influence a person’s satisfaction with his work — hygienic and motivating factors.
Hygienic (otherwise they are called the factors of "health") include safety, status, rules, team attitude, mode of operation, work schedule, etc. Such conditions can reduce feelings of dissatisfaction with work.
Motivating or satisfying factors. They can be responsibility, achievements, recognition, career growth. After all, these reasons encourage workers to give all the best.
But many scientists did not support the above theory, finding it not sufficiently substantiated. Herzberg's theory did not take into account a number of points that may vary depending on a particular situation.
Taking into account all aspects, procedural theories of motivation were created, where, in addition to the needs, they take into account: what efforts a person makes to achieve the goal, perception of the situation and actions taken.
In modern management activities, four are most popular.procedural theories of motivation: theory of expectations, theory of equality and justice, theory of goal setting, theory of incentives
Waiting theory (K. Levin, E. Lowler. V. Vrum, etc.)
It includes a number of expected circumstances: the expectation that the final result is worth the effort, the expectation of remuneration for the achieved goal, as well as the expectation of exactly that amount of remuneration, which the person expected from the very beginning, ie which would be as expected.
Equality and Justice Theory Stacy adams
He says that in the working process a person compares his work and the wages received for it with the same factors of other workers. Having conducted a comparative characteristic, a person forms the level of his further commitment. In the case of a reward that does not meet expectations, he will invest less effort in the work process; if the reward is worthy, it means that work is justified, and the likelihood that he is ready to work with double force increases.
Theory of goal setting.
Human behavior is directly dependent on the goals to which it aspires. Note that the quality of work also depends on its level of complexity, specificity and acceptability.
Theory of moral and material motivation.
Moral addressed to the recognition of society. For example, having received a diploma for a good job, a person with double strength will start work, hoping to get the status of the best employee. This will be a moral incentive.
Material, perhaps the most important part in motivation, which is aimed at material incentives for the employee.
So, the most dominant of theoriesBut we will conduct a brief review of three other figures who play an important role in this area.
A.N. Leontyev identified two main values for motivation -impulse and sense formation.
Mr. Murray decided that at the root of everything are two concepts -the need of the individual and the pressure of the outside.
D. McClelland based his theory on three groups of needs:
in power, in success and involvement. Comparing the components of the need for respect and self-expression, the psychologist introduced a new derivative - the need for power.
Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the motivation of a person is a rather complicated system, at the origins of which there are both psycho-physiological and acute social elements. All this should be taken into account when analyzing an individual.
