ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR 3

EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENT MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES AND THE APPLICATIONS WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONS (3B)

There are three major motivational theories which are

·        The theory of Maslow hierarchy of needs

·        The Herzberg motivation-hygiene theory

·        The expectant theory.

·        Maslow hierarchy of needs- This is the type of motivational theory which believes that employee are motivated by way of meeting their needs so also Maslow believes that the needs of the people are arranged in order of importance. The first level of the pyramid deals with the physiological needs and if all this needs are not met Maslow believes that the next level of the pyramid will not be thought about but once it is met the top level of the pyramid that is associated with the psychological needs will be make a priority. Maslow also let us believes that if the physiological, safety, and esteem are not met the physical indication might not show on the body but the individual will be feeling tense and anxious, Maslow also made us believes that the only real motive all other motives being its various form is to realized ones maximum possibilities and potentials and this self-actualization and this can be possible after the lower level needs have been met.                                                                                   There are a lot of criticism for Maslow theories, they believe that since every individual have different needs and different level of meeting their needs they said there is no possible way to clarify ever changing needs as society changes.                                                                                               It is very difficult to apply this Maslow theory in present work context since it is the instrument of the likes of recognition, status and so on and as a result of this the role of pay is problematic. It is also difficult to offer self actualisation to employee since its nature is highly subjective.

·        The Herzberg motivation-hygiene theory- This is also known as two factor theory. According to Herzberg two factor theories he believes individual are influence by two factors he called the satisfaction and dissatisfaction factor.                                                                                                                                                                           Satisfaction factor- By this Herzberg believes that there are some factors that increases satisfaction but have little or no effect on dissatisfaction and this is primarily the result the result of a motivator factor and in the case of dissatisfaction factors, these are factors that if not present or inadequate have little or no effect on long term satisfaction and this are also the primary result of hygiene factors. Herzberg list motivator factors to include

·        Achievement.

·        Recognition.

·        Work it-self.

·        Responsibility.

·        Promotion.

·        Growth.                                                                                         

While the hygiene factors include

·        Pay and benefit.

·        Company policy and administration.

·        Relationship with co workers.

·        Physical environment.

·        Supervision.

·        Status.

·        Job security.

·        Salary.

In general what Herzberg was saying is that if managers does not want unpleasantness at work and also to deny unfair treatment the hygiene factors is necessary and also management should not only stop at this if they want positive motivation but also given attention to motivator factors.

There are some critics of Herzberg two-factor theory and one of the criticism is that the theory has only limited application to unskilled workers by this it means that the theory is only applies to people with unskilled, boring job and also limited in its application.

No matter the amount of criticism Herzberg two-factor theory has helped organisation in drawing their attention to the importance of job design in order to bring about self development and job enrichment.

The application of Herzberg two-factor theory can be seen clearly in an organisation because it is this factor that drew the attention of organisation to the importance of job design and job enrichment.

3. Vroom theory- This motivation theory is also called expectancy theory and this means the will of an individual motivation to do something depends on the level in which the individual expects the result of his efforts,  if achieved successfully it will contribute towards his goals or need. Vroom made us believe that the strength of an individual motivation is a product of two factors, the strength of his preference for a certain outcome and also the past experience.

There are not many critics of vroom theory except that there are difficulties in some of the concept involved.

The application of vroom theory within an organisation is a bit clear compare to other theories. In an organisation we can see managers rewarding individual according to their performance so the application of this theory is very easy.