Imagine your workforce so motivated that employees relish more hours of work, not fewer, initiate increased responsibility them-selves, and boast about their challenging work, not their paychecks or bonuses. An impossible dream? Not if you understand the counterintuitive force behind motivation and the ineffectiveness of most performance incentives. Despite media attention to the contrary, motivation does not come from perks, plush offices, or even promotions or pay. These extrinsic incentives may stimulate people to put their noses to the grindstone, but they’ll likely perform only as long as it takes to get that next raise or promotion. The truth? You and your organization have only limited power to motivate employees. Yes, unfair salaries may damage morale. But when you do offer fat paychecks and other extrinsic incentives, people won’t necessarily work harder or smarter. Why? Most of us are motivated by intrinsic rewards: interesting, challenging work, and the opportunity to achieve and grow into greater responsibility. Of course, you have to provide some extrinsic incentives. After all, few of us can afford to work for no salary. But the real key to motivating your employees is enabling them to activate their own internal generators. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck trying to recharge their batteries yourself, again and again.

The process of motivation

• A concept of motivation

The term motivation is derived from the word ‘motive”. The word ‘motive’ as a noun means an objective, as a verb this word means moving into action. Therefore, motives are forces which induce people to act in a way, so as to ensure the fulfillment of a particular human need at a time. Behind every human action there is a motive. Therefore, management must provide motives to people to make them work for the organization.

Motivation may be defined as a planned managerial process, which stimulates people to work to the best of their capabilities, by providing them with motives, which are based on their unfulfilled needs. 

“Motivation means a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish desired goods.” —William G. Scott 

“Motivation is the process of attempting to influence others to do your will through the possibility of gain or reward.” — Flippo 

Motivation is, in fact, pressing the right button to get the desired human behaviour. 

Following are the outstanding Features of the concept of motivation: 

• Motivation is a personal and internal feeling: 

Motivation is a psychological phenomenon which generates within an individual. 

• Motivation is need based: 

If there are no needs of an individual, the process of motivation fails. It is a behavioural concept that directs human behaviour towards certain goals. 

• Motivation is a continuous process: 

Because human wants are unlimited, therefore motivation is an ongoing process. 

• Motivation may be positive or negative: 

A positive motivation promotes incentives to people while a negative motivation threatens the enforcement of disincentives. 

• Motivation is a planned process: 

People differ in their approach, to respond to the process of motivation; as no two individuals could be motivated in an exactly similar manner. Accordingly, motivation is a psychological concept and a complex process. 

• Models, approaches, strategies, methods and techniques for motivation

Significance/Importance of Motivation: 

Motivation is an integral part of the process of direction. 

While directing his subordinate, a manager must create and sustain in them the desire to work for the specified objectives: 

High Efficiency: 

A good motivational system releases the immense untapped reservoirs of physical and mental capabilities. A number of studies have shown that motivation plays a crucial role in determining the level of performance. “Poorly motivated people can nullify the soundest organisation.” said Allen. 

By satisfying human needs motivation helps in increasing productivity. Better utilisation of resources lowers cost of operations. Motivation is always goal directed. Therefore, higher the level of motivation, greater is the degree of goal accomplishment. 

Better Image: 

A firm that provides opportunities for financial and personal advancement has a better image in the employment market. People prefer to work for an enterprise because of opportunity for development, and sympathetic outlook. This helps in attracting qualified personnel and simplifies the staffing function. 

Facilitates Change: 

Effective motivation helps to overcome resistance to change and negative attitude on the part of employees like restriction of output. Satisfied workers take interest in new organisational goals and are more receptive to changes that management wants to introduce in order to improve efficiency of operations. 

Human Relations: 

Effective motivation creates job satisfaction which results in cordial relations between employer and employees. Industrial disputes, labour absenteeism and turnover are reduced with consequent benefits. Motivation helps to solve the central problem of management, i.e., effective use of human resources. Without motivation the workers may not put their best efforts and may seek satisfaction of their needs outside the organisation. 

The success of any organisation depends upon the optimum utilisation of resources. The utilisation of physical resources depends upon the ability to work and the willingness to work of the employees. In practice, ability is not the problem but necessary will to work is lacking. Motivation is the main tool for building such a will. It is for this reason that Rensis Likert said, “Motivation is the core of management.” It is the key to management in action. 

Useful resources and video links:

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/organisations/concept-of-motivation-and-its-implications.php

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-motivation-in-management-definition-process-types.html

https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/motivation-definition-meaning/ 

https://study.com/academy/lesson/motivation-theory-needs-based-behavior-based.html 

Literature:

• A concept of motivation

• Peters, Richard Stanley. The concept of motivation. Routledge, 2015.
• Maslow, Abraham H. "A theory of human motivation." Psychological review 50.4 (1943): 370.
• Maclean, Niall, et al. "The concept of patient motivation: a qualitative analysis of stroke professionals’ attitudes." Stroke 33.2 (2002): 444-448.
• Vroom, Victor Harold. Work and motivation. Vol. 54. New York: Wiley, 1964.

• Models, approaches, strategies, methods and techniques for motivation

• Tohidi, Hamid. "Teamwork productivity & effectiveness in an organization base on rewards, leadership, training, goals, wage, size, motivation, measurement and information technology." Procedia Computer Science 3 (2011): 1137-1146.
• Hodges, Charles B. "Designing to motivate: Motivational techniques to incorporate in e-learning experiences." The Journal of Interactive Online Learning 2.3 (2004): 1-7.

Open ended questions:

• Motivation can be defined as _______________________________.
• By satisfying _________________ motivation helps in increasing productivity.
• Give 3 reasons why it is important employees to be motivated.
• Which are the factors that can influence a person’s motivation?
• Motivation may be ___________ or ___________.