We find many examples of organisations that currently fail at motivating their employees. Therefore, understanding what motivates employees will become a key aspect of future organisations who want to remain competitive. Employing two (2) theories of motivation that we covered in class, and using examples, illustrate how organisations could improve the motivations of their employees.

The main materials come from the following

Hierarchy of Needs Theory

The best-known theory of motivation is Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, 2 which

hypothesizes that within every human being there is a hierarchy of five needs. Recently, a

sixth need has been proposed for a highest levelintrinsic valueswhich is said to have

originated from Maslow, but it has yet to gain widespread acceptance. 3 The original five

needs are:

1. Physiological. Includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs.

2. Safety-security. Security and protection from physical and emotional harm.

3. Social-belongingness. Affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship.

4. Esteem. Internal factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement, and ex-

ternal factors such as status, recognition, and attention.

5. Self-actualization. Drive to become what we are capable of becoming; includes

growth, achieving our potential, and self-fulfillment.

According to Maslow, as each need becomes substantially satisfied, the next one

becomes dominant. So if you want to motivate someone, you need to understand what

level of the hierarchy that person is currently on and focus on satisfying needs at or above

that level. We depict the hierarchy as a pyramid in Exhibit 7-1 since this is its best-known

representation, but Maslow referred to the needs only in terms of levels.

Maslow's theory has received long-standing wide recognition, particularly among

practicing managers. It is intuitively logical and easy to understand, and some research

has validated it. 4 Unfortunately, however, most research has not, especially when the the-

ory is applied to diverse cultures, 5 with the possible exception of physiological needs. 6

But old theories, especially intuitively logical ones, die hard. It is thus important to be

aware of the prevailing public acceptance of the hierarchy when discussing motivation.

Two-Factor Theory

Believing an individual's relationship to work is basic, and that the attitude toward work

can determine success or failure, psychologist Frederick Herzberg wondered, "What do

people want from their jobs?" He asked people to describe, in detail, situations in which

they felt exceptionally good or bad about their jobs. The responses differed significantly

and led Herzberg to his two-factor theory (also called motivation-hygiene theory, but

this term is not used much today). 7

According to a recent survey reported in the Harvard Business Review which iden-

tified thousands of events that lead to extreme satisfaction and dissatisfaction. 8

Conditions such as quality of supervision, pay, company policies, physical work

conditions, relationships with others, and job security are hygiene factors. When they're

adequate, people will not be dissatisfied; neither will they be satisfied. If we want to

motivate people on their jobs, we should emphasize factors associated with the work

itself or with outcomes directly derived from it such as promotional opportunities, per-

sonal growth opportunities, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. These are the

characteristics people find intrinsically rewarding. Note that Herzberg proposed a dual

continuum: The opposite of "satisfaction" is "no satisfaction," and the opposite of "dis-

satisfaction" is "no dissatisfaction" (see Exhibit 7-2).

Two-factor theory has not been well supported in research. Criticisms center on

Herzberg's original methodology and his assumptions, such as the statement that sat-

isfaction is strongly related to productivity. Subsequent research has also shown that if

hygiene and motivational factors are equally important to a person, both are capable of

motivating.

Regardless of the criticisms, Herzberg's theory has been quite influential and is

currently very much in use in research in Asia. 9 Most managers worldwide are familiar

with its recommendations.