One of the most fundamental concepts in psychology is motivation, which focuses on the different forces that drive or encourage human behavior. What concepts help explain why we feel encouraged or driven to act the way we do? Before we dive into the concepts of motivation, let’s first discuss the definition of motivation. Larger companies like Netflix are coming round to this realisation; they no longer haveset working hoursor a set number of holiday days, as long as the job gets done, they don’t mind when it’s happening. This taps into the esteem level of the pyramid, showing that they respect their employees and trust them enough to work when it suits them, whilst also having a positive effect on their work life balance. One of the most commonly known and influential workplacemotivation theorieswas presented by Abraham Maslow and it is the Hierarchy of Needs. The theory suggests that humans are motivated to satisfy five basic needs which, as the title suggests, are arranged in a hierarchy.
To this end, we will explore McClelland’s basic human motives (McClelland et al., 1989). Indeed, human personality consists of many more constructs than just personality traits. Basic human motives, traits, values, wishes, attitudes, goals and beliefs represent a mere sampling of the conceptual units that have been employed in the pursuit of understanding the human personality . Of these, basic human motives and traits have clearly received the greatest share of attention (Buss and Cantor, 1989; Emmons, 1989). Compared to personality traits, the human motives perspective represents a distinct framework to describe individual differences in personality (Winter et al., 1998; McAdams and Olson, 2010).
Here’s a short video which illustrates Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by drawing on clips from the Disney film ‘Up’. Social motivation is evidenced by our needs for social interaction and achievement. An example of a motivation concept is the use of incentives to motivate certain behaviors. A concept of motivation is factors that influence motivation, like instincts and incentives. While sex is not required for our survival, it is required for us to procreate. Our sex drive also involves the hypothalamus, similar to hunger and thirst.
Any language ‘work’ you do at home that is fun, varied, attention-grabbing or creative will help your child prepare for their tests and develop their English language skills in a natural, stress-free way. Research shows that parents’ attitudes towards education have a significant impact on their children’s attitudes towards learning. If you are enthusiastic about learning, it’s more likely that your child will be too. We should accept the idea that motivation is a myth and discipline and action are more important. Ali talks about a blog post that changed his life which posits that discipline is more important than motivation. In essence, action leads to motivation which leads to more action. Listening to upbeat music improves mood during exercise, and reduces perceived exertion, leading to increased work output.
What is employee motivation?
But you need to get everyone on board to take your business to the next level. Motivated employees will generally work harder, arrive on time, and focus on their daily duties. Productivity levels could increase and the overall output of a business may be higher. Motivated employees correlate with an organisation’s success; motivation is intangible, difficult to measure bitsat 2019 question paper pdf and extremely difficult to control, but very easy to facilitate if done correctly. It’s all about intention, intensity and perseverance, particularly in a climate where the majority of the workforce are working remotely. Whether it’s coaching questions for leaders, goal setting exercises or tools to create more balance and calm in your life, I’ve got you covered.
Why Is Employee Motivation So Important in the Workplace?
Be sure to make the reward conditional on doing a certain amount of exercise, so you have to earn it. You’ll be more likely to follow through, as you won’t want to let your friend down. Also, research suggests people exercise for longer when they exercise with family members and friends compared with those who exercise alone. A variety of activity types are encouraged since different physical activities entail different benefits. Muscle-strengthening exercises, like lifting weights or doing push-ups, are encouraged twice a week, to keep bones and muscles strong.
The pros and cons of motivation theories
Motivation is what pushes us to achieve our goals, feel more fulfilled and improve our overall quality of life. Where I think motivation falls down is that we don’t experience the feeling of motivation all of the time…and that’s completely normal and it’s OK. I think it’s easy for us to fall into the trap of feeling like we should be motivated and therefore beating ourselves up if we don’t feel that way. There are two kinds of motivation though, internal and external.
It’s difficult to assign a metric to measure employee motivation. The only genuine way to measure this, is to know how employees are really feeling. Some professionals use employee engagement software, others organise frequent 1-1 meetings. No one wants to sit in a gloomy office and desperately wait for home time every day. If workplaces create a friendly culture, with areas for rest and play, employees will look forward to coming into work. As motivation and mood go hand in hand, a poor mood can affect the ability to concentrate and will lower the feeling of energy in the workplace.
