Motivation Theory
Motivation refers to a psychological process which stimulates an individual to engage in persistent, goal oriented and voluntary actions towards the desired direction or goal. Leadership plays a significant role in the motivation of employees. The differences in personality, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs among people mean that individuals get their motivation from different sources. In this essay, I describe my sources of motivation, their significance and the situational factors related this motivation.
The need for achievement is my greatest source of motivation as a student and employee. I have a strong desire for personal and professional growth. This influences my purposive behavior in achieving my goals and objectives. Posner (2010) explains that motivation influences people to have a dedicated focus on a specific end result or goal. Therefore, the behavior of employees is not random but purposive, depending on the sources of their motivation. Situational factors, such as competition with my colleagues and role models motivate my need to achieve more in life.
Satisfaction with my educational processes and work activities is another significant source of my motivation. Korzynski (2013) asserts that intrinsic conditions within an individual, such as recognition and increased responsibility motivate employees. Extrinsic situational factors which enhance my satisfaction include good working environment or conditions and compensation for my efforts. Maslow’s motivation theory postulates that when the needs of employees, such as safety and physiological needs, are met, they become satisfied in their job and therefore get more motivated. It is through satisfaction that I am able to become more productive in my work activities.
Recognition is a source of motivation which has allowed me to exceed expectations in performance within educational and work activities. The expectancy theory of motivation postulates that the effort employees put into their work activities and the resultant level of performance are based on the expected rewards (Xu & Thomas, 2011). Recognition is a powerful reward for me because it motivates me to input more effort and creativity in my work activities. Positive feedback on my work has in the past made me better in subsequent professional engagements. It is notable that there are other forms of recognition, such as promotion or bonuses, which motivate employees to achieve a high level of performance (Northouse, 2013).
In conclusion, the desire for achievement, job satisfaction and recognition are my main sources of motivation. Organizational leaders are therefore mandated to understand the sources of employee motivation, so that they can provide the motivating conditions for enhanced productivity and performance. The needs of employees, as presented within Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, should be met in order to ensure that they are sufficiently motivated (Korzynski, 2013). The expectations of employees, such as compensation, safe working environment and proper feedback, should also be met by organizational managers or leaders. Issues which cause dissatisfaction among employees must be avoided because the performance of an organization depends on its workforce.
References
Korzynski, P. (2013). Employee Motivation in New Working Environment. International Journal of Academic Research, 5(5), 184-188.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Posner, B. (2010). Another Look at the Impact of Personal and Organizational Values Congruency. Journal of Business Ethics, 97(4), 535-541.
Xu, J., & Thomas, H. C. (2011). How Can Leaders Achieve High Employee Engagement? Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 32(4), 399-416.
