Instinct Theory Of Motivation

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Table of Contents 2

Executive summary 3

Introduction 4

Hierarchy theory of need 4

Instinct Theory of Motivation 6

Incentive Theory of Motivation 6

Drive Theory of Motivation 6

Arousal Theory of Motivation 7

Humanistic Theory of Motivation 7

Discussion 8

Conclusion 9

References 10

Executive summary

Purpose of this study is to explore the motivation of employees for the achievement of their organizational goals. Author has discussed different motivational theories along with the example in simple and understandable way. Basic hierarchy theory of need provide a base for the study and other theories like Instinct Theory, incentive theory, Drive Theory of Motivation, arousal theory and Humanistic Theory. All the theories have different scope according to the period and trends of the organization. Researchers have a strong criticism on these theories and argued that the motivation should be created after many factors. There is not a single factor that can motivate the employees. Organization culture, structure and policies can also affect to the motivation of an employees. Author used motivation theories in the study and found that the people are not motivated by their desire and they expect some rewards against their motivation and working for an organization.

Introduction

Motivation is the behaviour of employees to initiate and achieve the organizational goals by it. This is an inner behaviour and willingness to do the organization task, organizations put many resources to identify the factors of motivation and encourage them to take initiatives. There are four basic forces that can increase the motivation in the employees (Rowland-Jones, Pryde and Cresser, 2006).

Biological forces: it means an employee needs all those resources to fulfil the biological needs. Researcher put more weightage to the biological needs because employees will not survive in this world without the fulfilment of biological needs.

Social forces: social forces are forces for an employee to survive in the society because social need is a compulsory need for an employee. Single person will not survive in the world, a person need a complete society for living. There are many more things which are needed to fulfil the social needs of an employee (Gerhart, Minkoff and Olsen, 1994).

Emotional factors: these are purely workable factors for an employee because an employee needs emotion and willingness to achieve the target. Researchers found that employees can put their maximum efforts to achieve the organizational goals when managers aligned many emotional rewards with the completion of a goal.

Hierarchy theory of need

Researchers argued that the motivational factors of an employee are varied from employee to employee. Hierarchy theory of need shows that all the physiological needs of an employee are basic needs, employees will not willing to work without the physiological needs because employees can bear all the things in the world but hunger and thrust are common need of every employee. Safety need is second important need of an employee, employee need a security and protection to live in a society. In other words an employee need a home to live and clothes to wear. Social needs and belongingness a person cannot survive individually, he or she need a complete society to live and share their thinking about their emotions. Therefore this is third important need for motivation of employees (Kotler and Armstrong, 1999).

Other two needs are change the lifestyle and status of a person in the society. This is esteem need, when a person identifies the abilities and compares it with the others and rewards of others may also be comparing at this stage. In case of any discrepancy in the status and rewards of an employee then it will have a negative effect on the motivation of an employee. Last need is self-actualization need, where an employee identifies themselves and targets a complete status for living, wearing, travelling and eating. This is an extreme need for an employee to achieve the goals of an organization (Andersen, Henriksen and Aarseth, 2006).

Researchers have a very strong criticism on this theory and argued that these needs are right for a person but sequences of these needs are not right. Sequence of need should be different according to the nature and behaviour of an employee. All the researchers are agreed on this point that there are five needs of employees but sequence of preferences is not same for all employees.

Example of an employee an employee is working in an organization at middle level management. He or she has same needs at first two levels, physiological and safety needs but other needs are secondary needs for this employee because he wants to achieve the self-actualization needs first and then self-esteem needs for themselves. In practical example employees have different motivational factors because few employees of an organization are working for status and powers. Status at a job and powers to control the employees are primary factors for these employees and other all needs are secondary needs for these types of employees.

Most of the employees are working only for the salary and benefits because they feel that the other needs should be fulfil after the fulfilment of all basic needs like physiological, safety and social needs. These types of employees put their more focus on the compensation, salary and other benefits. Organizations are identifying the basic needs factors of employees and then they announce their rewards and compensation accordingly (Kuo, 2011).

Researchers developed many theories for motivation; every theory has limited scope and implication. Coming researchers criticise the theory and argued in different angles. Hierarchy theory of need is first theory that define the five major needs of an employee in the organization after the fulfilment of these needs employee should be motivate otherwise not. Partially fulfilment of these needs is a cause of partially motivation of employees in the organization. Furthermore there are many other motivational theories which are mentioned below.

Instinct Theory of Motivation

According to this theory people of an organization are willing to put more efforts for the achievement of organizational goals because they have evolutionary programs to contribute in it (Weber, 1947).

Example: Researchers express an example here that the animals migrate from one place another place without the knowledge of any pros and cons of this migration. These animals are not well aware about benefits of migration. They follow an opinion of few animals and need a revolution by few animals in the migrated place. Furthermore employees can achieve their organizational goals due to the different factors which are directly aligned with the behaviour of an employee. These factors are shame, play, fear anger and shyness. Due to these factors employees contribute more or less in the achievement of organizational goals.

Incentive Theory of Motivation

This theory suggests that the employees are working for the external rewards and compensation from management. There are not many other hidden factors that can motivate the employees; employees can increase the individual performance as well as organizational performance to achieve the optimal level of salary from their management (Kotler and Armstrong, 1999).

Example: employees are working in an organization and they have a fix salary against the working in the organization. They put normal efforts according to the salary and benefits from their organization. When this organization change the policy and attach some benefits with the achievements in the organization than they are more motivated and put more efforts to achieve the additional benefits from management. Therefore employees are motivated due to the incentives and salary by the organization.

Drive Theory of Motivation

Drive theory of motivation explore that the employees are working to remove the internal tension that will be created due to the unmet needs by the organization. Every employee has thinking process and certain behaviour to achieve the organizational goals. Whenever it has a willingness to do their task but not have more motivation from their organization than this is difficult to achieve the organizational goals (Karatepe, 2011).

Example a person will be motivated to drink water to reduce the thrust internally. This is a motivation internally that force a person to drink water to reduce the thrust. This theory is more logical regarding the fulfilment of biological needs of an employee. Another example of this theory that people should be eaten foods when they feel hunger and in the practical example that people will do work at that time when they think that this will effect on the learning as well as earning of a person. There is few limitation of this theory that employees should be motivated psychologically and researchers use this behaviour for motivation of employees.

Arousal Theory of Motivation

This theory argued that the motivation of employees should be increased and they are willing to work when they want to increase or decrease the level of arousal. This theory shows the dual behavior of a worker in the organization as well as in the home (Cummins and Derrig, 1988).

Example: an employee is relax at home and wants a work to do; therefore this employee will work to remove the boarded at their home. According to the psychologist this is a natural behavior of a human that he wants change in the environment as well as in the behavior. Meanwhile an employee is continuously working in the organization after some time this employee will be irritating from work and want rest at their home. Therefore employees are acting to increase or decrease the level of arousal at their workplace. Employees should be motivated to achieve the optimal level of arousal.

Humanistic Theory of Motivation

This theory argued that the person have strong cognitive reason to perform of different organizational tasks. This was a major focus of Maslow’s in his theory of hierarchy theory of need that a person is willing to do their task when he or she expect a logical rewards against this work. Furthermore a person can satisfy their needs from this working.

Example: of a person has fulfilled the physiological needs from their working and organization. Now this is a strong cognitive reason to do more to achieve the need of security and protection. Therefore employees will work to get a home for living and feel security. After the fulfillment of this need a person will put more efforts to achieve the social needs. This is another cognitive reason to respond and acting for an organization.

Discussion

Motivation is a basic factor that will contribute to the achievement of organizational goals because physical engagement of an employee is not a proper solution of a work. Willingness to do the organizational tasks is a major factor that can contribute to the individual performance as well as in the organizational performance (Balderstone and Mabin, 2007). There are different approaches used by the organization to use the optimal level of human resources by motivating them. Experts in the organizations are engaging the different factors of motivation and respond these factors accordingly because every employee has a different factor of motivation. All employees will not motivate due to the single factor (Busi and Bititci, 2006). There are many more reasons of different motivational factors in the organization. Background of the employee’s effect to the motivational factor, organizational culture may also affect to the motivation of the employees (Hess and Bacigalupo, 2011).

Top level management describe the different factors for motivation internally, many employees take these factors internally and respond in a good sense. These factors are involvement of employees in their decision making that will be an interpretation of trust on the employees and employees feel internal reward in the shape of appreciation and trust by the top management. Furthermore there are many other action plans for the motivation of employees in the organization, these action plans are to alignment of individual goals with the organizational goals (Tokarczyk et al., 2001).

Employees should put their efforts to fulfill the personal goals, when top level management aligned their organizational goals with the personal goals of an employee it will definitely impact on the organizational goals. For example an employee of an organization target to buy a car for their personal use. When top level management identifies the need of a car for an employee then they align this benefit with the organizational tasks. Furthermore employees will put more efforts to the achievement of organizational task because he knows about the rewards of this achievement. Top level management feels that this is a best way to fulfill the organizational tasks with the fulfillment of their personal tasks (Kuo, 2011). This is a general practice of an organization to align some external rewards with the organizational tasks. This is a motivational factor for mostly employees. Employees put their maximum efforts to complete the organizational tasks within the prescribed period of time.

Conclusion

Different theories show the different reasons of motivation and different causes of motivation. Maslow’s hierarchy theory of need identifies the five needs of a person in the world and defines a complete sequence of these needs. Many other researchers criticize the theory and accept the needs but they criticize on the sequences. They argued that the employees have different sequences of needs. Some employees fulfill the self-actualization need first and self-esteem later. Other theories explored that the incentives and rewards are also a motivational factors for employees. Motivation is a basic factor to achievement of organizational goals. Management of an organization identify the motivational needs of the employees and then response the employees according to the needs of the employees. Most of the managers aligned the personal needs with the organizational needs. Whenever an employee put their efforts for the achievement of their personal needs than this will effect to the organizational goals. People are motivated by their desire when they expect some sort of rewards against their inputs. Furthermore their efficiency may increase when they expect rewards as they desire.