Motivation

Motivation can simply be defined as the driving force by which humans achieve their goals 

(Gardener and Lambert, 1972).It is said to be intrinsic - that is, motivation driven by an interest in a task, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure or extrinsic which  comes from the external environment such as competition from opponents (ibid.). There are three types of content theories namely the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the Aldefer's (ERG) theory and Herzberg's two-factor theory (Simpson,2011). Although, all the three theories are associated with what motivates people to pursue their goals, the Herzberg's two-factor theory, is what I consider most relevant to my experiences and shaping of my future endeavours as  explained below. Herzberg's Two Factor Theory (also known as Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory) was developed by Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist who found that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction acted independently of each other (Psychology Wiki,2011). Two Factor Theory states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction (Herzberg et al.,2009).

In other words, the theory suggests that there are two factors affecting how people felt at work.These factors which Herzberg distinguished as motivators and hygiene factors are briefly explained below. Two Factor Theory distinguishes between:

• Motivators: These are the factors which give positive satisfaction (e.g. challenging work, recognition, responsibility) , and

• Hygiene factors:These are the factors  which do not give positive satisfaction, although dissatisfaction results from their absence (e.g. status, salary, and fringe benefits).

Essentially, hygiene factors are needed to ensure an employee is not dissatisfied. Motivation factors are needed in order to motivate an employee to higher performance (Psychology Wiki, 2011).

In a nutshell, Herzberg’s theory did not define satisfaction and dissatisfaction as being at opposite ends of the same continuum. The opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, but no satisfaction. The opposite of dissatisfaction is not satisfaction, but no dissatisfaction (King,1970). This is illustrated in Figure 1 below. 

                         Figure 1: Schematic representation of Herzberg's two-factor theory.
                         Source: http://mathehu.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/

Herzberg's factor of motivators implies to me because  for instance achievement- if l can achieve to get good grade in my first year in University, this will spur me on to continue with my three-year degree programme. Furthermore,it will encourage me to be very responsible in the management of my time for studies and also attend lectures on time while submitting all the assignments on time without missing any deadlines. This is because l will rather be in lecture room to gain some experience for now than be in a work place. However, my motivation level will be very low if the hygiene factor is missing. For instance, with regards to my relationship with my mates, if l do not get along with them, that can demotivate me as l will not feel comfortable to be in lectures. Furthermore, if my lecturers are not giving me feedback on how am doing on my assignments, which can be described as a fringe benefit as I pursue my degree, it could also lead to de-motivation.

My motivation for starting my degree is firstly to make my family proud in return for the financial investments they have made into my education; and secondly, to acquire knowledge and experience in other to cope with the responsibilities associated with working in the real world environment while providing efficient services in my workplace during and after my degree. I am currently motivated  by my part time job in Next due to the fact that l have worked in all departments and I believe this will pave way for me to climb the ladder within the organisation l have fit into as the opportunities present themselves.

l can further relate my current job at Next to Herzberg's hygiene factor, this is because I am not just a part time staff but merit from sales part time and this to me shows that, my job is secure. l have been offered to buy some shares in the company which l also did to buttress my security in the organisation. l have contributed to the organisation by participating in store target shows and in social activities such as  going out with my colleagues during their birthdays.

As outlined above, you can see that  l enjoy the work itself which relate to Herzberg's motivators. I am also given the responsibility to sometimes, train new staff which l feel proud of doing as it imbibes in me a great amount of satisfaction. However, during the sales time, l got demotivated by my managers due to the enormous pressure which I had to cope with during sales. I was asked to help out with work in different department with some strong languages which I found unacceptable. However, after the sales, l was given a good financial bonus and that re-motivated me to give my all to my job.

CONCLUSION

Although Maslow’s needs hierarchy is one of the best-known organizational behavior theories, the model is much too rigid to explain the dynamic and unstable characteristics of employee needs when compared to the Herzberg's two-factor theory. Researchers have found that individual needs do not cluster neatly around the five categories described in the model. Moreover, gratification of one need level does not necessarily led to increased motivation to satisfy the next higher need level. Although Maslow’s model may not predict employee needs as well as scholars initially expected, it provides an important introduction to employee needs and has laid the foundation for Alderfer’s ERG theory, which has better research support and is regarded as an improvement of the Maslow's hierarchy of needs model (NetMBA,2011).

However, with regards to the content theories, I consider the Herzberg's two-factor theory  to be more relevant to me as illustrated in the discussion above coupled with the fact that its enduring value is that it recognizes that true motivation comes from within a person and not from KITA factors (Psychology Wiki,2011).




REFERENCES

Garderner,R.  and Lambert,W. (1972). Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning, Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Herzberg, F., Mausner, B. and Snyderman, B.B. (2009). 'The Motivation to Work'. New Brunswick,New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.


King, N. (1970). 'Clarification and Evaluation of the Two-Factor Theory of Job Satisfaction', Psychological Bulletin, vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 18-31.


NetMBA (2011). ERG Theory . Available at:http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/erg/(Accessed: 4 October 2011).


Psychology Wiki (2011). Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of motivation. Available at:http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Herzberg%E2%80%99s_Two_Factor_Theory_of_motivation (Accessed: 5 October 2011).


Simpson,M. (2011). Motivation (power point presentation).