3 Theories Of Work Motivation
One of the fundamental parts of life is work, since the working day occupies a good part of our day. That is, if we add hours of sleep and free time, it will end up being a good fraction of our lives. That is why it is so important to be happy and motivated in our job. For this, nothing better than knowing these 3 theories of work motivation.
Work is not only the means to have an economic situation that allows us to survive, but it is directly related to the dissatisfaction or satisfaction we feel on a personal level. That is why it is essential to feel good about the work that is carried out, which will make the degree of motivation high.
Work motivation is not only a guarantee of well-being for the person who has it, but it is also a guarantee of results for the company. If you want to increase the motivation to do your work, we talk about various theories of work motivation developed by researchers that can help you achieve this goal.
What is work motivation?
First of all, we are going to make it clear what exactly work motivation is, before getting fully into the strategies to take care of it. It is about the impulse or internal force that leads us to carry out work tasks in a desired and voluntary way, using our mental and physical resources in order to achieve a desired goal.
The higher this is, it is probable – other variables also mediate – that the tasks for which the person is responsible in their work performance will be better developed. Thus, in many cases it increases productivity, competitiveness and improves personal feeling, since it increases self-esteem, security and the feeling of personal self-fulfillment.
1. Adams Equity Theory
This theory has great relevance in the field we are dealing with. His main hypothesis is the following: work motivation is based on the way the employee values the task he performs, the compensation he gets in return and the comparison of this with that received by the rest of the workers.
Depending on the results obtained in this comparison, the person will be more or less motivated, which will influence their actions. The higher the compensation, the greater the worker’s involvement. With less compensation, you will feel less valued and your involvement will be significantly reduced, even leaving your job.
In summary, motivation arises from the fact of being treated fairly and feeling satisfied with what is obtained in exchange for the work done, so it is vitally important to correctly assess employees.
2. Herzberg’s theory of motivation and hygiene
In this case, the author highlights how necessary it is to assess what people consider to be satisfactory in their work and what they want. In this way, it is possible to identify the elements that cause dissatisfaction or that turn the work into an unsatisfactory task.
To differentiate them, he called hygiene factors all those that make work satisfactory, but are not motivating. This is salary, personal relationships, stability, supervision, etc.
He also distinguished the motivational factors themselves, where job promotions, recognition, responsibility, achievement, position, development, etc. are included. That is, those that truly make satisfaction occur and, therefore, motivation.
3. McClelland’s Theory of Learned Needs
It is one of the best known. For its development, the author was based on the comparison of the actions of various executives who worked in different types of companies, obtaining the conclusion that there are several needs that must be solved for a worker to be motivated.
These are basically: the need to obtain achievements – seeking satisfaction in improving the efficiency and performance of the worker himself-, the balance between power and recognition and between challenge and success, and the need to belong to the group and have contact with others. These are 3 of the fundamental theories of work motivation. Knowing and applying them, it is easy to improve the efficiency and productivity of organizations.
