Motivation Essay

Motivation Methods
Arsenii Ion 222600 Deja Alicja 221405

It’s safe to say that there’s no motivation style that will work for every individual. It
depends on many factors such as their priorities or self-discipline. Some may be motivated
better by a reward-punishment method (extrinsic motivation) while others see a personal
reward in finishing an activity for its own sake (intrinsic motivation). In this essay we will
present some motivation theories and then choose the ones that we prefer and that work the
best for us.
In the 1960s, social psychologist Douglas McGregor developed two contrasting
theories that explained how managers' beliefs about what motivates their people can affect
their management style. He labelled these theory X and theory Y. Theory X is authoritarian
and it assumes that the employees are naturally unmotivated and dislike work. This approach
is very "hands-on" and usually involves micromanaging people's work to ensure that it gets
done properly. Managers who use theory X think that team members need to be prompted,
rewarded or punished constantly to make sure that they complete their tasks. Work in
organizations that are managed like this can be repetitive, and people are often motivated with
a "carrot and stick" approach. Performance appraisals and remuneration are usually based on
tangible results, such as sales figures or product output, and are used to control staff and "keep
tabs" on them. On the other hand, Theory Y is participative. Managers who use this approach
trust their people to take ownership of their work and do it effectively by themselves. People
have greater responsibility, and managers encourage them to develop their skills and suggest
improvements. Appraisals are regular but unlike in Theory X organizations, they are used to
encourage open communication rather than control staff.
As stated above motivation can be intrinsic which signifies from within, or it can be
extrinsic – external. We can't forget about the fact that motivation doesn’t only come from
managers, it is a feeling that develops from the person within. Intrinsic motivation means that
the person can recognize the purpose of the action and personal gain of doing it. This
motivation that is promoted by the person itself and has one of two different goals one is
internal which is presented as self-development or self-growth in order to be better. Unlike
extrinsic motivation where the consequences of the action must be stated by the outside in
clear rules of reward and punishment.
Money is a big motivational factor for employees. It is known as wage motivation,
which is expressed by bonuses, awards, salary supplements. On the other side of the same
coin there’s non-wage motivation that isn't exactly done with money but motivates and
helps the employee to do better by offering them training, language courses, fitness club
cards, different types of vouchers etc.
We believe that combining theory Y with a focus on intrinsic and non-wage

motivation is the best approach to motivate ourselves.
To begin with, employees need to have a sense of security and stability, adequate
salary and basic benefits. All these “hygiene factors” must be satisfied before we begin
thinking about motivating employees further and creating a workplace where people want to
be productive and involved. Our chosen field of study changes constantly so for us the
greatest motivators are training that supplement our education and help us develop as
employees. Giving workers room to grow is a proven motivation method.
Theory Y is effective because it puts managers as equals to workers even if their pay
may be higher or they might have more benefits. Using a participative management style
encourages a collaborative and trust-based relationship between managers and their team
members. Also, if according to theory Y managers will assume that their workers are happy to
work, involved in decision making, enjoy taking ownership of their work, view work as
fulfilling and challenging, solve problems creatively, then there's a higher chance of it being
true! If from the start you assume negative principals about your employees and treat them as
cogs in a machine, it’ll demotivate them in the long term.
In conclusion McGregor’s Theory Y is a much better approach to today’s managent
viewing as the world is trying to implement more self-development for its employees and
respecting their opinions not only giving out orders for them to follow which gives more
freedom of speach and a better working enviroment in general.
Bibliography:
Alamzeb Aamir, Khawaja Jehanzeb, Omair Malik, Anwar Rasheed “Compensation Methods
and Employees’ Motivation (With Reference to Employees of National Commercial Bank
Riyadh)” International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 2012, Vol. 2, No. 3
W. Warner Burke “On the legacy of Theory Y” Journal of Management History, April
2011, 17(2)

Motivation Essay

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Motivation Essay

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Motivation Essay

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Motivation Methods

Arsenii Ion 222600 Deja Alicja 221405

We believe that combining theory Y with a focus on intrinsic and non-wage

You might also like