Motivation Essay

Describe, compare and contrast one process and one content theory of motivation. Evaluate how appropriate they are for organisations today.

Motivation is the desire or willingness of someone to do something. Craig C. Pinder (1998) defined work motivation as a “set of internal and external forces that initiate work related behaviour and determine its form, direction, intensity and duration.” Motivation plays an important role in a business environment, as employee motivation is believed to improved work performance.

Discussed in this essay are two types of motivation theories; Content theory which tries to identify specific needs that motivate people and Process theories which is based on developing models relating needs, motives and behaviour. In this essay, I aim to asses content and process theories accordingly; Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory and Stacey Adams Equity Theory; comparing these theories and highlighting any assumptions, strengths, weakness, positives and negatives individually and comparatively to be able to come to a critical conclusion as to whether these theories are suitable for organisations today.

My content theory is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, published in 1943 by Abraham Maslow. His hypothesis was that “human needs arrange themselves in hierarchies” as quoted in his publication of A Theory of Human Motivation in 1943 (p.370). In hierarchical order physiological needs which entails food, water, shelter and warmth. Safety needs refers to security, stability and freedom from fear. Social needs include the need for affection and friendships. Esteem needs refers to ego needs, recognition and respect. Finally, Self-actualisation, realisation of ones full potential ‘becoming everything that one is capable of becoming.’ “When one set of needs is satisfied, it ceases to be a motivating factor. Thereafter the next set of needs in the hierarchy order takes places,” (Maslow, 1943) this continually occurs until the

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