Motivation of Employees

“Organisational behaviour is the study of what people think, feel and do in and around organisations. It looks at employee behaviour, decisions, perceptions and emotional responses”. (McShane et.al, 2013, pg. 4). Motivation is what drives people to succeed and reach their goals and plays an important role in enhancing an organisation’s development. An employee’s motivation can play a big part in organisational behaviour, as it is a fundamental part of how the employee performs in their role and how they assist the organisation in attaining their goals. This essay will look at what motivation is, some of the theories regarding motivation, the factors that play a role in motivating employees, the need of motivation, why motivation is important to organisations, and, why employees are or are not motivated in the workplace.
McShane, Olekalns and Travaglione, refer to motivation as “the forces within a person that affect the direction, intensity and persistence of voluntary behaviour. Motivated employees are willing to exert a particular level of effort (intensity), for a certain amount of time (persistence), towards a particular goal (direction). Motivation is one of the four essential drivers of individual behaviour and performance”. (McShane et.al, 2013, pg. 138). In other words, motivation is in the form of things that stimulates us, and further enhances our knowledge. People do things, not because they have to, but because they’re somewhat interested in the activity or the task that they have to do, and people often learn from these activities, get the results that they want, thus, making them strive to continue working.
However, motivation can be seen as: * Intrinsic – the business dictionary defines intrinsic motivation as “stimulate that drives an individual to adopt or change a behaviour for his or her own internal satisfaction or fulfilment. Intrinsic motivation is usually self-applied, and springs from a direct relationship between the individual and

References: * Jameson, C. & Jameson, J. 2008, "Motivation in the workplace - cultivating your team", Dental Economics, vol. 98, no. 1, pp. 64-65. * McShane, Olekalns, Travaglione, 2013, Organisational Behaviour – Emerging Knowledge. Global Insights, McGraw Hill Australia Pty. Ltd, North Ryde. * Simon, S.S. 2011, "The Essentials of Employee Engagement in Organizations", Journal of Contemporary Research in Management, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 63-72. * Definition of extrinsic motivation from the business dictionary Retrieved April 16, 2013 from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/extrinsic-motivation.html#ixzz2QhiPCO1z * Definition of intrinsic motivation from the business dictionary Retrieved April 16, 2013 from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/intrinsic-motivation.html#ixzz2QhgBEmyp * Motivation in the Workplace, 2010, Retrieved April 14, 2013 from http://www.bizhelp24.com/personal/employment-and-personal-development/motivation-in-the-workplace.html