Motivational Theory and Application
Motivational Theory and Application
There are as many motivational theories as there are people to motivate. We focus on two dissimilar theories, which initially seem in opposition to each other. Through proper development and application, we see the ability to use both in the merger/acquisition scenario. The anticipated outcome of using both theories is the generation of a new and stronger organization than is possible by choosing one of the previous organizational structures. Using a work motivation survey, we explore the applicability of our idea.
Managers in any organization must set goals to achieve the organization 's mission. They can define goals as a desirable objective that is to be achieved. There are two reasons or purposes to use goals in the workplace: (1) goals are useful in framing and managing motivation, (2) goals can be an effective control device. Robbins states, "That specific goals lead to increased performance and that difficult goals, when accepted, result in higher performance than easy goals." (Organizational Behavior, 2001).
Reflecting back to my military days, I can relate to Robbins statements. As a senior noncommissioned officer, I supervised several soldiers, and the harder the task, the better their behavior, and their performance was at its highest level. A prime example while stationed in Germany was training and preparing to deploy to South East Asia. The goal was to train the soldiers for dessert warfare. The training tasks were routine and boarding during training however, once we actually deployed, and survival became the goal, you could see an immediate change in their attitude and motivation. This goes back to the more difficult the goal the higher the performance.
There are several elements of the Goal-Setting Theory. Specifying what the goal is, acceptance of the goal, participation in reaching the goal, and performance feedback. As mentioned earlier, survival was the goal on the battlefield, but in the civilian sector,
There are as many motivational theories as there are people to motivate. We focus on two dissimilar theories, which initially seem in opposition to each other. Through proper development and application, we see the ability to use both in the merger/acquisition scenario. The anticipated outcome of using both theories is the generation of a new and stronger organization than is possible by choosing one of the previous organizational structures. Using a work motivation survey, we explore the applicability of our idea.
Managers in any organization must set goals to achieve the organization 's mission. They can define goals as a desirable objective that is to be achieved. There are two reasons or purposes to use goals in the workplace: (1) goals are useful in framing and managing motivation, (2) goals can be an effective control device. Robbins states, "That specific goals lead to increased performance and that difficult goals, when accepted, result in higher performance than easy goals." (Organizational Behavior, 2001).
Reflecting back to my military days, I can relate to Robbins statements. As a senior noncommissioned officer, I supervised several soldiers, and the harder the task, the better their behavior, and their performance was at its highest level. A prime example while stationed in Germany was training and preparing to deploy to South East Asia. The goal was to train the soldiers for dessert warfare. The training tasks were routine and boarding during training however, once we actually deployed, and survival became the goal, you could see an immediate change in their attitude and motivation. This goes back to the more difficult the goal the higher the performance.
There are several elements of the Goal-Setting Theory. Specifying what the goal is, acceptance of the goal, participation in reaching the goal, and performance feedback. As mentioned earlier, survival was the goal on the battlefield, but in the civilian sector,
References: Goal Setting Theory. 10 Oct. 2003 . How I-O psychologists help employers motivate workers. Prepared by the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology - SIOP. 30 Oct. 2003 . Luthans, F. & Stajkovic, A. (1999). Reinforce for performance: The need to go beyond pay and even rewards. Academy of Management Executive, 13(2), 49. Nelson, D., & Quick, J. (1994). Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Realities, and Challenges. St. Paul: West. Robbins, S. (2001). Organizational behavior. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Webb, Capt. B. Elements of Motivation. Retrieved November 1, 2003, from http://home.att.net/~elements.of.motivation/