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Motivation in the Work Place

In the workplace, managers are the ones who get things done by employees, and managers always want to get the most out of employees by increasing employee productivity, because it is crucial for a company to succeed in the fierce competition. To do this, it is very important for managers to understand how to motivate employees, as productivity depends on the level of motivation-the process that accounts for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal (Robbins and Judge, 2007). That is to say, highly-motivated employees have strong intensity, clear direction and persistence to endeavor toward their goal, therefore they work harder and tend to have higher productivity, whereas poorly-motivated employees not so productive. However, it is easier said than done. Employees are humans, and they have complex feelings, wants and needs. Therefore, managers should seek to understand employee wants and needs, in order to effectively motivate employees to achieve high productivity. The essay looks at three theories of motivation and explains how managers in organizations can maintain and improve employee motivation.

Herzberg (1966) developed Two-Factor Theory, also known as Motivator-Hygiene Theory, based on his study of 200 engineers and accountants in the Pittsburgh area. The theory states that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are driven by different sets of factors – hygiene factors and motivator. He considers factors including “company policy, supervision, interpersonal relations, working conditions and salary” as hygiene factors, which are related to the animal needs of employees. The absence of hygiene factors can act as de-motivators and generate dissatisfaction, but the presence of those factors cannot create satisfaction and productivity. According to Herzberg, factors