Motivating Employees

Read this resource to understand motivation in terms of the P-O-L-C framework. You will explore needs, goal-setting, and process-based theories, which consider the mental process of the employee as key to understanding their motivation.

Need-Based Theories of Motivation

EXERCISES

  1. Many managers assume that if an employee is not performing well, the reason must be lack of motivation. What is the problem with this assumption?
  2. Review Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Do you agree with the particular ranking of employee needs?
  3. Review the hygiene and motivators in the two-factor theory. Are there any hygiene factors that you would consider to be motivators and vice versa?
  4. A friend of yours is competitive, requires frequent and immediate feedback, and enjoys accomplishing things. She has recently been promoted to a managerial position and seeks your advice. What would you tell her?
  5. Which motivation theory have you found to be most useful in explaining why people behave in a certain way? Why?