Motivating Your Team - Free eBook in PDF Format

Book Description - ISBN 978-1-54345-831-7 (38 Pages)
This free eBook describes five theories that deal with team motivation and commitment. Each of these can help you to evaluate the various factors that affect the productivity of the people in your team.

Chapter 1 - Theory X and Theory Y
Motivation is a huge part of success in life, for individuals and organizations alike. Theory X and Theory Y provide you two different perspectives that will help understand what motivates the people who work for you.
Theory X - basic underlying assumption is that people don’t want to work; they only do so for the money. Whereas, Theory Y – assumes individuals are highly self-motivated. In the real-world it is often things are never as clear cut, but these theories help focus your thoughts.

Chapter 2 - Herzberg’s Motivators and Hygiene Factors
Using the motivator and hygiene factors of Fredrick Herzberg you can determine what makes you team members either satisfied or dissatisfied with their roles. It is key to understand these factors because they create a framework for what the most productive working environment looks like.

Chapter 3 - The Three-Component Model of Commitment
The Three-Component Model of Commitment offers you the opportunity to preserve the feelings of commitment that people brought to the organization when they joined as their time lengthens. The three components of this theory are affection for your job, fear of loss and finally a sense of obligation to stay.
Teams that have two or all three of these factors for most of the individuals will be motivated.

Chapter 4 - Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory states that people portray those behaviors that ensure the expected outcome. This theory has three variables expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. It is only when rewards are awarded in proportion to the effort shown that Vroom hold will your team members be truly motivated.

Chapter 5 - Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow states there are five levels of needs that can be used to understand the motivations and desires of individuals. The lowest level of need is biological and physiological, then safety, followed by belongingness and love, then esteem and the top level being self-actualization.

Today's Top Picks for Our Readers:

Recommended by

What are Theory X and Theory Y?

• These theories describe two contrasting models of workforce motivation that form the basis for two different managerial styles.
• Theory X stresses the importance of strict supervision, external rewards, and penalties.
• Theory X management style supposes that the average employee has little to no ambition, shies away from work or responsibilities, and is individual-goal oriented.
• Theory Y highlights the motivating role of job satisfaction and encourages workers to approach tasks without direct supervision.
• Theory Y management style supposes that people in the work force are internally motivated, enjoy their labor in the company, and work to better themselves without a direct “reward” in return.
• It isn’t as simple as just saying that either Theory X or Theory Y is the ‘right’ theory.
• In reality, both can be right, given the circumstances, the employees in question, and the structure of the company as a whole.

What are Hertzberg’s Motivators and Hygiene Factors?

• Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, also known as the two-factor theory, states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction and these factors act independently of each other.
• The factors that promote satisfaction include: recognition, achievement, interesting work, responsibility, growth, and advancement.
• Those that contribute to dissatisfaction include: salary, supervision, company policies, job security, relationships with supervisors and other employees, and status within the company.
• In this theory, it is proposed that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are actually two separate things that are not that closely related.
• The key to eliminating dissatisfaction is to strip away as many of the frustrating and counterproductive elements out of the workplace as possible.
• Increasing satisfaction can best be achieved by recognizing effort and spreading responsibility as much as possible including providing opportunities for professional development.

What are the Three Component Model of Commitment?

• The three-component model of commitment was created to argue that commitment has three different components that correspond with different psychological states.
• The three components are: Affection for the job, fear of loss, and a sense of obligation to stay.
• Affection for a job stems not just from the actual work itself, but also from the culture of the business as a whole and the people to make up the business.
• Fear of loss can extend to beyond financial concerns and include the loss of friendships that they have developed while working for the organization.
• Even if they are not particularly happy with their job, or if they feel like better opportunities might be waiting out there somewhere to be explored, an employee could choose to stay for no other reason than simple loyalty.
• All three components influence the length of time that employees stay with organisations. What is most important for organisations is to recognise each type of commitment in employees, and to aim to encourage affection for the job and the organization.

What is Vroom’s Expectancy Theory?

• Vroom’s Expectancy Theory states that individuals are going to select their behaviors based on the outcomes that they expect as a result of those behaviors.
• Expectancy theory is about the mental processes regarding choice, and explains the processes that an individual undergoes to make choices.
• It explains that individuals can be motivated towards goals if they believe that; there is a positive correlation between efforts and performance, the outcome of a favorable performance will result in a desirable reward that satisfies their need enough to make the effort worthwhile.
• Vroom uses the variables Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence to account for this.
• Expectancy is the belief that one’s effort will result in attainment of desired performance goals.
• Instrumentality is the belief that a person will receive a reward if the performance expectation is met.
• Valence is the value an individual places on the rewards of an outcome.
• This theory emphasizes the needs for organizations to relate rewards directly to performance and to ensure that the rewards provided are those rewards deserved and wanted by the recipients.

What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
• Those five needs, in order from bottom to top, are: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization.
• Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival.
• Safety needs include: personal security, financial security, and health and well-being.
• According to Maslow, humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups.
• Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others.
• Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be.
• When working in a job that has little to no limits on what can be accomplished, self-actualization will feel like an attainable goal.