MOTIVATION

As managers, we are interested in productivity. Therefore, we are interested in knowing how to improve the productivity of our employees. This productivity is a human behavior and, as such, is influenced by a number of factors.

First, productivity is a function of each of the employees' unique personalities. Second, employees' behaviors are influenced by the environments in which they find themselves. For example, an employee's behavior (and productivity) will be influenced by a dirty, hot, noisy, or dangerous worksite. Finally, an employee's behavior will be a function of that employee's innate drives or felt needs and the opportunities he or she has to satisfy those drives or needs in the workplace.

Employees' performance is, of course, partially determined by the opportunities given them to demonstrate their abilities. If employees are never given opportunities to utilize all of their skills, then the employer may never have the benefit of their total performance. Work performance is also contingent upon employee abilities. If employees lack the learned skills or innate talents to do a particular job, then performance will be less than optimal. A third dimension of performance is motivation.

A generalized model of motivation posits a set of innate drives and felt needs for each employee. The employee brings these drives and needs to the workplace and they influence the employee's workplace behavior and productivity. These drives and needs create a tension within the employee if left unsatisfied. This tension may be both physical (manifested through the symptoms of stress) and psychological. The employee thus engages in whatever behaviors are necessary to reduce this tension. If the behavior undertaken is appropriate, it may be assumed that the tension is reduced and that tension-reducing behaviors are ceased.

As seen in the discussion above, motivation is a dynamic process; people may be motivated by different things (needs and drives) during different periods of their lives. In the following sections, we will discuss both content and process theories of motivation.

Content theories focus on the differences among different employees' needs. Process theories focus on the choices individual employees get to make regarding their actions.