Psychological Theories and Motivation
Motivation is the psychological boost that helps people achieve high performance and reach goals. Motivating employees is a primary managerial responsibility of management, as motivational management enables higher outputs and job satisfaction from employees.
While studies have produced a great deal of research on motivation, from the perspective of both management and psychology, a few psychological theories can be applied specifically to employee motivation. Using modern research and understanding what drives behavior are the focal points of organizational behavior study, and managers should actively apply these psychological frameworks to their everyday management strategies and considerations. These frameworks can be coupled with concepts of reinforcement and punishment as tools managers use to emphasize or discourage specific behaviors.
Need-based Theories
Need-based theories of motivation focus on an employee's drive to satisfy needs by working. Needs range from basic physiological needs for survival to higher-level emotional needs, like belonging and self-actualization.
From the perspective of the manager, Maslow's model (see below image) is highly useful in drawing a few simple yet important conclusions. First, if employees are not being paid enough to satisfy the bottom two tiers of the hierarchy (for example, pay rent, buy food, etc.), then they will be unmotivated to create a strong social environment, accomplish goals, or be creative. Salary, therefore, must be high enough to match or exceed a reasonable standard of living. Secondly, without a good culture for social interaction, employees will find it difficult to achieve high levels of creativity and problem-solving. If managers want to capture maximum value from employees, they must supply each component on this list—to the best of their ability—in reimbursements, culture, and goal setting.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
The hierarchy underscores how management should assess employees' needs. Salary encompasses the bottom two tiers (safety-related and physiological needs), while social and objective-based motivators address the higher needs (love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization).
Equity Theory
Equity theory is derived from social-exchange theory. It explains motivation in the workplace as a cognitive process where the employee evaluates the balance between inputs (or efforts) in the workplace and the outcomes (or rewards) that are received or anticipated.
For management, the implications are similar to those of Maslow's lower-level needs. Employees expect that they will receive an equivalent reimbursement for the value they create. Management must assess the value of the job objectively and clearly explain the exchange (time and efforts for money/benefits/job satisfaction) to the employee prior to the onset of work. Equity must be maintained for proper motivation, and managers are responsible for establishing equity within the organization.
Reinforcement and Punishment
Based upon the psychological theories of motivation discussed here, management is in the difficult position of identifying and fulfilling needs for different employees (who will in turn require different motivational assistance). To accomplish this need fulfillment, managers have a few tools to employ that allows them to steer the direction of motivation. These include positive and negative reinforcements and positive and negative punishments.
As noted above in Maslow's hierarchy, employees are motivated in a linear fashion (fulfilling base needs will result in higher needs). As a result, a manager must recognize what level of the hierarchy an employee is on before using reinforcement or punishment. If the employee is more concerned about salary and creating enough capital to live comfortably, a manager could positively reinforce certain behaviors with bonus pay or raises. If an employee is pursuing esteem, managers can apply promotions or employee-achievement awards.
Similarly, punishments can be effective in emphasizing motivational successes and failures as well. Using equity theory, managers can consider employees' actions in context with desired outcomes. For example, if an employee is often late and misses important meetings, resulting in a loss of revenue for the company, equity theory permits that this employee should be punished with lower pay. In this situation, equity theory allows management to motivate through punishing employees who do not create the required returns to pay their salaries.