Understand some major historical perspectives on motivation.

Some major historical perspectives on motivation :



One of the first approaches to employee motivation was Frederick Taylor's scientific management, the application of scientific principles to the management of work and workers. Taylor believed that employees work only for money and that they must be closely supervised. This thinking led to the piece-rate system, under which employees are paid a certain amount for each unit they produce

See: What Is Motivation?

The Hawthorne Studies attempted to determine the effects of the work environment on productivity. Results of these studies indicated that human factors affect productivity more than physical aspects of the workplace do.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs suggests that people are motivated by five sets of needs. In ascending order of complexity, these motivators are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. People are motivated by the most basic set of needs that remains unfulfilled. As needs at one level are satisfied, people try to satisfy needs at the next level.

Frederick Herzberg found that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are influenced by two distinct sets of factors. Motivation factors, including recognition and responsibility, affect an employee's degree of satisfaction, but their absence does not necessarily cause dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors, including pay and working conditions, affect an employee's degree of dissatisfaction but do not affect satisfaction.

Theory X is a concept of motivation that assumes that employees dislike work and will function effectively only in a highly controlled environment. Thus, to achieve an organization's goals, managers must coerce, control, and threaten employees. This theory generally is consistent with Taylor's ideas of scientific management. Theory Y is more in keeping with the results of the Hawthorne Studies and the human relations movement. It suggests that employees can be motivated to behave as responsible members of the organization.

Theory Z emphasizes long-term employment, collective decision making, individual responsibility for the outcomes of decisions, informal control, and a holistic concern for employees.

Reinforcement theory is based on the idea that people will repeat behavior that is rewarded and will avoid behavior that is punished.


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