6-1
Essentials of
Organizational Behavior, 11/e
Global Edition
Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge
Chapter 6
Motivation I: Basic Concepts
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Describe the three key elements of motivation.
Identify early theories of motivation and evaluate their
applicability today.
Contrast goal-setting theory and management by
objectives.
Demonstrate how organizational justice is a refinement of
equity theory.
Apply the key tenets of expectancy theory to motivating
employees.
Show how motivation theories are culture bound.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education
What Is Motivation?
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The processes that accounts for an
individual’s intensity, direction, and
persistence of effort toward attaining
a organizational goal
Intensity – the amount of effort put
forth to meet the goal
 Direction – efforts are channeled
toward organizational goals
 Persistence – how long the effort is
maintained

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Early Theories of Motivation
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



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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Theory
McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
Herzberg’s Two-Factor (MotivationHygiene) Theory
McClellan’s Theory of Needs (Three
Needs Theory)
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
Lower
Upper
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Douglas McGregor’s X & Y
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Theory X
Theory X Workers
 Inherent dislike for
work and will attempt
to avoid it
 Must be coerced,
controlled or
threatened with
punishment
 Avoid responsibilities
 Seek formal direction
 Require security
 Little ambition
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Theory Y
Theory Y Workers
 View work as being as
natural as rest or play
 Will exercise selfdirection and selfcontrol if committed to
objectives
 Accept responsibility
 Seek responsibility
 Make innovative
decisions
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
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• Quality of
supervision
• Pay
• Company policies
• Physical working
conditions
• Relationships
• Job security
Dissatisfied
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Satisfied
• Promotional
opportunities
• Opportunities for
personal growth
• Recognition
• Responsibility
• Achievement
Motivation Factors
Hygiene Factors
Not Dissatisfied
Not Satisfied
McClelland's Theory of Needs
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
Need for Achievement (nAch)
The drive to excel

Need for Power (nPow)
The need to make others behave in a way they would
not have behaved otherwise

Need for Affiliation (nAff)
The desire for friendly and close interpersonal
relationships
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McClelland's High Achievers
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
High achievers prefer jobs with:
Personal responsibility
 Feedback
 Intermediate degree of risk (50/50)



High achievers are not necessarily good
managers
High nPow and low nAff is
related to managerial success
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Contemporary Theories of Motivation
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
Self-Determination Theory

Goal-Setting Theory
 Management
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by Objectives

Self-Efficacy Theory

Equity Theory

Expectancy Theory
Self-Determination Theory
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

People prefer to have control over their actions so
when they feel they are forced to do something they
previously enjoyed motivation will decrease
One example is the Cognitive Evaluation Theory
proposes that the introduction of extrinsic rewards for
work (pay) that was previously intrinsically rewarding
tends to decrease overall motivation.

Verbal rewards increase intrinsic motivation, while
tangible rewards undermine it
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Goal-Setting Theory
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

Goals increase performance when the goals are:

Specific

Difficult, but accepted by employees

Accompanied by feedback (especially selfgenerated feedback)
Contingencies in goal-setting theory:

Goal Commitment – public goals better!

Task Characteristics – simple & familiar better!

National Culture – Western culture suits best!
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Management by Objectives (MBO)
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

Converts overall organizational objectives
into specific objectives for work units and
individuals
Common ingredients:
 Goal
specificity
 Explicit time period
 Performance feedback
 Participation in decision making
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Self-Efficacy or Social Learning Theory
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Individual’s belief that he or she is
capable of performing a task
Self-efficacy increased by:
Enactive mastery – gain experience
 Vicarious modeling – see someone else do
the task
 Verbal persuasion – someone convinces
you that you have the skills
 Arousal – get energized

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Equity Theory
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
Employees weigh what they put into a job situation (input)
against what they get from it (outcome).
They compare their input-outcome ratio with the input-outcome
ratio of relevant others.
If they perceive their ratio to be equal to that of relevant
others, a state of equity exists.
If the ratios are unequal, inequity exists, either under-reward or
over-reward.
My Output
My Input
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Your Output
Your Input
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When inequities occur, employees will attempt to correct
them.
 When employees envision an inequity, they may make
one or more of six choices:
1-Change their inputs
2-Change their outcomes
3-Distort perceptions of self
4-Distort perceptions of others
5-Choose a different referent.
6-Quit the job.

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Equity Theory and Reactions to Inequitable Pay
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Employee reactions in comparison to equitably-paid
employees
Employees are:
Over-Rewarded
Under-Rewarded
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Paid by:
Piece
Time
Will produce fewer,
but higher-quality Will produce more
units
Produce large
Produce less output
number of low
or output of poorer
quality units
quality
Equity Theory: Forms of Justice
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Expectancy Theory
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Strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on strength of our
expectation of a given outcome and its attractiveness

Suggests that people are motivated to work toward rewards that they want and
that they believe they have a reasonable chance—or expectancy—of obtaining

1.
2.
3.
Three key relationships:
Effort-Performance: perceived probability that exerting effort leads to
successful performance
Performance-Reward: the belief that successful performance leads to desired
outcome
Rewards-Personal Goals: the attractiveness of organizational outcome (reward)
to the individual
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Global Implications
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Are motivation theories culture-bound?
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Most were developed for and by the United States
Goal-setting and expectancy theories emphasize goal
accomplishment and rational individual thought
Maslow’s Hierarchy may change order
McClelland's nAch presupposes acceptance of a moderate
degree of risk concern for performance
Equity theory closely tied to American pay practices
Hertzberg’s two-factor theory does seem to work across
cultures
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Implications for Managers
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




Look beyond need theories
Goal setting leads to higher productivity
Organizational justice has support
Expectancy theory is a powerful tool, but may not
very realistic in some cases
Goal-setting, organizational justice, and
expectancy theories all provide practical
suggestions for motivation
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Keep in Mind…
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


Make goals specific and difficult
Motivation can be increased by raising employee
confidence in their own abilities (self-efficacy)
Openly share information on allocation decisions,
especially when the outcome is likely to be viewed
negatively
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education
Summary
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Described the three key elements of motivation.
Identified early theories of motivation and evaluated their
applicability today.
Contrasted goal-setting theory and management by
objectives.
Demonstrated how organizational justice is a refinement of
equity theory.
Applied the key tenets of expectancy theory to motivating
employees.
Explained to what degree motivation theories are culture
bound.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education
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photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the
United States of America.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education