Industrial and Organizational
Psychology
Lecture 12 & 13
Work Motivation
Work motivation is a set of energetic
forces that originate within as well as
beyond an individuals being, to
initiate work-related behavior, and to
determine its form, direction,
intensity and duration.
Pinder (1998)
Ability x Situational x motivation = Behaviors leading
performance context
 Direction: What should I do?
 Intensity: How hard should I try?
 Persistence / duration: Should I keep
going?
Work Motivation Theories
Content Theories
1. Need theories
- Maslow & Alderfer
2. Herzberg’s Hygiene vs. Motivator Theory
3. McClleland’s Typology of Needs
Process Theories
1. Equity Theory
2. Expectancy Theory
3. Goal Setting Theory
4. Job Characteristics Theory
Factors that are Perceived to Motivate
University Students in Worklife (Aycan &
Fikret-Pasa, 2001)
Total N = 1,213
 Age: M = 22.08, SD = 1.81
 Gender: Male: % 62; Female: % 38
 Department: Business Administration: %55
Economisc: % 35
 Class: % 50 Senior; % 32 Junior; % 15
Sophomore
 University: 15 Universities from 6 different
regions
of Turkey
Most motivating
Motivating
Least motivating
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Power & Authority
Pay
Career Advancement
Peaceful Work Env.
Participatin in DM
Autonomy
Oppor.for Personal growth
Sense of Success
Creative Job
Good relations
Interesting job
Sense of Pride
Performance based reward
Contribution to society
Job Safety
Feedback on performance
Sense of belonging
Praise from the supervisor
Close supervision
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
Hygiene factors
- taken for granted; expected to exist
(e.g., healthy work environment).
- presence of them is not motivating,
but absence of them is demotivating.
Motivators
- factors that are not taken for granted
- presence of them is motivating, but
the absence of them is not
demotivating.
McClleland’s Typology of Needs
 NAch people: Need for achievement
• What motivates them is the feeling of
accomplishment.
• They enjoy challenging jobs / tasks
• They take responsibility in solving problems
• They seek feedback
• They take initiative
• They seek experts rather than friends
•
NAff – Need for Affiliation




Seek warm, friendly relationships
Seek acceptance
Avoid conflicts
Avoid giving and receiving negative
feedback
 Consider others as partners to fulfill job
duties.
 They are open in human relations; they like
to give feedback.
NPow – Need for power
Either:
•
Seek power for personal satisfaction.
 Consider only his / her personal benefits at the
expense of that of the organization.
 Use rewards and punishment not to achieve the
job objectives, but to perpetuate loyalty to him /
her.
Or:
Seek power for the empowerment of others and the
 Give priority to the achievement of organizational
goals
 Use rewards and punishment to motivate workers
Equity Theory (Adams, 1965)
Expectancy Theory (Lawler, 1971)
___1.
___2.
___3.
___4.
___5.
___6.
___7.
___8.
___9.
___10.
Question #3: How favorable or unfavorable is each of the following outcomes to you personally?
PUT THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER IN THE SPACE PROVIDED AT THE BEGINING OF EACH ITEM.
Very
neutral
Unfavorable
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
__1.
__2.
__3.
__4.
__5.
__6.
__7.
__8.
__9.
__10.
CALCULATE YOUR OWN SCORE
Question # 2
1.________
2.________
3.________
4.________
5.________
6.________
7.________
8.________
9.________
10._______
Question # 3
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
+_______
subtotal A =
Mfs (Question #1 x subtotal A) =
8
very
favorable
10
Goal Setting Theory (Locke & Latham, 1984)
Job Characteristics Theory (Hackman & Oldham, 1985)
Task identity
 Being able to identify with the work
at hand as more whole and complete;
hence feel pride in the outcome of
that work.