Motivation is the force that converts intention into action. In a business situation, it is the drive that helps to maintain goal-directed performance of employees. For years, researcher has been conducted to determine what incentives help to motivate employees, and so many companies spend thousands of dollars and a lot of times to increase the motivation of employees for more productivity. Here we introduce some motivation theories so that you can understand what people need to be motivated and how you can approach.
Two-Factor Theory (Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory)
This theory suggests that there are two facts contributing to people's motivation, Motivation factor and Hygiene factor. Motivation factors, such as advancement, recognition, responsibility, and achievement, are related to job satisfaction. Hygiene factors, such as supervision, payment, company policies, and working-conditions, are related to job dissatisfaction. People are most motivated when they are satisfied with motivation factors and not dissatisfied with hygiene factors. More Reading
Hierarchy of Needs Theory
Three needs from the top, Self Actualization, Esteem Needs, and Social Needs, are described as higher-order needs, and two from the bottom are lower-order needs. Higher-order needs are satisfied internally within the person, while lower-order needs are predominantly satisfied externally by things such as pay, union, contracts, and tenure.
Under Theory X, managers think that employees basically dislike work and must be directed or even coerced into performing it. In contrast to these negative views about the employees' behavior, Theory Y means that managers believe that employees can view work as being as natural as rest or play, and therefore the average person can learn to accept, and even seek, responsibility.