Source: Image of woman cheering at laptop, two men high fiving, images by Video Scribe, License held by Jeff Carroll; Image of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Creative Commons, http://bit.ly/1zUMyzu.
Hi, I'm Jeff. And in this lesson, we'll learn about the major historical theories of motivation and how those relate to business. So let's get started. First of all, what is motivation and morale? Motivation is the justifications consciously and subconsciously for acting in a specific manner to a situation. Morale is the certainty of an individual or group at a specific time.
Organizations should be concerned about both employee motivation and their morale. In order for an organization to achieve its organizational goals with efficiency and with the least cost, employees will need more than resources, equipment, and a place to work. They will need morale. And they will need the motivation to perform their jobs.
Morale and motivation are interconnected with each other and with the needs of each employee. It is up to the organization to track these needs and to provide the proper communication and actions to create and maintain high motivation and morale among all employees. There are a number of motivational theories that have been used throughout the history of business. And we'll discuss a few of them next.
In 1911, there was a report on the classical theory and scientific management by Frederick Taylor. Classical theory is the theory that employees are motivated solely by money. Frederick Taylor discovered that employees are not motivated solely by money.
This led to early behavior theories, including the Hawthorne effect by Elton Mayo at Western Electric in 1925. This is a theory of motivation which argues that productivity will increase when managers pay attention to their workers. This study convinced many managers to track their workers more closely.
Two-factor theory by Frederick Herzberg in Pittsburgh, which is a theory of motivation which argues that both workplace hygiene and motivation have an impact on worker satisfaction. Hygiene factors at the time referred to supervisors, pay and security, working conditions, company policies, and interpersonal relations. And the motivation factors referred to achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, growth, and the job itself.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow is a theory which some of you might be familiar with already. It is a theory of motivation that argues humans must meet their most basic needs before meeting more complex ones. It is visually represented by a pyramid with five levels of needs ranging from physiological needs at the bottom up through security, social, esteem, and self actualization.
Theory X and Theory Y by Douglas McGregor indicated that managers tend to operate according to Theory X or Theory Y beliefs. Theory X is a theory of motivation that workers are naturally lazy. Managers who believe in this theory consider people as irresponsible, unproductive, and unambitious. Theory Y, on the other hand, is a theory of motivation that workers are energetic. Managers who believe in this theory consider people as self-motivated, responsible, and ambitious.
Using these theories and others, organizations should encourage and train their managers to be good at motivating others. A good motivator should create a climate in which people want to do their best. Motivate many different kinds of direct reports and team or project members to accomplish the goals of the company. Assess each person's emotional triggers and, using that knowledge, work to gain the best out of him or her.
Empower others, which is critical for an organization's overall morale. Invite input from each person and share the ownership and visibility of the work. Make each individual feel his or her work is important to the organization. Clear communication is key in this area. And finally, be someone that people enjoy working for or with.
OK, excellent work. In this lesson, we learned about motivation and morale and how they help satisfy the needs of employees. We talked about the history of motivation theories. And we discussed what it takes to be good at motivating others. Thanks for your time. And have a great day.