1 ntrod uction
The performance of individuals within an organisation determines how successfully an organisation
operates. Important factors influencing performance are the skill and knowledge of the
staff [ability) and the commitment to the work to be done [motivation). A common and troublesome
question facing leaders and managers today is why some people perform better than
others. Each person is different and, in order to get the best out of people, it is important to know
how such differences influence the behaviour of the team members and their performance in
the requirements of the job. Employee performance literature ultimately reveals two major
dimensions as determinants of job performance: motivation and ability (Hersey, Blanchard and
Johnson, 2001). This chapter presents techniques for motivating and developing others.
MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES
Think about a time when you have been entirely focused, committed, energised and
enthused about accomplishing a task. Now think about a time when you put off doing
a task until it was inevitable, and you accomplished the task painfully, through gritted
teeth. The difference between these two situations is often down to one of two things –
motivation or ability.
Motivation
Motivation is the energy behind performance, the focusing of interest in the activity. Because
individuals bring different needs and goals to the workplace, the type and intensity of motivators
vary among employees. Motivated people are more likely to be productive than are
unmotivated workers. This is one reason that motivation is an important consideration for
those who lead and manage.
Motivational theories
Historically, motivational theories were concerned with three things:
- what mobilises or energises human behaviour;
- what directs behaviour towards the accomplishment of some objective;
- how such behaviour is sustained over time.
The usefulness of motivational theories depends on their ability to explain motivation adequately,
to predict with some degree of accuracy what people will actually do and, finally, to
suggest practical ways of influencing employees to accomplish organisational objectives.
Motivational theories can be classified into at least two distinct groups: content theories and
process theories.
Content theories
In general, content theories of motivation emphasise individual needs or the rewards that may
satisfy those needs. There are two types of content theory: instinct and need. Instinct theorists
characterised instincts as inherited or innate tendencies that predisposed individuals
to behave in certain ways. Whilst explaining some instinctive behaviour such as flight or fight
response when faced with danger, instinct theory was less useful for explaining why an individual
would put themself in a dangerous position such as rescuing a child from a swollen river. It
was recognised that instinct is stronger in some individuals than others and could not be relied
on to predict behaviour or to motivate others.
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CHAPTER 8 MOTIVATING AND DEVELOPING OTHERS
Need theories have some advantages over instinct theories and went some way to explaining
the variation between individuals. For example, whilst all people need to eat to live, some
people are more motivated by food than others. An individual’s needs can change over time,
and can be influenced by the situation. Behaviours that occur in response to a need can be
learned. For example, two employees may both need time off on Saturday. One employee
makes an honest request, is willing to negotiate and has the best interests of the service in
mind. Another employee may choose to keep quiet and to phone in sick on the day. In this case
the behaviours chosen in response to the need are very different.
Perhaps the most noted of the content theorists were Abraham Maslow, Clayton Alderfer and
Frederick Herzberg. These three theorists are compared in Figure 8.1.
Maslow ( 1943, 1954) identified five groups of needs arranged in a hierarchy and often illustrated
as a pyramid. He suggested that the lowest level of need drives behaviour until those
needs are satisfied, and then the next level of need takes over, directing behaviour. This pattern
repeats itself until the highest level of need, self-actualisation [reaching full potential],
is achieved. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is often used to explain extremes of behaviour
that would not normally be seen. For example, a group of ordinary people who would never
consider killing an animal, when they become stranded in the forest without food, will hunt to
survive or kill an animal to protect themselves. Maslow’s hierarchy, from the lowest to the highest
level, is as follows: - physiological needs, such as hunger and thirst, sleep, warmth;
- safety needs – that is, bodily safety;
- belongingness or social needs, such as friendship, affection and love;
- esteem needs, such as recognition, appreciation and self-respect;
- self-actualisation needs- that is, developing one’s whole potential.
Alderfer ( 19?2) suggested three rather than five need levels in his existence- relatednessgrowth
theory: - existence needs, which include both physical and safety needs;
- relatedness needs (Maslow’s belongingness or social needs);
- growth needs, which include the needs for self-esteem and self-actualisation.
This theory is similar to Maslow’s in that it assumes that the satisfaction of needs on one level
activates a need at the next higher level. The theory suggests that a staff member who feels
secure in their job will strive for a means of feeling related or connected to the service, other
Herzberg
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