Motivation and the factors affecting it

Meaning of motivation

Motivation is what gets a person moving, points the effort at a goal and keeps it going. It starts from an unmet need: hunger, insecurity or the wish to be respected leave a person restless until something is done about it, and once one need is met another comes forward. In management, motivation means creating conditions that make employees willing to put in their best effort for organisational goals, while also satisfying their own needs.

It may work through rewards and recognition (positive) or through fear of loss or punishment (negative); it is complex, because each person is different; it is aimed at goals; and it starts from feelings inside the person. Motivation is not the same as performance: performance depends on the ability to work, the willingness to work and the resources and support to do the job.

Factors affecting motivation

The factors can be grouped into those within the individual, those of the job, and those of the organisation and its environment.

A. Individual factors

1. Needs: physiological, security, social, esteem and self-actualisation needs; the needs active at a given time decide what will motivate a person.
2. Values and attitudes: what the person considers important (money, security, recognition, service).
3. Expectations: the belief that effort will lead to performance and that performance will be rewarded with something the person values.
4. Personality and self-confidence, and personal goals and career stage.

B. Job-related factors

5. Nature of work: interesting, challenging and meaningful work motivates; repetitive work demotivates.
6. Job enrichment and autonomy: responsibility and freedom to decide.
7. Feedback on performance.
8. Opportunities for growth, achievement and advancement.

C. Organisational factors

9. Pay and financial incentives: fair wages, bonuses, profit sharing.
10. Non-financial incentives: recognition, status, job security, participation.
11. Leadership and supervision: supportive, fair supervision raises motivation.
12. Working conditions and safety.
13. Organisational culture and climate: trust, openness, teamwork.
14. Fairness (equity): people compare their rewards with others'; perceived unfairness lowers motivation.
15. Communication: clear goals and information.
16. Policies on appraisal, training, promotion and welfare: fair appraisal and promotion on merit show people that effort is noticed and leads somewhere.

D. Environmental factors

17. Economic conditions and the labour market: job availability affects the importance of security and pay.
18. Social and cultural values, family expectations and peer groups.

E. Two kinds of job factors (Herzberg)

Herzberg's research sorted the job factors themselves into two kinds:

• Hygiene (maintenance) factors lie in the job's surroundings: pay, company policy, supervision, working conditions, relations with colleagues and job security. When they are poor, people are dissatisfied; putting them right removes the complaint but does not by itself make anyone work harder.
• Motivators lie in the work itself: achievement, recognition, interesting work, responsibility and growth. These are what create positive motivation.

The line between the two groups is not fixed: pay, for instance, merely stops complaints for a well-paid engineer but can drive a junior clerk saving for a home. The split also matches the difference between extrinsic rewards (mostly hygiene) and intrinsic ones (the motivators).

Example. Two sales teams receive the same commission. One has a supportive manager, clear targets and public recognition of top performers; the other has unclear targets and a critical manager. The first is far more motivated, showing that money is only one of many factors.

Conclusion

Motivation results from the interaction of individual needs, the job, the organisation and the wider environment. Managers motivate best by understanding what each employee values and combining fair pay with meaningful work, good leadership and recognition.