Chapter 4: Motivation

Learning Objectives

In this chapter, we will:

4.1 Objectives

  1. Define motivation.
  2. Understand the role of motivation in determining employee performance.
  3. Compare needs and process theories of motivation.
  4. Recognize how fairness perceptions are determined and consequences of these perceptions on motivation in the workplace.
  5. Identify ways to increase motivation in the workplace.

4.2 Objectives

  1. Explain how employees are motivated according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
  2. Explain how the ERG (existence, relatedness, growth) theory addresses the limitations of Maslow’s hierarchy.
  3. Describe the differences among factors contributing to employee motivation and how these differ from factors contributing to dissatisfaction.
  4. Describe need for achievement, power, and affiliation, and identify how these acquired needs affect work behaviour.
  5. Describe how intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence motivation at work.

4.3 Objectives

  1. Explain how goal-setting influences motivation.
  2. Describe the three types of fairness that affect employee attitudes and behaviours.
  3. List the three questions individuals consider when deciding whether to put forth effort at work.
  4. Describe how managers can use learning and reinforcement principles to motivate employees.

In this chapter, students will learn about needs-based and process-based theories of human motivation. We will explore how motivation impacts workplace behaviours and performance. In addition, we will learn about common methods used to increase motivation in the workplace.

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Psychology, Communication, and the Canadian Workplace Copyright © 2022 by Laura Westmaas, BA, MSc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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