MOTIVATION

Many theories on motivation have been developed over the years. Of these, the most significant are based on the following: the achievement motive (McClelland, 1961), hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1954) and hygiene and motivating theory (Herzberg, 1966).

Abraham Maslow’s theory can be interpreted through a pyramid of human needs that a person must ascend in order to achieve the highest level of motivation. These needs are, in ascending order: physological, safety, social, esteem and self- actualisation needs.  Maslow pointed out that workers have higher-order personal needs that shape behaviour.  It is this content of his theory that is particularly relevant to me, because in my previous job I was able to reach the first three levels of Maslow’s pyramid.

• PHYSOLOGICAL- During working hours all employees were provided with food and drinks. Also by having one long and two short breaks my physiological needs were satisfied.

• SAFETY- The company was based 15 minutes from the town centre, in a safe and quiet area. There were CCTV cameras and high level security throughout the workplace.  All employees had medical insurance and were well-paid.

• SOCIAL- This is the first of the higher level needs and is related to interaction with others. Every three months, my former company’s Head Office would organise a party for all staff to attend.  They would typically hire a night club or bar and it was the perfect occasion for people to get to know each other and make new friends.

• EGO/ESTEEM- which includes self-respect and the esteem of others (reputation, recognition, attention)

• SELF-ACTUALISATION- top need in Maslow’s pyramid. It is the desire to become what one is capable of becoming. It is also very individual.

MY MOTIVATION FOR STARTING MY DEGREE COURSE

The motivation for me starting my Business and Human Resource Management course is gaining a degree. What motivates me now and I think will also motivate me in 2-3 years is my natural interest in the course subjects. I hope after finishing university, I will be able to find a well-paid and interesting job related to my course.

TIME WHEN I WAS DE-MOTIVATED

I can remember one time when I was de-motivated. When I was 19, I worked as a shop-assistant in a health and beauty store. I worked there for 6 months and was never paid on time, this made me feel really nervous and uncertain. As every month I had to worry about my bills. I talked with my boss and tried to understand the bad financial situation of the company, but after 6 months the situation had become so de-motivating that I decided to leave. I think, what I should have done differently is resign from this job sooner. This is an excellent example of the safety need in Maslow’s pyramid. The company did not make me feel safe, so I couldn’t step to another level of pyramid.

CONCLUSION

Different theories apply to different people, what motivates one person does not necessarily motivate the other.  However, Maslow’s theory is quite generic and is an excellent way of establishing what motivates people individually.  This is very important, as the level motivation determines the behaviour of employees in their workplace, this in turn can greatly increase the quality of service.

REFERENCES:

-          Armstrong, M (2006) Strategic Human Resource Management.3^rd edition. London and Philadelphia. Kogan Page.

-          Learnmanagement2.com [n.d]. [Online]. Available from:
http://www.learnmanagement2.com/maslow.htm . Accessed January 2010

-          Mullin, L.J. (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^thedition. Essex. Pearson Education Limited.

-          Wikipedia.org. [Online]. Available from:

       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation . Accessed January 2010