Motivation

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslows Hierarchy of needs is a theory of motivational factors that have been arranged into the shape of a pyramid. The pyramid has 5 different levels. Maslow believed that in order to become more motivated, you need to work your way up the hierarchy. (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006)

http://www.changingminds.org/

In the first level of the hierarchy is your 'Physiological needs'. These include your health, food, and sleep. These factors are usually solved by offering staff pay. Maslow theory shows that these factors motivate people, and enable them to move onto the next stage of motivation. On the other hand, if these physiological needs aren't met, then you cant move onto the next stage of the hierarchy. (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006)

The second stage of Maslows hierarchy can only be reached if the physiological needs are met. The second stage of the hierarchy is the 'Safety needs'. This stage of the hierarchy includes shelter, pensions, and job security. Once these motivational factors have been achieved, you can progress to the third level of the hierarchy. If these factors aren't achieved, then according to Maslows hierarchy of needs, you wont be able to progress to the next level of motivation. (Simpson, 2011)

The third level of Maslows hierarchy of needs is 'Belonging'. This section involves Love, affection and being part of a group. This is often achieved if you enjoy the people your working with. Once again, Maslows hierarchy of needs shows that without these motivational factors, you cant progress to the next stage. (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006)

The fourth level of Maslows hierarchy is Esteem. This includes self-esteem and esteem from others. This means that if your being praised by others, or believe you’re doing a good job then you will be motivated. Without these motivational factors, you can't proceed to the final level of motivation according to the hierarchy. (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006)

The fifth and final stage of Maslows hierarchy is self actualisation. Maslow believes that without any one of the previous stages in the hierarchy, this level cannot be reached. This final stage is where you think you have reached your full individual potential. (Simpson, 2011)

My Motivation

My motivation for starting a degree course isn't down to just one reason. I was motivated in loads of different ways, and they all relate to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs.

One of the main reasons why I decided to start a degree course was for the qualification. I know that if I turn up, and try hard throughout my course, I will gain a good qualification at the end of the course. This means that I will have the potential to get a better job once I leave university. This will provide me with the physiological and the safety needs according to Maslows hierarchy. This motivates me to a certain extent to attend lectures and seminars and work hard throughout my three year course.

Another reason why I decided to continue my education and start a degree course was to socialise and meet new people. According to Maslow, This motivates people as long as they have their safety and physiological needs met. This means that I will have reached level three in Maslows hierarchy of needs. This will help me stay motivated throughout the three year course.

Self esteem and esteem from others will also help me stay motivated. If I know that I am doing well in my course, I will be motivated to continue working hard as I know that I will get something out of it at the end of my course. According Maslows hierarchy of needs, this fits in with the fourth stage of the motivation hierarchy.

By using all of the motivational factors above, I will be able to motivate myself enough to try my hardest in every part of the course. This means that I will have Self-Actualisation. I will feel like I have been achieving my full potential and will be motivated to continue achieving my full potential. Maslows hierarchy of needs shows that this is the final stage of being motivated.

De-Motivation

When I was at school studying my A Levels, I became de-motivated in maths.

One of the main reasons why I was demotivated, was because I had no self esteem and very little esteem from others. I also didn't feel part of the group as I felt like I didn't belong in the maths course. I didn't have any self esteem because I felt like I couldn't do the work that was required and I had no esteem from others.

According to Maslow, this would prevent me from becoming motivated as I wouldn't be able to get past the second level of the motivation hierarchy as I'm not currently being motivated enough to progress up the hierarchy. I didn't feel part of the group because I felt like I couldn't participate in the lessons because I couldn't do the work. This means that I found it hard to get motivated past the second level of Maslows hierarchy.
Also, I lacked in self esteem, and esteem from others. This means that I wasn't able to reach the fourth level of Maslows hierarchy. This left me de-motivated.

http://www.envisionsoftware.com/

According to Aldefer's ERG theory I was limited and stuck in existence needs as I didn't have any motivational factors to help me progress to the relatedness needs. Aldefer's theory also shows that even if I do progress to the next motivational stage (Relatedness Needs), I would have to keep the motivators otherwise I would regress back down to the first stage and become de-motivated.

 (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006)

http://www.web-books.com/

Herzberg's two factor theory has two factors, the 'Hygiene factors' and 'Motivation factors'. Herzberg believed that in order for someone to become motivated, they already needed all of the hygiene factors. This means that if someone doesn't already have the hygiene factors, then they cant become motivated.

The reason why I was demotivated was because I didn't have all of the hygiene factors. I believed that I was incapable of completing the work, the teachers didn't support me and I felt like I wasn't keeping up with the group. This prevented me from becoming motivated. (Schermerhorn, 2011)

To get me more motivated, my teachers gave me some extra lessons. This increased the esteem I received from others and motivated me to work. The extra lessons also helped me to catch up on work. This made me feel part of the group again as I had caught up with them. Both of these factors helped me to become motivated.

If I was to re-do my A Level maths, I would ask the teacher for help as soon as I became stuck. This would help me remain motivated throughout the whole of the course. I would remain motivated because I would still feel part of the group because I will be able to do the same work as the rest of the class.

Businesses need to motivate their staff effectively. These theories are very important and should be taken into consideration when businesses aim to motivate their staff. If businesses do not relate to these motivation theories then they could go wrong when trying to motivate their staff. This would prevent their staff from becoming motivated and would stop them from working at their true potential.

References:

Changing Minds. (2002). Maslow's Hierarchy. Available: http://changingminds.org/images/maslow.gif. Last accessed 7th November 2011.


Envision Software. (2011). ERG Theory of Motivation. Available: http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/ERG_Theory.html. Last accessed 7th November 2011.

Koontz, H. and Weihrich, H. (2006) Essentials Of Management. 7th ed.

Schermerhorn, J.R. (2011) Exploring Management. 3rd ed.

Simpson, M. (2011). Motivation. People and Organisations. 2 (1), p1-23.


Web-books.com. (NA). Motivating Employees. Available: http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/books/B0/B66/IMG/fwk-collins-fig07_006.jpg. Last accessed 7th November 2011