Motivation plays a central role in the performance of an employee and an organization. In this article, we will learn about what is motivation, what is the process of motivation and its step.
Every organization requires human resources to perform its task if employees are motivated they are always looking for a better way to complete the task and they are more quality orientated.
► What is Motivation? (Process)
Motivation in simple terms may be defined as the set of forces that cause people to behave in a certain way that drives them toward goals willingly without any force.
Motivation is a driving force that intensifies the hard work of an individual and helps him to remove the boredom of regular tasks and drives an individual to do something creative or think out of the box.
◉ Motivation Meaning
The word Motivation is derived from the Latin word “Mover” which means “To move” or ” To drive forward”.
As we all know that motivation is a process that begins with a physiological or psychological need that drives an individual behavior toward a particular aim or goal.
◉ Definition of Motivation
Motivation can be defined as the result of the sum of internal and external factors that drive an individual to willingly and persistently pursue his work.
Motivation definition by Famous Authors
“Motivation is a process whereby needs instigate behavior directed towards the goals that can satisfy those needs.” – Joe Kelly
“Motivation means a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish the desired goals.” – W. G. Scot
“Motivation is defined as the performance of an activity because it is perceived to be instrumental in achieving valued outcomes” – Teo, Lim, & Lai, 1999
“Motivation is defined as the power that triggers action that follows” – Cheng & Cheng 2012
“Motivation can be defined as everything that drives and sustains human behavior” – Gard, 2001
“Motivation may be defined as the degree to which individuals commit effort to achieve goals that they perceive as being meaningful and worthwhile”
“Motivation can be defined as the desire to achieve some goal.” – Hays, & Hill, 2001
“Motivation is generally viewed as a process through which an individual’s needs and desires are set in motion” – Rakes, & Dunn, 2010
“Motivation is the process whereby goal‐directed activity is instigated and sustained” – Pintrich, & Schunk, 1996
Also Read : Theory X and Theory Y of Motivation
► Types of Motivation
Generally, motivation is of two types
- Intrinsic motivation
- Extrinsic motivation
◉ Intrinsic Motivation
An individual is motivated to do some task or activity because an individual has a personal interest, fun, and enjoyment and it satisfies basic psychological needs competence, and relatedness.
For Example – Reading books for increasing knowledge and fun.
◉ Extrinsic Motivation
An individual feel motivated by some task or activity in order to get an external reward such as money, fame, power, and a higher position.
For Example – A salesman wants to achieve his target so that he gets the incentive.
► Process of Motivation
- Identify the unsatisfied need and motivation
- Tension
- Drives
- Search behavior
- Satisfied need
- Reduction of tension
✔ 1. Unsatisfied Need Process of Motivation
The first stage of the motivation process is when there is an unsatisfied need in a human being. This unsatisfied need may be a psychological, physiological, or social need in nature.
✔ 2. Tension
Due to the presence of unsatisfied needs person feels the tension or stress that decreases his individual performance level
✔ 3. Drive Process of Motivation
This tension creates a strong feeling for action that drives human beings and he starts looking for various alternatives to satisfy their need.
✔ 4. Search Behavior
After searching for the best alternative that satisfies the human need, the human being starts behaving according to the options adopted by him to satisfy his need.
✔ 5. Satisfied Need
After behaving in a particular manner for a certain time the individual examines whether his need is satisfied by the chosen option or not.
✔ 6. Reduction of Tension
When a human being’s need gets fulfilled then his tension gets reduced and he feels motivated and more focused that definitely increases his performance.
Motivating the employee is look like a simple task but it is very difficult because employees join organizations with different needs and expectations.
Each employee has their own values, beliefs, attitude, background, lifestyles, and perceptions so it becomes very challenging for managers or employers to find out ways of motivating such a diverse workforce.
