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You will read the text about two approaches to how people are motivated.Date: 2015-10-07; view: 398. Reading 2. Listening Pre-listening activity One of the most important functions of a manager is to motivate the employees. But how? What kind of things motivate you?Which of the following factors have been or will be important for you in your choice of a job? Classify them in order of importance: - good administration and good labour relations - good working conditions: enough space, light, heat and time, not too much noise, and so on - an adequate wage or salary, and benefits such as paid holidays, sick pay, a pension, and so on - job security - a challenging, interesting and creative job - responsibility - contact with people - opportunities to travel - opportunities for promotion - long holidays James Lee Broadacre has had a successful career in manufacturing. In this informal discussion he talks about his life philosophy with colleagues. As you listen, list the eight factors that have motivated Lames during various stages in his life and number them. The work of managers is to ensure that staff work efficiently in an organization. They must know what motivates people. By understanding the factors influencing motivation, they can create the conditions in which employees will perform to their maximum potential. Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, put forward one of the best-known theories of motivation. In his theory, he presents a hierarchy of needs. He identified certain basic human needs and classified them in an ascending order of importance. Basic needs were at the bottom of the hierarchy, higher needs at the top: physiological, security, social, esteem, self-actualization. Physiological needsThese were things required to sustain life like food, water, air, sleep etc. Until these needs are satisfied, Maslow believed, other needs will not motivate people. Security needsThey are the needs to be free from danger, physical pain and loss of a job. They include the need for clothing and shelter. Social needs A human being needs to belong to a group, to be liked and loved, to feel accepted by others and to develop affiliations. Esteem needs After people have satisfied their social needs, they want to have self-respect and to be esteemed by others. They have a need for power, status respect and self-confidence. Self-actualization needs These are the highest needs, according to Maslow. They are the desire to develop to maximum potential and to achieve one's goals. Maslow said that people satisfied their needs in a systematic way. When a need had been met, it stopped being a motivating factor. For example, if a person was starving, he would not be too concerned about security and social needs. But once he had enough food, he would start thinking about those other needs. Research into Maslow's theory has not been very conclusive. Studies showed that needs vary greatly among individuals. At the higher levels in a company, self-actualizing needs may be very strong whereas at lower levels, social and security needs may be dominant. As a manager it is helpful for you to know where each of your team member's needs are on the ladder. Another theory of motivation, which has been very popular with managers, is Frederick Herzberg's “two factor” theory. Herzberg conducted a number of studies in the late 1950s. He concluded that at work there are certain factors which cause job satisfaction while others lead to dissatisfaction. The group of factors bringing about satisfaction were called “motivators”. They include things like a challenging job, responsibility, advancement, recognition etc. These factors give rise to positive satisfaction. Herzberg called the other group of factors “hygiene” or “maintenance” factors. These include company policy and administration, salary and fringe benefits, job security, status and personal life. These factors are considered to be only “dissatisfiers”, not motivators. If they do not exist, they cause dissatisfaction. If they do exist in quality and quantity, they do not, however, give increased satisfaction. Herzberg's two-factor theory is shown in the following diagram. It is worth noting that the hygiene factors refer to the context of the job – the conditions of work – while the motivators refer to job content.
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