Motivational Theories Motivation in the Essay

This is a more behavioral and associative concept, as it is believed that individuals work toward a certain goal for external rewards. This can be seen in every single job. People go to work because they get paid on a regular basis. Nothing is more motivational than knowing that after hours of work during a given period of time, one will receive a paycheck proving that everything was worth it. It is this that this theory says is the key motivator in a person. Another theory of motivation is the Humanistic Theory of Motivation. This theory goes hand in hand with Maslow's hierarchy of needs as it states that people are motivated based on the fact that people have strong cognitive reasons to do so (Latham 2006). In order to provide food and shelter, one needs to be motivated enough to go and seek it. These are biological necessities that are fulfilled by the motivation that an individual has. At the end, the goal is to fulfill the need for self-actualization, which becomes one's own motivation to fulfill one's own potential. It is a combination of this that provides one with the motivation to do anything necessary.

Financial incentives in the workplace, although seen as great motivators, could quickly backfire (Thomas 2009). Someone who is in it purely for monetary gain will not truly appreciate the essence of what it is to work for a certain company or a certain place. It is hard to truly involve oneself in something that is only motivated by the money that one is making (Achor 2010). It can become difficult to try to do things any other way than the one that is set, if only financial gain is important. Money is also pretty situational and once that is no longer a perk in a job, the performance level of an individual could plummet since their only true motivator was that of financial gain.

Then on the other hand, sometimes monetary promise is what gets people motivated enough to actually do something beyond what is expected of them. Although money can be a situational motivator, it is what gets one going since it provides the necessities to survive. The best pro-in financial reward is that it provides a reward that one can visibly see and feel. The higher paid a person is, the more motivated they are every pay period to get that same amount of money. Lifestyle is a great determinant in whether an individual will perform well, and if someone is financially rewarded enough to the point where they feel happiness, then that will be the best motivator of all.

References:

Achor, S. (2010). The happiness advantage: The seven principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work. Crown Publishing Group: New York, NY.

Thomas, K.W. (2009). Intrinsic motivation at work: What really drives employee engagement. Berrett-Koehlor Publishers, Inc.: San Francisco, CA.

Latham, G.P. ed. (2006). Work motivation: History, theory, research, and practice (Foundations…