Here is a list of the 12 best motivational theories that are useful in specific situations for specific people. By reading, you must understand not only what motivates us, but how you motivate yourself and those around you.
Top 12 Motivational Theories
1. Expectancy Theory
Expectancy theory is a psychological theory put forward by Professor Victor H. Vroom, which states that people are motivated by their expectations to achieve a specific outcome as a result of their actions or efforts. This motivational theory is a form of extrinsic motivation and it focuses on the degree to which the reward motivates you based on your belief that you will actually receive if the goal is achieved.
Ultimately, the more certain you are that your actions will lead to a specific and desired result, the more motivated you will be to perform those actions, and vice versa. If your actions do not lead to the expected result, you will be less motivated to perform the same actions in the future. This means that if you want to motivate yourself with external rewards, you need to choose specific and measurable rewards and link them to specific actions. If you are trying to achieve a goal and think that the reward will vanish once you reach it or that your actions will not lead to the reward you want, you will lose motivation.
2. Equity Theory
Equity theory is a motivational theory developed by organizational psychologist J. Stacey Abrams in the 1960s, which states that people are motivated not by reward, but by their perceived level of equity. What's interesting is that equity means not only how much you think people are fair to you, but also how much you think people are fair to others.
For example, if you have a co-worker who doesn't get a raise that you know they deserve, you may become frustrated despite being paid enough. On the contrary, if you think you are not getting what you deserve, your perceived level of equity will also be low, and this dampens enthusiasm. Fortunately, the opposite can also be true if your perceived level of equity is high.
3. Arousal Theory
The arousal theory, developed by psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson, is an advanced psychological theory that states that individuals are driven by a certain, unique level of arousal. Psychologically, arousal means mindfulness or alertness. This theory states that if a person's mindfulness falls below or rises above a certain point, it may eventually cause stress, depression, and frustration.
However, if mindfulness can be kept at an optimal level in the middle of the arousal scale, people can increase their motivation and achieve the success they desire. Depending on the person, specific contributions can increase or decrease arousal.
4. Goal-Setting Theory
The goal-setting theory is self-explanatory and states that specific and challenging goals, along with helpful feedback, lead to more motivation. Edwin Locke pioneered this theory in the 1960s, showing that appropriate goal-setting is associated with an increase in overall performance. Substantially, the more challenging the goal you set, the more motivated you will be to achieve it, until a certain point at which the goal becomes too scary and discouraging. However, this is not the only principle of this theory.
In addition to setting challenging goals, Locke showed that for a goal to be motivating, it must also be clear, agreed upon, and related to a complex task. In addition, the person pursuing the goal must be committed and confident. Moreover, they should actively ask for constructive feedback. Only then will the goal be motivating.
5. The Herzberg Two-factor theory
Psychologist Fredrick Herzberg devised this theory in the 1950s and 1960s. The work-focused motivation theory, also known as the "motivation and hygiene" theory, states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while different sets of factors in the workplace cause job dissatisfaction.
These factors are independent and unrelated. This means that something that causes job satisfaction will not cause job dissatisfaction and vice versa. Specifically, factors of job satisfaction include achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and growth. On the other hand, factors that cause job dissatisfaction include working conditions, salary, status, security, and the employee's relationship with the company or their superiors. The factors that lead to satisfaction are referred to as motivators, while the ones that lead to dissatisfaction are known as hygiene factors because while they do not directly lead to increased motivation if it exists, their absence will directly lead to inhibition of motivation.
Think about taking a shower, for example. It is not fateful, yet it is necessary and can be easily noticed when not doing so. To motivate yourself and others, you need to make sure that your hygiene factor is positive, while you focus on increasing performance through positive and lasting motivators.
This indicates that those with high job satisfaction are more motivated than those who are dissatisfied with their jobs. In addition, the factors that increase job satisfaction are internal motivators, while the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction are external motivators.
6. Reinforcement Theory
American psychologist B.F. Skinner invented this theory saying that people are motivated by the expected outcome of their behavior, and this is similar to the Expectancy theory we mentioned before.
However, Skinner states that the case here is that behavior is a function caused by repeated consequences and that people develop a behavior only after doing a certain action enough times to understand the consequence of their actions.
This theory is based on the "law of effect," which states that a person is motivated to repeat actions that lead to a positive reward and to avoid actions that lead to a negative outcome. These rewards or consequences, when repeated over time, are associated with specific actions, making this theory similar to the operant conditioning theory.
7. Need theory
This theory was devised by psychologist David McClelland. It is also known as the "Three Needs Theory" or "Human Motivation Theory," which explains how a person's need for achievement, power, and affiliation influences their motivations and actions. People usually need one or more of these needs to get motivated, and they usually want one need more than any other. Identifying the need that is most important to you and those around you can help you motivate yourself and others.
For example, achievement-motivated people like to work on challenging projects, and their perceived success is based on their efforts. Power-minded people are motivated by hierarchical or highly structured environments. People who like to belong are motivated by the growth in their relationships and acceptance in society. Identifying which of these needs you desire most helps you establish an environment that automatically creates motivation.
8. Participatory theory (Theory X and Theory Y)
Participatory theory, also known as "Theory X" and "Theory Y", is a motivational theory pioneered by psychologist Douglas McGregor in the 1960s.
This motivation theory, found in MacGregor's book (The Human Side of Enterprise), posits the existence of two contradictory motivational theories, which are called "Theory X" and "Theory Y." These two contrasting theories cover two main ways of motivating people to do work and other things in the workplace. One requires micromanagement, and the other enables people to do their job well.
Let us now discuss each in detail:
Theory X
Theory X is an authoritarian approach to workplace motivation. This theory is also referred to as "authoritarian motivation" and is used in the workplace when employees or other people are unmotivated. In this case, MacGregor states that managers and others need to take an authoritarian approach to motivate them. This means that the manager must be proactive and micromanage their employees because people who fall under Theory X are not self-motivated and need a carrot-and-stick approach to get the job done.
Theory Y
In contrast, Theory Y is known as Collaborative Motivation and is inversely different from Theory X. It assumes that some people, in the workplace and elsewhere like to take their own initiative, are self-motivated to complete tasks, and like to use a collaborative approach in their work.
This type of motivation is known as cooperative and trust-based motivation. Managers or others can take a decentralized approach to motivation. For example, they can encourage people to take more responsibility, develop their skills, and suggest better ways of working.
What is meant here is that “Theory X” is an old and outdated method of workplace motivation, and instead, “Theory Y” is a new approach to motivation for employee empowerment and meaningful work that motivates employees to work hard.
9. Attribution theory
This theory attempts to explain how people interpret events, and how those events relate to their thinking and behavior, and ultimately to their future motivations. Psychologist Bernard Weiner popularized this theory in the 1970s and tried to show that the reasons we attribute to a particular event or outcome will determine how excited we are about them in the future.
For example, if someone succeeds in an exam and attributes their success to studying hard, they may be motivated to study harder in the future. On the other hand, if that same person fails the test and attributes their failure to teacher bias, their motivation to study in the future may be dampened because they think that it will not matter and that the teacher will be biased regardless of their effort and willingness. A person's motivations will be defined specifically by the things they consider to cause their outcomes as they are related to their stability, free will, and the ability to control.
Stability
It attempts to explain the relative's stability or steadiness. For example, thinking that you passed the exam because you studied hard is a constant factor that will give you more motivation to study to achieve the same result. Otherwise, if you pass the test because the teacher is permissive, the situation will be less stable and will not motivate you as much.
Free Will
It tries to make it clear whether the factor you attribute to the event or outcome is internal or external. For example, you will be more motivated if you think you passed the test because you studied hard, which is something you can control as opposed to external control, such as, passing a test because the teacher is permissive.
The ability to control
It describes the degree to which you can control a situation. For example, if you can't control whether or not a teacher is permissive, you may be less motivated to study. Otherwise, if you think you can directly control your grade by studying hard, you may be more motivated to try hard.
Understanding these three factors and how each affects motivation will help you motivate yourself and motivate those around you well. Wiener believes that ability, task difficulty, effort, and luck are the most important factors that affect motivation.
10. Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory
Perhaps Maslow's theory of personal needs, by psychologist Abraham Maslow, is one of the most famous motivational theories. This theory states that all human beings have five specific levels of needs that depend on each other, like a pyramid, and when you fulfill each lower-level need, it loses its ability to motivate you, and only the higher-level needs will motivate you.
The point of the five hierarchies of needs as suggested by Maslow is that you cannot achieve the next level of need until you satisfy the need with the level below it, and at the same time, once you reach that level of need, you only have the drive to achieve the higher level of it. Therefore, if you are trying to motivate yourself and others, make sure you meet each of these needs in order.
ERG theory
Psychologist Clayton Alderfer takes Maslow's theory of personal needs a step further by categorizing the five levels of needs into three categories: existence, relatedness, and growth. It also helps you identify what specifically can motivate you or others based on the level you are currently at, and adds more clarity to Maslow's basic theory.
11. Argyris' theory
This theory is not technically a motivational theory, but a management theory. However, it can be used effectively to motivate employees in the workplace. Professor Emeritus Chris Argyris devised this theory, which states that a person's motivation in the workplace is determined by their relative level and pace of personal growth, similar to that of a child, specifically. Argyris argues that a person becomes more enthusiastic as they move from immaturity to maturity.
Here are the seven areas in which an employee can grow and become more motivated:
- From passivity to activity.
- From dependency to independence.
- From responsibility for some behaviors to responsibility for many behaviors.
- From shallow to deep care.
- From a short-term to a long-term perspective.
- From subordination to supremacy.
- From lack of self-awareness to self-awareness.
Like a child, if someone in the workplace can grow and advance in these seven areas, they will become more motivated. Argyris states that it is the manager's responsibility to help their employees grow and develop and to become more motivated.
12. Hawthorne effect
The Hawthorne effect is not a motivational theory in itself, but it states that a person will naturally change their behavior when being observed, and this effect was first explained in psychological observation experiments. It was a warning to experimenters that subjects might change their actions or behavior if they knew they were being observed. This is called the Hawthorne effect. This was discovered during an experiment in Hawthorne, Chicago, when the National Research Council attempted to study the effects of store floor lighting on workforce productivity.
They thought that better lighting would lead to increased productivity, but they found that when monitored, employees' productivity improved in good or bad lighting. This led researchers to discover the Hawthorne effect, which is that if people are observed, their productivity increases regardless of the environment.
So, what does that mean for motivation? It stands to reason that if you are trying to motivate someone to be more productive, observing them at work will definitely help them focus more on their task and are more likely to do it well. The same is true if you want to motivate yourself. You can create situations where you know you are being watched to force yourself to improve.
In conclusion
Overall, the aforementioned motivational theories should help you motivate yourself and others. Different types of theories work in different situations and on different people, so make sure you understand each of the above theories and choose the one that works best for you, and only then can you become motivated to pursue your dreams.
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