Application of motivational theories in an

organization “Taskeater”
 COURSE CODE: MGT251

SECTION: 04

(Spring-2019)

Submitted To:

Silvia Akhter

Assistant Professor

Dept. of Business Administration

East West University

Submitted by:
Name ID
Md. Riad Hossain 2017-1-10-203
Tasnima Ahmed 2017-1-10-322
Shajidur Rahman 2017-1-10-309
Md. Junayed 2017-1-10-310
Rafiqul Islam 2017-1-10-285
Rashic Johayer 2017-1-10-207

Date of Submission: 8th April, 2019

Letter of Transmit

April 08, 2019

Silvia Akhter
Dept. of Business Administration,
East West University.

Subject: Submission of a Term paper on application of motivational theories in an organization

“Taskeater”

Dear Faculty,

With due respect, we are submitting our term paper on the topic titled “Application of Motivation
Theories in an Organization ‘Taskeater’” which we have prepared to fulfill the requirement of
course MGT251 in the department of Business Administration, East West University.

We would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to do the study. It gives us an immense
pleasure in submitting to you the term paper on “Application of Motivation Theories in an
Organization ‘Taskeater’” which is the topic under our observation. This was a very interesting
topic for us to work to give an enhancement to our knowledge. We tried our best to go to the depth
into the matters and make full use of our capabilities in making the report meaningful but there
may be some mistakes. We will be pleased to answer any kind of query necessary.

Therefore, we sincerely hope that you will appreciate our effort and we would be at your disposal
at your convenience for any of your further queries.

Sincerely yours,
We, all the members of group (The Krakens).

Name ID Signature
Md. Raid Hossain (Leader) 2017-1-10-203
Tasnima Ahmed 2017-1-10-322
Shajidur Rahman 2017-1-10-309
Md. Junayed 2017-1-10-310
Rafiqul Islam 2017-1-10-285
Rashic Johayer 2017-1-10-207
Acknowledgement:

Special thanks to our helpful course instructor, Silvia Akhter, Assistant Professor of Business
Administration department at East West University. The supervision and the support that he gave
truly help the progression smoothness of our term paper. The co-operation is most needed and
appreciated. Without her supervision, co-operation and detailed instruction, our research on
Application of Motivation Theories in an Organization “Taskeater” would not come to the light.
Our debt to her is warmly acknowledged.

Besides, this term paper makes us realized the value of working together as a team and as a new
experience on field work. The whole program really brought us together to appreciate the true
value of friendship and respect of each other and it was a great pleasure to work with a team.

At last, we want to thank all of the individuals who encouraged us to give out the best efforts on
this term paper during the study period.

Md. Riad Hossain (207-1-10-203) (Leader)

Tasnima Ahmed (2017-1-10-322)

Shajidur Rahman (2017-1-10-309)

Md. Junayed (2017-1-10-310)

Rafiqul Islam (2017-1-10-285)

Rashic Juhayer (2017-1-10-207)

 Table of Contents

1. Motivation:............................................................................................................................................ 1
2. Early Theories of Motivation: ............................................................................................................... 2
2.1 McClelland’s theory...................................................................................................................... 2
2.1.1 Need for Achievement: ......................................................................................................... 2
2.1.2 Need for Power: .................................................................................................................... 3
2.1.3 Need for Affiliation:.............................................................................................................. 3
2.2 Douglas McGregor: ...................................................................................................................... 4
2.2.1 Theory X: .............................................................................................................................. 4
2.2.2 Theory Y: .............................................................................................................................. 4
2.3 Abraham Maslow's: ...................................................................................................................... 4
2.3.1 Physiological Needs: ............................................................................................................. 5
2.3.2 Safety: ................................................................................................................................... 5
2.3.3 Social/Love/belongings:........................................................................................................ 5
2.3.4 Esteem: .................................................................................................................................. 5
2.3.5 Self-Actualization: ................................................................................................................ 6
3. Contemporary Theories......................................................................................................................... 6
3.1 Goal-Setting Theory: .................................................................................................................... 6
3.2 Equity Theory: .............................................................................................................................. 6
4. Organization:......................................................................................................................................... 7
5. Taskeater: .............................................................................................................................................. 7
5.1 Ways Used to Motivate: ............................................................................................................... 8
6. Findings: ............................................................................................................................................... 9
7. Recommendation: ............................................................................................................................... 10
8. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 11
9. Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... 12
1. Motivation:

Motivation is the word derived from the word 'motive' which means needs, desires, wants or drives
within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals. In
the work goal context, the psychological factors stimulating the people's behavior can be - desire
for money.

Motivation is the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of
effort toward attaining a goal.

The three key elements in our definition are intensity, direction, and persistence. intensity
describes how hard a person tries. This is the element most of us focus on when we talk about
motivation. However, high intensity is unlikely to lead to favorable job-performance outcomes
unless the effort is channeled in a direction that benefits the organizations. Therefore, we consider
the quality of effort as well as its intensity. Effort directed toward, and consistent with, the
organizations goals is a kind of effort we should be speaking Finally Motivation has persistence
dimension. This measures how long a person can maintain effort. Motivation individuals stay with
a task long enough to achieve their goal.

Maslow proposed that motivation is the result of a person's attempt at fulfilling five basic
needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Physiological needs are
those needs required for human survival such as air, food, water, shelter, clothing and sleep

McClelland's Human Motivation Theory states that every person has one of three main
driving motivators: the needs for achievement, affiliation, or power. These motivators are
not inherent; we develop them through our culture and life experiences. Achievers like to
solve problems and achieve goals.

There are more definitions of motivation proposed by different writers. According to previous
definitions we can see that:

Motivation is an internal process that directs and maintains behavior. Motivation is an internal
process that can cause someone to move towards a certain goal.

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2. Early Theories of Motivation:

There are some early theories of motivation. Four theories of employee motivation formulated,
although now of questionable validity, are probably still the best known.

2.1 McClelland’s theory: In his acquired-needs theory, David McClelland

proposed that an individual's specific needs are acquired over time and are shaped
by one's life experiences. Most of these needs can be classed as achievement,
affiliation, or power.
2.1.1 Need for Achievement: Refers to an individual's desire for significant
accomplishment, mastering of skills, control, or high standards. The term
was first used by Henry Murray and associated with a range of actions. These
include: "intense, prolonged and repeated efforts to accomplish something
difficult. To work with singleness of purpose towards a high and distant goal.
To have the determination to win". The concept of N-Ach was subsequently
popularized by the psychologist David McClelland.
McClelland and his associates have since extended their work in fantasy
analysis to include different age groups, occupational groups, and
nationalities in their investigations of the strength of need for achievement.
These investigations have indicated that the N-Ach score increases with a
rise in occupational level. Invariably, businessmen, managers, and
entrepreneurs are high scorers. Other investigations into the characteristics
of the high achievers have revealed that accomplishment on the job
represents an end in itself; monetary rewards serve as an index of this
accomplishment. In addition, these other studies found that the high
achievers, though identified as managers, businessmen, and entrepreneurs,
are not gamblers. A high emotional intelligence calls for a high need for
achievement while a low emotional intelligence calls for a lower need for
achievement. They will accept risk only to the degree they believe their
personal contributions will make a difference in the final outcome

(McClelland, 1961)

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 2.1.2 Need for Power: The need for power is the desire within a person to hold
control and authority over another person and influence and change their
decision in accordance with his own needs or desires. The need to enhance
their self esteem and reputation drives these people and they desire their
views and ideas to be accepted and implemented over the views and ideas
over others. These people are strong leaders and can be best suited to leading
positions. They either belong to Personal or Institutional power motivator
groups. If they are a personal power motivator they would have the need to
control others and a institutional power motivator seeks to lead and
coordinate a team towards an end.
The individuals motivated by needs for power have a desire to control and
influence others. Competition motivates them and they enjoy winning
arguments. Status and recognition is something they aspire for and do not
like being on the losing side. They are self-disciplined and expect the same
from their peers and teams. The do not mind playing a zero-sum game,
where, for one person to win, another must lose and collaboration is not an
option. This motivational type is accompanied by needs for personal
prestige, and a better personal status. (Management Study. HQ)

2.1.3 Need for Affiliation: It is the desire for friendly and close interpretation.
The need for affiliation is urging of a person to have interpersonal and social
relationships with others or a particular set of people. They seek to work in
groups by creating friendly and lasting relationships and have the urge to be
liked by others. They tend to like collaborating with others to competing with
them and usually avoid high risk situations and uncertainty.
The individuals motivated by needs for affiliation prefer being part of a
group. They like spending their time socializing and maintaining
relationships and possess strong desire to be loved and accepted. These
individuals stick to basics and play by the books without feeling a need to
change things, primarily due to a fear of being rejected. People in this group
tend to adhere to the norms of the culture in that workplace and typically do
not change the norms of the workplace for fear of rejection. Collaboration is
the way to work for them competition remains secondary. They are not risk
seekers and are more cautious in their approach. These individuals work
effectively in roles based on social interactions, for instance, client service
and other customer interaction positions. (Management Study HQ)

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 2.2 Douglas McGregor: Social psychologist Douglas McGregor developed two
contrasting theories that explained how managers' beliefs about what motivates their
people can affect their management style. He labeled these Theory X and Theory Y.
These theories continue to be important even today.

2.2.1 Theory X: Theory X managers tend to take a pessimistic view of their

people, and assume that they are naturally unmotivated and dislike work. As
a result, they think that team members need to be prompted, rewarded or
punished constantly to make sure that they complete their tasks.

2.2.2 Theory Y: Theory Y managers have an optimistic, positive opinion of their

people, and they use a decentralized, participative management style. This
encourages a more collaborative, trust-based relationship between
managers and their team members.

2.3 Abraham Maslow's: Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in

psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as
hierarchical levels within a pyramid. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the
needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization.

(Figure : MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS)

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 2.3.1 Physiological Needs: Psychological needs such as such as confidence,
achievement and morality are on a high level of human needs. The most basic
needs are physiological, such as food, water, rest etc. Maslow believed that
people are generally motivated by their needs.

2.3.2 Safety: Safety and Security Needs. Safety and security needs are about
keeping us safe from harm. These needs include shelter, job security, health,
and safe environments. If a person does not feel safe in an environment, they
will seek to find safety before they attempt to meet any higher-level needs.

2.3.3 Social/Love/belongings: The social needs in Maslow’s hierarchy include

such things as love, acceptance, and belonging. At this level, the need for
emotional relationships drives human behavior. Some of the things that
satisfy this need includes: Friendship, Affection, Family, Social Group,
community Groups etc. In order to avoid problems such as loneliness,
depression, and anxiety, it is important for people to feel loved and accepted
by other people. Personal relationships with friends, family, and lovers play
an important role, as does involvement in other groups that might include
religious groups, sports teams, book clubs, and other group activities.

2.3.4 Esteem: At the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy is the need for
appreciation and respect. When the needs at the bottom three levels have
been satisfied, the esteem needs begin to play a more prominent role in
motivating behavior. At this point, it becomes increasingly important to gain
the respect and appreciation of others. People have a need to accomplish
things and then have their efforts recognized.

In addition to the need for feelings of accomplishment and prestige, the

esteem needs include such things as self-esteem and personal worth. People
need to sense that they are valued and by others and feel that they are making
a contribution to the world. Participation in professional activities, academic
accomplishments, athletic or team participation, and personal hobbies can all
play a role in fulfilling the esteem needs. (The Five Levels of Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs)

People who are able to satisfy the esteem needs by achieving good self-
esteem and the recognition of others tend to feel confident in their abilities.
Those who lack self-esteem and the respect of others can develop feelings of
inferiority.

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 2.3.5 Self-Actualization: At the very top of Maslow’s hierarchy are the self-
actualization needs. "What a man can be, he must be," Maslow explained,
referring to the need people have to achieve their full potential as human
beings. This need drives a person to become what he/she is capable of
becoming; it includes growth, achieving his/her potential, and self-
fulfillment.
Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less
concerned with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their
potential.

3. Contemporary Theories

Early theories of motivation either have not held up under close examination or have fallen out of
favor. So, there are some contemporary theories which represent the current state of thinking in
explaining employee motivation. We have defined two of those theories with the help of book:

3.1 Goal-Setting Theory: A theory that says that specific and difficult goals,
with feedback lead to higher performance.

3.2 Equity Theory: A theory that says that individuals compare their job
inputs and outcomes with those of others and then respond to eliminate any
inequities.

There are four parts in equity theory:

• Self-inside: An employee’s experience in a different position inside the

employee’s current organization.
• Self-outside: An employee’s experience in a situation or position outside
the employee’s current organization.
• Other-inside: Another individual or group of individuals inside the
employee’s organization.
• Other-outside: Another individual or group of individuals outside the
employee’s organization.

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4. Organization:

Organization is a group of people, structured in a specific way to achieve a series of shared goals.
Relationships within an organization are determined by its structure and are typically based upon
role and function. As the external environment can affect and be affected by organizations, they
are considered open systems.

5. Taskeater:
Taskeater is one of the world’s fastest growing
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
companies. They assemble fully managed
offshore teams, tailored to fit individual client
requirements. Their focus is on
communication, management, quality and
creating a good working environment for their
employees, reflective in their 300+ client base. With the ability to quickly train and scale teams
from 1 to 600+ analysts, they can be a strong and flexible partner.

Taskeater started in a small room with internet, four laptops and a poorly functioning air
conditioner. Today they are a global team of professionals working with some of the most exciting
growth companies and creating new job opportunities in the emerging world.

When they started in 2014, they wanted to build an outsourcing company to service high-growth
companies in Bangladesh. The key to this was being as flexible with changing workflows as our
clients were who had often been burnt by traditional, slow-response outsourcing. They also wanted
to become an employer’s choice with an open and inclusive office environment for young
professionals in Bangladesh.

By learning, often the hard way, they have narrowed their service offering to core data-driven
outsourcing services which could be performed by an offshore team and scaled up using tools and
automation. Their differentiator has become not to impose tools on their clients, but instead to fully
integrate with their clients’ workflows and tools.

Their business inherently has a social impact by creating new jobs in the emerging world; however
they wants to go beyond that, given that they has built up a reputation and knowledge in
Bangladesh. They are striving to be a thought-leader, helping shape awareness into how skills need
to be developed with the build-up of AI and globalization.

(Taskeater)

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 5.1 Ways Used to Motivate:

As it is already known that motivation is the process that account for an

individual’s (employee’s) intensity, direction, and persistence of effort
toward attaining an organization’s goal. Taskeater has some of their own
ways to motivate and satisfy their employees. They shared some information
regarding this topic with us, those are given below:

❖ Taskeater provides a total job security to their employees after two months
provisionary period. (Safety- Hierarchy needs theory-Abraham Maslow)

❖ Taskeater has a salary increment rule after 6 months based on employees’

performance during the period of time. It encourages the employees to
perform better to achieve the organizations goal. (Hygiene Factors)

❖ Taskeater has their special attention to their work environment. They are so
sensitive about their employees’ comfort zone. (Hygiene Factors)

❖ They have a special bonus policy for their employees during the two EID
(Muslims religious occasion), and also in Christmas and New Year.
(Motivational Factors)

❖ They have the facility of (both shift, day/night) supervisors to give direction
to their employees in their working process.

❖ Taskeater provides their employees the opportunity to grow and achieve their
potential. (Self-Actualization-Hierarchy needs theory-Abraham Maslow)

❖ The organization provides an employee suitable respect, status, and special

attention so that they can concentrate on their work. (Esteem-Hierarchy
needs theory-Abraham Maslow

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6. Findings:
After analyzing the motivational process, it can be said that Taskeater is mainly focusing on
Abraham Maslow’s -Hierarchy needs theory. We have also found some lacking in the process after
analyzing, those are given bellow:

• Taskeater does not provide any kind of promotion or extra job responsibility for which the
employees might get (Equity theory-other outside)

• Taskeater does not use equity theory of motivation. They are paying the same amount of
salary the undergraduate and the graduate employees. Which can create bias among the
employees.

• Taskeater contain goal setting theory by setting goal in every day working process. They
provide a single goal to every employee during the working process.

• The organization does not follow the way of theory X. They try to provide positive
encouragement to their employees who are demotivated in their work. (Theory Y)

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7. Recommendation:
After analyzing their motivational process and knowing the theories of motivation that they use
we have some recommendation for the organization, those are given below:

The organization should provide the employees a promotion system so that the employees
get encouraged.

Sometimes they should use the theory X to those employees who are not regular in work.

The organization should offer some extra employees to some trusted employee, so that the
trust and dependency of them to the organization increases.

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8. Conclusion
Taskeater provides job security to their employees. They have two shifts of working time. They
have salary increment. They provide their employee suitable status, respect, and give them special
attention. Their behavior towards their employee is friendly and understanding. Taskeaters’
dedicated offshore teams work on their systems and adopt their existing workflows. They believe
in teamwork and knowledge sharing and skills development and that’s why Taskeater is one of the
best place and opportunity to work for our young generation. Taskeater provides a very large
amount of services to their clients. Their services are top class and they are really trying to make
their clients work easy with their effective services. They have their own vision, mission and core
values which they follow strictly. There are still some lacking in their motivational process, they
should start solving as soon as they can to survive in this competitive market.

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9. Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved from Management Study. HQ: https://www.managementstudyhq.com/mcclellands-
theory-of-needs-power-achievement-and-affiliation.html

(n.d.). Retrieved from Management Study HQ: https://www.managementstudyhq.com/mcclellands-

theory-of-needs-power-achievement-and-affiliation.html

McClelland, D. C. (1961). The Achieving Society. Free Press, New York. Retrieved from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/need-for-achievement.html#ixzz2DAbf1NPt

Taskeater. (n.d.). Retrieved from Our Story: https://www.taskeater.com/our-story/

The Five Levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. (n.d.). Retrieved from Very Well Mind:
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4136760

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