Assessment title

Explain what is meant by motivation in managing people

Introduction

The essay aims to analyse the relationship, motivation has between commitment and
performance at the workplace. If an individual can meet the expectancy and complete the
assigned tasks as a result of individual "effort", it will directly show a positive impact on the
performance, growth and the inner driving force being motivation. Motivation compels
employees to take certain actions in a way that is needed to drive that inner force for initiating
and maintaining goal-oriented behaviors. Organisational success goes hand in hand with
managers; leaders and company executives who induce and stimulate the inner drive of
motivation which helps them to pursue mutual goals and objectives efficiently. On encountering
stressful situations at the workplace, employees must work in relationship, putting their
differences aside and working together (Kuswati, 2020. pp. 995-1002). Achievement motive is
the desire to accomplish difficult tasks to meet the standard of excellence. It is helpful at the
workplace environment as it is a sort of permanent tendency in an individual which is related to
success, people who are high in this motive tend to do things in which they are praised
(Anderman,2020.pp.61) This is a learned motive and it is always desired to meet the higher
standards. This essay will explain various functions that trigger motivation and how it impacts
employers' performance about motivation theory.

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Main Body

Motivation is an internal state that gives direction to do something that serves to activate or
energise behavior and give it direction. One of the most well-known motivation theories is
"Maslow's hierarchy of needs". It is psychological theory that explains human motivation based
on the most basic to advance needs hierarchically (Morris et al.,2022.pp.1801-1816). It's not
easy to always stay motivated when dealing with various life complexities, and motivation is a
complex process that starts with human needs. When a basic need becomes strong people in turn
get involved in efforts meant to fulfill them. Only when satisfaction of basic needs is easy the
individual will have time and energy for intellectual interests. Motivation is derived from the
term "motive" an inner-driven force that may be both physiological as well as psychological
there are two motivational types extrinsic and intrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is a self-driven force
that is not influenced by any external force (Ryan and Deci,2020.Page no. 69) It is the type of
motivation for which the person is responsible for helping one to direct them in achieving their
goals, though it's hard to remain motivated all the time, but intrinsic factors such as
responsibility, dedication, abilities, will power, skills helps to keep one motivated. Intrinsic
motivation is mainly related to self-satisfaction that is inbuilt and is not for any external rewards,
it is productive and active (Manzoor et al.,2021.pp.21) Extrinsic motivation is when an
individual's motivational stimuli are influenced by some external source associated with a highly
rewarding outcome.

Maslow's five-tier hierarchical model starts with basic physiological needs, safety and belonging
then progresses to self-esteem and self-actualisation. Maslow's theory uses different human
needs to increase productivity in businesses. Essential needs such as breaks, high-quality work in
a short period time, and a positive workplace environment create a sense of satisfaction and
prevent absenteeism and reducing labor turnover. Self-actualisation is realistically oriented to
accepting and embracing reality rather than denying the truth (Altymurat et al., 2021.pp.12-16)
Organisations use different aspects of Maslow motivational theory along with five-tier basic
needs. Business application of physiological needs comprises of safe working environment,
proper lighting, clean facilities and airflow. Example: Google UK ensures the well-being and
comfort of the employees are being met by the use of electric cars to get to staff meetings.
Business application of safety comprises treating coworkers with respect. Business applications

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of belonging need to mention that everyone should get equal opportunity to speak and be heard.
Business application of esteem includes public praise, empowerment and employee recognition
programs. Business application of self-actualisation gives employees equal opportunity to be
creative and to reinvent ideas putting direct input to leadership for future purposes (Durmus,
2024. pp. 137-152) For example, Google UK offers the most comfortable and innovative
workplace environments. Google ends up offering perks through extrinsic motivation such as
rewards and travel benefits. Thus Maslow's theory in business application suggests that each
individual should have an "outward mindset "establishing a model of participatory management
where input is sorted and valued and employees are involved in the decision-making process.
Creating workspaces with respect and dignity amongst all the members is of utmost importance.
Google wants its workers to try new things and take risks, even if they might fail. This method
keeps employees interested and motivated because they are always asked to think of new ideas
and use their creativity. Google is a great example of how a workplace that inspires people can
help a business. Google motivates their employees with flexibility, free perks, health and
happiness benefits and the '150 Feet from Food Rule'. Offering a totally unique way of working,
the tech giant is one of the most popular and favored employers in the world. They encourage
their employees to think creatively, take risks, and explore new ideas. The company's "moonshot
thinking" philosophy pushes the boundaries of what's possible with computer software.

Managers' need to consider individual differences among employees is an important aspect of

organisational behavior. Individual differences are the facts of the way people think and their
perspectives make them different from each other. The whole personality of an individual
comprises not only the physical aspects but also likes, dislikes, interests and values. Factors that
would help the manager to identify individual differences are biographical which includes age,
gender and tenure and abilities which include intellectual and physical abilities. Intellectual
ability comprises dimensions such as verbal comprehension, perceptual speed, memory, number
aptitude. (Di Fabio et al.,2020.pp.166) Understanding all these differences allows leaders and
managers to assign tasks, roles and job titles by employees' strengths, and skills, turning
weaknesses into strengths, and understanding their behavior towards assigned tasks and the
workplace hence enhancing overall performance. Individual differences should be considered
from the hiring process to team collaboration and performance.

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Managers need to consider individual differences because it has three major aspects that
differentiate people from each other these are personality differences, cognitive differences and
emotional differences. In a business environment the individual differences are manifested
through work style, work approaches, decision making and communication. To ensure a
motivated workforce that will contribute positively to business goals companies are by imposing
team balance and investing in training and feedback systems (Sumatra et al.,2023.pp.112-117)
According to the ASA model which is the attraction-selection-attrition model, by combining
these three a sort of typical personality develops for a specific organisation. The main function of
a manager is to understand individual differences to create an environment where people can do
their best work, providing the right support to allow each individual to thrive in their particular
role. (Riyanto et al .,2021.pp.162) Manager always finds new opportunities for their teams to
grow and learn professionally but considering individual differences at the workplace is equally
important as each individual has the strength and weaknesses so responsibilities should be
distributed fairly and equally. By differentiating the individual differences among individuals
manager also needs to "motivate employees with self-esteem needs as this will provide
continuous opportunities for skill development and self-development. This can be done in two
ways; first, the self-respect needs which include a person or employee's desire for competence,
confidence, achievement and independence; Second, respect for others includes desire for
prestige, status, reputation, recognition, appreciation, acceptance from others, promotion, praise
and opportunities for personal growth (Forner et al.,2020.pp.76-94)

Managers motivating unmotivated employees are linked to both organisational growth as well
personal developments. Employees who feel motivated automatically gain self-confidence and a
feeling of self-worth. The ways in which managers motivate employees is by appreciating them
in their learning phase, giving them time to adapt to the workplace environment, exchange of
thoughts and ideas making them feel comfortable about themselves and helping employees to
feel a sense of purpose (Kalogiannidis.2021.pp.984-996) Employees will feel motivated if they
have a purpose towards their work life that will develop an interest in their work which will not
be forceful developing a positive outlook towards their work. The other ways in which manager
motivates an unmotivated employee is making the business work area a pleasant place to be
having well lit and aesthetically pleasing surroundings. Being respectful, honest and supportive
mentor also works in a positive manner. Another way is to offer rewards to the employees for

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example starting an incentive programs or quarterly bonus. A business that is continuously
expanding giving employees a room to grow within the company is a huge motivator. Frequently
sharing positive feedback should be encouraged by the managers so that employees feel fulfilled
at work and are satisfied as well. (Girdwichai and Sriviboon,2020.pp.42) Recognising their
achievements, being transparent and offering flexible schedule are major ways to attract top
talent and progressive employee.

Manager measures employee motivation through surveys, performance evaluation, feedback, and
tracking key performance all these would offer insights into workforce motivation. Motivated
employees contribute to organisational outcomes by producing more in quantity and quality.
People who are motivated in comparison with people who are demotivated at the workplace
show following traits: people who are motivated tend to prefer moderately challenging tasks,
they have a strong desire for feedback for their performance, they want to know how well they
are doing, they prefer doing tasks in which rewards are closely related to individual performance,
they are task-oriented people and have a tendency to avoid failures ( Dziuba et al.,2020.pp.18-
25) Organizational success and a positive work environment include actively listening to the
team, providing feedback opportunities, and implementing strategies to boost motivation all this
would foster employee engagement (Rajin,2020.pp.152-160) A real-life organisational example
that would support the above context is companies adapting to employee recognition strategies to
enhance engagement and motivation. Example: 'Apple considerate paid-time-off reward for a
global workforce'. During the holiday season apple extended employees' holidays so that the
entire workforce could take a week's break. Apple also decided to offer paid holidays for three
days in a row. The rewards were customised according to the employee's location and job role.
Retail workers working extra during the holiday season would also get rewards (Tian et al.,
2022.pp.718-725) Key elements that are unique in Apple's strategic employee recognition
Firstly; Apple understood the efforts of the entire workforce. Secondly, the reward was modified
according to regional, cultural and personal requirements, feeling valued regardless of their
office location.

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To sum up, motivation is a major factor to be considered at the organisation's workplace and
amongst the employees; it should be inbuilt and natural not being much affected by any external
source. According to Maslow's hierarchy, self-actualisation is the highest motive which states the
need for self-fulfillment which is "what a man can be he must be”. The motivation to be cheerful
towards the work comes with a supportive team and exciting projects to work on. Employee
motivation is not just a feel-good factor but it directly impacts a business's bottom line.
Managers should communicate the project vision and acknowledge the team members to keep up
with their motivation this will help employees to do their best and go the extra mile in their jobs.
Employee motivation is not just a one-day or one-time process but it's an ongoing process that
requires continuous effort and attention. Lastly according to the journal 'Maslow on
Management' is a work on industrial psychology, predicting and explaining the work behavior.
Maslow explained the application of humanistic psychology in organisations and the educational
sector where a great number of people could be positively affected. On comparing management
with driving, if the organisation is a vehicle then motivation is the power or the fuel that keeps
the vehicle moving.

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