Psychology Of The Workplace - Motivation

Front 1

What are the two theories relating to motivation and describe them?

Back 1

Content (Maslow, Alderfer, McClelland) focused on needs that arise from within us (psychological or physical)

Process theories (expectancy and equity) - describe how personal factors interact and affect behavior

Front 2

Describe Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory

Back 2

This theory states that we are all motivated by needs and we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the most obvious needs for survival itself. Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development. He believed most people don't reach the top level.

If the things that satisfy our lower order needs are swept away, we are no longer concerned about the maintenance of our higher order needs.

Lowest level:
Physiological (food, water, shelter)
Security: (safety and stability).
Affiliation: the next focus would be affiliation (interpersonal rships or social needs, forming friendships)
Esteem: once affiliation needs are taken care of, we seek a sense of self-worth
Self-actualization: when people meet their fullest potential (Maslow said not many people reached this)

Front 3

Maslow believed people who are self-actualized are:

Back 3

Task oriented
Creative
Accepting of other people’s weaknesses (they don’t expect perfection)
Follow own ethical standards (they have their own sense of what is right/wrong)
Spontaneous and natural
Their happiness is independent of others’ opinion or material things

Front 4

How would Maslow's theory work in an i/o sense?

Back 4

Maslow says the first thing people work for is a paycheck because it meets their physiological needs.
The next need might be job security (the sense you’re not going to lose job)
Next step might be making friends r/ships with coworkers
Next step would be trying to achieve sth at work, getting some recognition and using skills
Most people don’t reach self-actualization at work according to Maslow because there is something blocking them in the environment

Front 5

Describe Alderfer's ERG theory of motivation?

Back 5

He proposed 3 major needs:
Existence need (combining physiological & safety)
Relatedness (like Maslow’s affiliation)
Growth (could combine Maslow’s esteem and self-actualization)

Similar to Maslow but Alderfer talked about ‘frustration regression’. If you were constantly trying at work to meet affiliation needs but they are not being met (coworkers aren’t nice), according to Alderfer you would drop down and focus on next lower level need.
Both Maslow and Alderfer believed in fulfillment progression – once you’ve fulfilled one need, you move on to the next higher level need.

Front 6

Describe McClelland's Achievement-Motivation theory of motivation.

Back 6

It states that you could assess people’s needs by looking at the pre-conscious. The preconscious theory in psychology states that there is a conscious, unconscious (just below the surface of our awareness) and the preconscious state which is what happens when you’re thinking about something else while you’re doing something (daydreaming).
McClelland believed that the content of the preconscious would indicate whether someone was motivated. If you could change their daydreams you could impact what motivates them. If you got someone to daydream about achievement this might influence them.

Front 7

Achievement Motivation Theory is often linked to the TAT. Explain.

Back 7

TAT projective test means you project your needs, desires etc as you interpret stories. If you were to take the TAT to assess motivation, it would be scored or evaluated according to how often themes of achievement, affiliation or power were revealed.

Front 8

According to the Achievement Motivation Theory, some characteristics of people with a need for achievement are those who:

Back 8

Set their own goals (daily goals – I will read this chapter today)
If you are almost always trying to accomplish something
Prefer moderately difficult things (don’t like goals too easy or too difficult because if too difficult there is a high chance they won’t achieve them)
Need immediate feedback

Front 9

what are some of the criticisms of content theories?

Back 9

They don't explain why people choose a particular behavior to meet a need.
Why do people in similar situations behave differently?

Front 10

What are the 3 parts of expectancy theory?

Back 10

Expectancy – effort is going to lead to performance.

Instrumentality: making sure a certain level of performance is reached and if so, there would be second level outcomes. 2nd level outcome is when you achieve getting an A not just for getting an A but because you might get a better job later. Instrumentality is the strength of the link b/w first and second level outcome. How strong is the link b/w getting an A and getting a job/getting into grad school? This is going to be different for everyone so for expectancy theory to be measuring people’s level of motivation accurately, you would want people to generate their 2nd level outcomes (come up with a list of 2nd level outcomes and then use numbers indicate the strength of those numbers and then rank them in a hierarchy).

Valence: it’s important that the 2nd level outcomes would be of value to the person. The key thing is that the followers find it rewarding.

Front 11

What is the equity theory of motivation?

Back 11

Equity theory is based on a balance b/w what we put in and what we get out.
‘Inputs’ are what an individual is bringing to a situation. In a work setting, it could be your knowledge, experience, how much effort you put in, OCBs.
Outcomes are rewards – salary, benefits, r/ship to coworkers, a sense of recognition, enjoyment of the work.
You could divide the outcomes by the inputs and if we get a ratio of 1 it’s a fair exchange – equity or fairness.
But if the ratio is less than 1, you’re getting shortchanged. You’re getting less than you’re putting in to it.
If the ratio is greater than 1, you’re being overcompensated.

Front 12

What is Locke's goal setting theory of motivation?

Back 12

The theory states that goals have 2 major functions:

Energize us
Once we set a goal, it helps us to focus our behavior/ direct our behavior

Front 13

Certain conditions under which goal setting is going to work better, where it’s going to have a better impact on performance. They are:

Back 13

Goal acceptance – you have to take the goal as your own. If someone else sets your goal, it’s not the same.
Moderately difficult goals - Research indicates that people will reject goals if they are too easy or too difficult. Moderately difficult is the best. In terms of performance we want the goals to be moderately challenging.
More specific goals are better. Goal specificity is important. “I want to raise my grade point average” is too vague or “I want to eat healthier.” much better to say I want to eat 5 servings of veggies per day. The reason is that this is linked with feedback.
Feedback – we need to know how we are doing so we can adjust our performance. If you don’t get any feedback in a class you won’t know how much to study for the next exam. If you have a specific goal, it’s much easier to figure out if you are on track with your goal.
Self-efficacy – research indicates that when people have high levels of self-efficacy, they are more committed and persistent with achieving their goals. Self-efficacy is belief in one’s ability to execute a task or behavior. People with high levels of self-efficacy with regard to school, is likely to work hard at that goal. Lower self-efficacy results in lowering goals.

Front 14

Organizations sometimes use Management-by-Objectives (MBO) is a way of evaluating people’s performance and using this in white collar jobs. what is it?

Back 14

The rationale behind it is to help people see how their jobs fit in with other jobs, how those as a management tool.
Managers and subordinates jointly set goals for work performance. Later that person would be evaluated on whether the goals are met.
Someone who hasn’t got much control over their work would not do well in this situation but people with a fair degree of independence would do well.