Motivation is the reason for people's actions, willingness and goals. Motivation is derived from the word motive which is defined as a need that requires satisfaction. These needs could be wants or desires that are acquired through influence of culture, society, lifestyle, etc. or generally innate.
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 behaviour can be -
desire for money
success
recognition
job-satisfaction
team work, etc
One of the most important functions of management is to create willingness amongst the employees to perform in the best of their abilities. Therefore the role of a leader is to arouse interest in performance of employees in their jobs. The process of Motivational Status consists of three stages:-
Physiological needs- These are the basic needs of an individual which includes food, clothing, shelter, air, water, etc. These needs relate to the survival and maintenance of human life.
Safety needs- These needs are also important for human beings. Everybody wants job security, protection against danger, safety of property, etc.
Social needs- These needs emerge from society. Man is a social animal. These needs become important. For example- love, affection, belongingness, friendship, conversation, etc.
Esteem needs- These needs relate to desire for self-respect, recognition and respect from others.
Self-actualization needs- These are the needs of the highest order and these needs are found in those person whose previous four needs are satisfied. This will include need for social service, meditation.
Motivational For Business
Business experts disagree on the precise meaning of the term motivation. However, in essence motivation is, about
"The will to work"
Motivation comes from the enjoyment of the work itself and/or from the desire to achieve certain goals e.g. earn more money or achieve promotion.
Why does motivation matter in business?
In short, people's behaviour is determined by what motivates them. The performance of employees is a product of both their abilities (e.g. skills & experience) and motivation. A talented employee who feels de-motivated is unlikely to perform well at work, whereas a motivated employee can often deliver far more than is expected from them!
A well-motivated workforce can provide the following advantages:
Better productivity (amount produced per employee). This can lead to lower unit costs of production and so enable a firm to sell its product at a lower price
Lower levels of absenteeism as the employees are content with their working lives
Lower levels of staff turnover (the number of employees leaving the business). This can lead to lower training and recruitment costs
Improved industrial relations with trade unions
Contented workers give the firm a good reputation as an employer so making it easier to recruit the best workers
Motivated employees are likely to improve product quality or the customer service associated with a product
Rensis Likert, while pointing out the importance of motivation, has called it the ‘core of management’. Similarly, Allen while stressing the need and importance of motivation has observed that ‘poorly motivated people can nullify the soundest organisation.’ The importance of motivation is brought out by the following facts: