Motivation
Problem 1 1.7
Motivation- what drives them?
Learning goal 1 - What is (work) motivation?
motivation
Motivation- conditions responsible for variations in intensity, persistence, quality
and direction of ongoing behaviour.
Motivation is related to 3 dimensions:
1. Direction – choice of behaviour
2. Intensity – amount of effort exerted
3. Persistence – continuing engagement in a behaviour
Metaphors:
- Person as a machine- metaphor that suggests that people’s behaviours and
actions are reflexive and involuntary and are performed without conscious
awareness
- Person as a scientist- metaphor that suggests that people are active information
gatherers and analysts who seek knowledge and understanding as a way of
mastering their environment
- Person as a judge- metaphor in which an individual seeks information about the
extent to which the person and others are perceived as responsible for positive
and negative events. The person looks for evidence of intention in the actions of
others and considers those intentions in choosing a personal course of action
Limited rationality – the inability of humans to reason and make decisions in
perfectly rational ways
Motivation is concerned with the desire to acquire a goal. It may be related to
- Wants
- Needs
- Desires
Many theories of motivation predict 3 things in order to explain why some people
perform better than others:
- Choice of behaviour
- Effort
- persistence
o these theories may be valid under the assumption that there is sufficient ability and
little constraint
o performance = (motivation X ability) – situational constraints
locus of control- extent to which an individual views events as resulting from his or
her own actions (internal) or from outside causes (external)
two dimensions of theories:
1. proximal theories – build upon motivators that are close to the specific
behaviour e.g. goals immediately direct specific behaviour to reach the goal
2. distal theories – build upon motivators that are far from the specific behaviour
e.g. needs that may be fulfilled in many different ways
Need theories
need theories- motivation derives from people’s desires for certain things
- needs vary per person and so does motivation
Problem 1 1.7
Motivation- what drives them?
Learning goal 1 - What is (work) motivation?
motivation
Motivation- conditions responsible for variations in intensity, persistence, quality
and direction of ongoing behaviour.
Motivation is related to 3 dimensions:
1. Direction – choice of behaviour
2. Intensity – amount of effort exerted
3. Persistence – continuing engagement in a behaviour
Metaphors:
- Person as a machine- metaphor that suggests that people’s behaviours and
actions are reflexive and involuntary and are performed without conscious
awareness
- Person as a scientist- metaphor that suggests that people are active information
gatherers and analysts who seek knowledge and understanding as a way of
mastering their environment
- Person as a judge- metaphor in which an individual seeks information about the
extent to which the person and others are perceived as responsible for positive
and negative events. The person looks for evidence of intention in the actions of
others and considers those intentions in choosing a personal course of action
Limited rationality – the inability of humans to reason and make decisions in
perfectly rational ways
Motivation is concerned with the desire to acquire a goal. It may be related to
- Wants
- Needs
- Desires
Many theories of motivation predict 3 things in order to explain why some people
perform better than others:
- Choice of behaviour
- Effort
- persistence
o these theories may be valid under the assumption that there is sufficient ability and
little constraint
o performance = (motivation X ability) – situational constraints
locus of control- extent to which an individual views events as resulting from his or
her own actions (internal) or from outside causes (external)
two dimensions of theories:
1. proximal theories – build upon motivators that are close to the specific
behaviour e.g. goals immediately direct specific behaviour to reach the goal
2. distal theories – build upon motivators that are far from the specific behaviour
e.g. needs that may be fulfilled in many different ways
Need theories
need theories- motivation derives from people’s desires for certain things
- needs vary per person and so does motivation
