4 Psychological Theories of Motivation to Increase Productivity

(A guide for an effective Leader)….

We all want to be more productive but getting motivated enough to actually get things done can seem impossible.

Social scientists have been studying motivation for decades, trying to find out what motivates our behaviour, how and why.

Dozens of theories of motivation have been proposed over the years. Here are 4 popular theories of motivation that can help you increase workplace productivity…

1. Hertzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

The Two-Factor Theory of motivation (otherwise known as dual-factor theory or motivation-hygiene theory) was developed by psychologist Frederick Herzberg in the 1950s.

It is distinguished by two factors:

• Motivator factors
• Hygiene factors

Both of these factors are supposed to influence motivation and productivity, but they appeared to work completely independently of each other…

The first quadrant signifies the ideal situation. Employees are very motivated and barely have any complaints. The second quadrant is about High hygiene and low motivation. Employees have few complaints, but they’re not really motivated, they see their work simply as a pay check. The third quadrant signifies low hygiene and high motivation. Employees are motivated, their job is challenging, but they have complaints about salary or work conditions. The final fourth quadrant is low hygiene and low motivation. This is the worst possible situation, employees are not motivated and have a lot of complaints.

How to apply it to the workplace:

• Eliminate Job Dissatisfaction
  To get rid of job dissatisfaction the main factor that needs to be eliminated is poor and destructive company policy and simultaneously promote a culture of respect and dignity in the team.
  Other than that, effective support and non intrusive supervision should be exercised by the leader of the team, wages shall be competitive, job security shall be implemented and a job status should be maintained by providing meaningful work.
• Create Conditions for Job Satisfaction
  Job enrichment should be promoted by providing opportunities for the employees, recognizing their contribution, rewarding them for the same, providing proper training and assigning the correct responsibility.

This theory implies that for the happiest and most productive workforce, you need to work on improving both motivator and hygiene factors.

2. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The Hierarchy of Needs theory was coined by psychologist Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”.

The hierarchy is made up of 5 levels:

• Physiological — these needs must be met in order for a person to survive, such as food, water and shelter. These signify the basic needs of a person and shall be met to fulfill the needs higher in the hierarchy.
• Safety — This includes factors like personal and financial security and health and well being. A healthy life style and a financial backup is essential for the proper peace of mind.
• Love/belonging — The need for friendships, relationships and family is crucial. The need of an intimate or close relationship to survive throughout the life is also crucial.
• Esteem — This signifies the need to feel confident and be respected by others. Prestige and a feeling of accomplishment is achieved to create a mark in the society.
• Self-actualization — The desire to achieve everything you possibly can and become the most that you can be. A person achieves self fulfillment in this stage.

How to apply it to the workplace

By showing the value of their roles, the team should be able to feel respected and motivated to work harder and better.

In order to get the most out of your team, you should also make sure you support them in other aspects of their lives outside work. Perhaps you could offer flexible working hours to give employees time to focus on their families and make sure they are paid fairly to help them feel financially stable.

3. Hawthorne Effect

The Hawthorne Effect was first described by Henry A. Landsberger in 1950 who noticed a tendency for some people to work harder and perform better when they were being observed by researchers.

The researchers changed a number of physical conditions over the course of the experiments including lighting, working hours and breaks. In all cases, employee productivity increased when a change was made. The researchers concluded that employees became motivated to work harder as a response to the attention being paid to them, rather than the actual physical changes themselves.

How to apply it to the workplace

The Hawthorne Effect studies suggest that employees will work harder if they know they’re being observed.

Showing your employees that you care about them and their working conditions may motivate them to work harder. Encourage your team to give you feedback and suggestions about their work space and development.

4. Expectancy Theory

Expectancy Theory proposes that people will choose how to behave depending on the outcomes they expect as a result of their behavior.

Expectancy Theory is based on three elements:

• Expectancy — Our assessment of the probability that our efforts will lead to the required performance level. This is based on your past experience, your self confidence and how difficult you think the goal is to achieve.
• Instrumentality — This refers to the belief that you will receive a reward if you meet performance expectations. The reward for the first performance also affects the second level performance.
• Valence — This refers to the value you place on the reward. It refers to the depth of the want of an employee for extrinsic (money, promotion, time-off, benefits) or intrinsic (satisfaction) rewards.

How to apply it to the workplace

The key here is to set achievable goals for your employees and provide rewards that they actually want.

Rewards in the form of pay rises, bonuses or all-expenses paid nights out along with praises, opportunities for progression and “employee of the month” style rewards can all go a long way in motivating the employees.

Hope these theories help you to achieve the right path to effective leadership. If you felt motivated then do not forget to hit the clap icon and follow me by clicking the tab below.