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Some important theories of motivation are as follows :

I. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory : 

It is considered fundamental to understanding of motivation. A well-known psychologist, in a classic paper published in 1943, outlined the elements of an overall theory of motivation. This theory was based on human needs. He felt that within every human being, there exists a hierarchy of five needs.

 These are : 

1. Physical Needs : 

Food, clothes, shelter, fresh air, etc.

2. Safety Needs :

Fear of diseases, risk, security from loss.

3. Love Needs: 

Love, cooperation, friends, relatives, sense of togetherness. 

4. Self-Esteem Needs: 

Respect, appreciation, self confidence, reputation, etc. 

5. Self-Actualisation Needs : 

Potential, skills and abilities one is capable of.

II. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory :

Motivation Hygiene theory or dual factor theory was propounded by US behaviour scientist Fredrick Herzberg. He along with his associates, researched at Psychological Service, Pittsburgh and developed ‘Two Factor Theory’. This theory is based on empirical research on job attitudes of 200 engineers and accountants of a company. 

The researchers asked two questions from those two hundred employees : 

1. When you felt exceptionally good about your job ? 

2. When you felt exceptionally bad about your job ?

Herzberg grouped these responses into two categories :

1. Hygiene Factors: Company’s policy and administration, Job security, Salary or wages, Quality of supervision, etc.

2. Motivator Factors :

Achievement, Recognition and honour, Development or advancement, etc.

III. ‘X’ and ‘Y’ Theory of McGregor :

Prof. Douglas McGregor propounded X and Y theory of motivation. He is a managment consultant and an author, who, in his book named ‘Human Side of Enterprise’, described two distinct sets of assumptions about peopole at work. He believed that these assumptions influence the thinking and attitude of most managers about the people at work. Me Gregor labelled these sets of assumptions as Theory ‘X’ and Theory ‘Y’. Theory ‘X’ presents a pessimistic or negative view of human nature, whereas Theory ‘Y’ reflects an optimistic or positive view of human behaviour.

IV. William Ouchi’s ‘Z’ Theory : 

The credit to propound this theory of motivation goes to American management practictioner Prof. William G. Ouchi. He wrote a book entitled ‘Theory Z : How American business can meet the Japanese challenge’. This theory was published in 1981.

In this book, he described management practices in a number of US companies that are similar to those which successful Japanese companies have been practising for years. Theory Z refers to selected managerial practices adopted to the environment of United States as suggested by W. Ouchi. It is a hybrid management system which incorporates the strength of Japanese and American Management.

According to Me Farland, “Motivation refers to the way in which urges, drives, desires, aspirations, strivings, needs directly control or explain the behaviour of human beings.”

Importance of Motivation is as Follows :

• Helps in achieving determined goals: 

Motivation plays a vital role in achieving the determined goals. Motivation inspires the people to work for the achievement of organisational goals. Motivation is the core of management.

• Increase in Job Satisfaction : 

Through motivation, by creating interest for doing work, by analysing the importance and utility of the work for the employees, an employee’s job satisfaction can be enhanced. If the interest for doing work is not there, the person will not be able to do it efficiently. 

• Proper Utilisation of Resources : 

Motivated employees concentrate on finding new and more effective ways of doing a job and utilising resources. Properly motivated employees usually avoid work and misuse the resources.

• Improves Morale :

Morale is an individual’s (or group’s) attitude and feeling about his work and work situation and morale is the result of good motivation.

• Builds better Labour Relations :

Motivation focusses on the fact that even labour as a resource is human and should be treated with dignity and kindness. Good motivation creates congenial work environment and job satisfaction. 

• Basis of Managerial Functions : 

Motivation is inevitable for performing managerial funetions-planning, organising, coordination, direction and control. If employees are not motivated, planning, organising, etc. functions cannot be performed successfully. 

• Key to behaviour management Action : 

Motivation is the key to behavioural management and in its executive form it is among the chief tasks of manager. In all managerial actions, execution of motivation is essential.

Meaning of Motivation :

Motivation is a psychological energy which inspires the people to achieve organisational goals. Motivation is said to be the cause of behaviour. It is the cause which makes people to do things. Motivation minimises the difference between the performance of the work of a person and capacity to do the work.

According to Stanley Vance, “Any need or desire that makes people to do some work.” Main Features of Motivation : 

1. It is a continuous process. 

2. It is a psychological concept. 

3. It satisfies human needs/ wants.

4. Only human resources can be motivated. 

5. Motivational techniques can either be positive or negative. 

6. Motivation produces goal-oriented behaviour. 

7. Motivation is an enerising force. 

8. Motivation is not the cause of satisfaction rather it is the result. 

9. Motivation is a psychological concept that is concerned with whole individual, i.e. whole individual is motivated. 

10. Motivation is different from morale. 

11. Motivation is both cause and effect of an organisation’s success.

1. Hygiene Factors:

• Company policy and administration.
• Working conditions. 
• Job security.
• Salary or wages.
• Quality of supervision. 

2. Motivating factors:

• Achievement.
• Recognition and Honour.
• Development or Advancement.
• Responsibility. 
• personal growth.

(A) Stanley Vance.

Main needs included in Maslow’s Physiological needs are :

Clothes, food, shelter, fresh air, sunlight, etc.

Motivation is a psycnological energy which inspires the people to achieve organisational goals.

(C)  Maslow.

(D) All of these.

(A) Non-financial.

1. It is a continuous process. 

2. It is a psychological concept. 

3. It satisfies human needs / wants.

4. Only human resources can be motivated.

1. Physiological Needs, 

2. Safety Needs, 

3. Love or Belonging Needs, 

4. Esteem or Ego Needs, 

5. Self-Actualisation Needs.

Motivating factors given by Herzberg are : 

Achievement, recognition and honour, development or advancement, responsibility, etc.

Company’s policy and administration, working conditions, job security, salary or wages, etc.

1. Average employee / human being, inherently dislikes work and considers it as a burden and will avoid work, as far as possible.

2. Human beings dislike work and they must be coerced, controlled or threatened with punishment to make efforts to achieve objectives.

3. The average human beings, by nature, resist change and like to work with traditional techniques / methods.

4. They wish to avoid responsibility.

5. They are relatively less ambitious and lack creativity.

1. Employees find that work is as natural as play or rest if organisational conditions are appropriate. 

2. They welcome new techniques and changes and are ready to accept them. 

3. They learn not only to accept, but to seek responsibility. 

4. They are intellectual, and creative in solving problems.

5. They want to make maximum use of their potential.

6. They work not only for fulfilling their basic needs, but also for self esteem and self actualisition needs.

Prof. William G. Ouchi.

Some forms of non-financial incentives are job status & job security, praise & recognition, job enlargement & job rotation.

Financial motivation are those which are in direct monetary form or measurable in monetary terms and serve to motivate people for better performance. The financial incentives generally used in organisation are – pay and allowances, productivitylinked wage incentives, bonus, profit sharing, stock option, etc.

These needs relate to the desire to have social interaction, friendship, affiliation, acceptance, belongingness with groups, affection and support from others. Such needs become motivators when physiological and safety needs have been fairly satisfied.

Two techniques of motivation are : 

1. Financial techniques 

2. Non-Financial Techniques.

There are two types of motivation techniques.

Monetary techniques of motivation.

Motivation is the key to the effectiveness of all management functions.