Content Perspectives
and Employee
Motivation
William C. L. Weston
Oral Presentation: 11/18/2019
Paper Due: 11/20/2019
Table of Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Definitions ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs …………………………..……………………………………………….. 2
The Hierarchy ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
The Application of Maslow’s Hierarchy …………………………………………………………… 3
Alderfer’s ERG theory ……………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Expanding upon ERG ……………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Using ERG Theory for Motivation ………………………………………………………………….. 5
McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory ………………………………………………………………… 6
Theory …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Applying McClelland’s Theory to Employees …………………………………………………… 7
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory ………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Motivational vs. Hygiene Factors …………………………………………………………………… 8
Utilizing Herzberg’s Theory as a Manager ……………………………………………………… 9
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
1| P a g e
Introduction
Content Perspectives are an attempt to classify and identify what it is that
motivates people. This is, as expected, a key concern for the practice of
management. To begin we will define some of the key terms for this subject such as
the definition of needs and motivation. There are four different content perspectives
to be presented in this paper: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which was one of the first
theories to be developed, Alderfer’s ERG theory developed in the 1960s,
McClelland’s acquired needs theory, and Herzberg’s two-factor theory that spawned
from a landmark study of accountants and engineers. We will discover the
intricacies of each of these four theories, and more importantly, discover how we can
apply these theories to effective management practices.
Definitions
Before beginning to discuss the various content perspectives it is key to
provide definitions for the sake of clarity.
Needs are the physiological or psychological deficiencies that arouse
behavior. A good example of this concept would be needing friendship because of
loneliness. This simple example is a deficiency and depending on the theory
friendship is considered a requirement for life. (Kinicki, and Williams)
Motivation may be defined as the psychological processes that arouse and
direct goal-directed behavior. At its core the process is simple and understandable.
There is a need which creates a motivation to meet that need. This results in
behaviors that lead to the final reward, the fulfillment of the identified need.
(Kinicki, and Williams)
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s content perspective was first presented in Abraham Maslow’s 1943
paper “A theory of Human Motivation” and published in Psychological Review
(Maslow). Despite the relative antiquity of Maslow’s theory, it remains a popular
framework in sociology research and is referenced by a multitude of papers and
courses. The impact of his research truly expanded beyond his field and into the
world of business as managers developed new ways to garner minute advantages
over the competition.
The Hierarchy
