II. INTRO
One of the key aspects of management is motivating. Finding the right form of motivation
is a problem that been around ever since motivation in the work place was conceived as an
idea. As of now, there are several theories to what kind of motivation works the best to get
an employee motivated to produce their best work. Unfortunately, many try motivating
employees by using extrinsic rewards, such as cash or the like. What they dont realize is
that in the long run, this is making their employees less productive than they were to start
with.
III. Define Motivation
To be able to understand what motivates someone, we first must look at what motivation
is. According to Webster dictionary, motivation is something (as a need or desire) that
causes a person to act (Dictionary). Motivation is also said to be an inner desire to satisfy
an unsatisfied need. What this is telling us is that we are motivated if we need or desire
something. Motivation is based upon a satisfaction of something deep inside us.
IV. Hierarchy of Needs
There was a famous Psychological theorist by the name of Abraham Maslow. Maslow is
well known for his theory known as the Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow hierarchy is set up in
a pyramid starting with the most basic needs at the bottom and working up to the most
advanced needs. He claimed that we as humans are motivated by unsatisfied needs. Also,
certain lower needs have to be satisfied before higher needs can be obtained. At the lowest
level, we need certain physical needs, such as food, air, and water. Next up, we need safety.
We need order and security to satisfy this stage. Above this we find love. We need to feel
like we belong, and that we can communicate with others. After this we have esteem as the
need. We need to feel achievement, status, prestige, and mastery. The highest level of the
hierarchy is self actualization. This involves true personal fulfillment. The problem most
encountered by managers is that they focus on motivating by satisfying the lower level
needs. They never are able to motivate someone beyond their base needs.
V. INTRINSIC REWARDS
Needs are broken up into 2 different categories, intrinsic and extrinsic; first well take a
look at intrinsic needs. It is very important for managers to understand that intrinsic
rewards are imperative to unlocking personal motivation in employees. Some say that as
