Chapter 06 – Motivating Others
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Chapter 6
Motivating Others
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
Our belief is that motivation is not so much something you do as it is something you discover
about others. Great managers discover what inspires those around them and use both intrinsic
and extrinsic rewards to maximize that drive. This chapter includes diagnostic models for
framing motivational challenges and a synthesis of the enormous volume of work that has
explored how to create the most motivational of relationships and workplaces. We frame
motivation as having three major sources: the employee, the manager, and the task. By
leveraging this simple framework, students can learn to use the tools available to them and
diagnose and attach motivation problems from a well-grounded systems perspective.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KNOWING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain the expectancy theory of motivation and its components.
2. Articulate the benefits of rewards beyond money.
3. Explain different behavioral strategies available to a manager applying reinforcement
theory.
4. Explain how improving job characteristics increases work motivation.
5. Explain the conditions under which goal setting is most effective.
6. Explain different behavioral strategies available to a manager applying reinforcement
theory.
DOING OBJECTIVES
1. Design motivating work by applying the job characteristics model.
2. Diagnose motivational problems.
3. Create a motivational work environment using goal setting and reinforcement theory.
4. Use rewards effectively to improve motivation.
KEY STUDENT QUESTIONS
First and foremost, students will ask “How can I motivate people?” The answer is “it depends.”
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Instructors should then show students how to link the motivational theories to practical
examples. Although there are general practices that successful managers tend to use for
motivation (see below), we cannot forget the importance of diagnosing each situation.
Managers Who Motivate:
• Share their vision, so employees know why they are working
• Set specific, difficult goals with employees
• Train and reward employees using specific, constructive feedback
• Match the size of the reward to the size of the accomplishment
• Allocate rewards openly and fairly
Students are also likely to ask very situation-specific questions about motivation, including:
1. “How can a supervisor motivate remote employees who are fairly independent and self-
sufficient? The supervisor cannot monitor and interact with remote employees the same way
they do office employees, but remote employees might need even more motivation than
office employees!”
2. “How can you convince poor performers that the merit pay system is for real without
showing them the raises given to top performers?”
3. “What is the best way to motivate employees when managers are short on resources?”
Answers to the above questions might include:
1. When employees are independent and self-sufficient, it is particularly important to pay
attention to intrinsic motivators – the nature of the work they are given, opportunities for
Chapter 06 – Motivating Others
2. When answering this question, talk about both expectancy theory and pay-for-performance
plans. The issue here is not necessarily knowing how much others have made, but rather,
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a. Appropriateness depends on the situation
4. Low performance is always attributable to low motivation
a. People may lack the ability or resources necessary to perform well
5. Lack of motivation stems largely from lazy, apathetic, and un-motivated people
a. More often it is the situation that lacks sufficient incentives to motivate people.
6. Smart people don’t need to be motivated
a. Performance is a function of ability, motivation, and opportunity – not just ability
E. Performance = f (Motivation x Ability x Opportunity)
1. Multiplicative nature of function suggests that all parts are important for motivation
to occur.
II. Framing Motivation Challenges and Ideas: The Expectancy Theory
A. Expectancy theories is one of the best motivation theories for practical diagnosis of
motivational issues
B. Three employee “beliefs”
1. Expectancy
a. The understanding of what performance is desired and the belief that effort will
lead to a desired level of performance
b. To increase expectancy
i. Clarify goals and expectations
ii. Ensure that people are confident that effort will lead to performance
2. Instrumentality
a. The belief that a given level of performance will lead to specific outcomes
b. To increase instrumentality
i. Link rewards directly to performance
3. Valence
a. The value a person places on the outcomes received.
b. To increase valence
i. Find outcomes that have the highest value for target individuals
C. Key Features of Expectancy Theory
2. Expectancy theory is based on perceptions or beliefs – not on objective reality
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D. Why Capable People Are Not Motivated
1. Diagnosis is key to understanding lack of motivation
2. Expectancy theory diagnosis centers on finding out which of the three beliefs is
low/missing
3. “Bucket Analogy of Motivation
a. Three sources of motivation
b. Many ways to fill each source of motivation
c. If bucket is full, person is optimally motivated
d. If bucket is low, more effort will be required to fill the bucket
III. The Person as a Source of Motivation
A. An Equity Theory Approach to Motivation
1. Equity – workers’ perceptions of the fairness of the outcomes they receive on the job
2. Outcomes – things people get from the job (e.g., pay, recognition)
3. Inputs – things people put into the job (e.g., time, expertise, commitment)
4. Social comparison – people compare their outcomes and inputs to the outcomes and
inputs of others
a. When people feel their inputs and outcomes are out of balance compared to
others, they are motivated to restore balance
5. Potential actions to restore equity
6. Equity sensitivity
a. Different people have different perceptions of what is equitable.
i. People high in equity sensitivity
a.) Want more than others for the same level of inputs
accomplishment
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7. What managers need to do to maintain equity
a. Monitor and use “reality checks” on their subordinates’ perceptions of equity
b. Do not treat and/or reward all workers the same
B. The Platinum Rule – treat others as they wish to be treated
C. McClelland’s Learned Needs
1. Three basic needs
a. Need for achievement – Thrive on pursuing and attaining goals
b. Need for power – Like to influence others and take control
c. Need for affiliation – Desire friendly and close interpersonal relationships
2. Relation between needs and effective management
a. People with high need for affiliation may have difficulty resolving conflicts, and
may make exceptions to keep people happy
d. People with different personal need profiles gravitate toward different jobs
3. What motivates others?
a. Most of us are inaccurate judges of what other people want
b. Achievement motivated people
iii. Like immediate feedback
iv. Tend to have a task-orientation toward getting the job done
c. Power motivated people
i. Volunteer for leadership positions
ii. Recommend changes whether or not they are needed
iii. Very willing to assert themselves when a decision needs to be made.
d. Affiliation motivated people
i. Enjoy helping others
iv. Are good listeners
v. Can be distracted from work by social environment
4. Applying the learned needs in the workplace
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D. Other popular motivational theories
1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
a. Five inborn needs
b. Needs are satisfied in hierarchical order – when one level is satisfied, person will
be motivated by filling a need at the next level
c. Theory has been largely discredited by research
2. Alderfer’s ERG Theory
a. Similar to Maslow’s theory but collapsed five needs into three: existence, related,
and growth
3. McGregor’s Theory of X and Y
a. Theory X holds that they average person dislikes work and will avoid it if
possible
b. Theory Y holds that effort in work is as natural as work and play
c. Theory has not been rigorously tested
4. Herzberg’s 2-Factor Theory
a. Says that there are two sets of independent factors related to motivation
b. Supported by some research but not all
5. Deci’s Cognitive Evaluative Theory
a. Idea is that powerful extrinsic motivators can actually reduce intrinsic motivation
b. Research is mixed
6. Daniel Pink’s Fundamentals of Drive
a. Says that motivation is due to three elements: autonomy, mastery, and purpose
b. Theory has not been well-tested at this point
IV. The Job as a Source of Motivation
A. The Job Characteristics Model
1. Five core job dimensions are linked to critical psychological states, which lead to
personal and work outcomes (moderated by employee growth need strength.)
2. Core Job Dimensions
a. Skill Variety – range of skills used on the job
itself.
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3. Critical Psychological States
4. Personal and Work Outcomes
a. High Internal Work Motivation
5. The MPS Formula
a. The Job Characteristics Model estimates the degree to which different jobs will be
6. How to Enrich Boring Work
a. Combine tasks
b. Group tasks into natural work units
e. Open feedback channels
V. The Manager as a Source of Motivation
A. Goal Setting
3. Common goal setting traps include:
a. Ceiling effect – people reach their goals and stop, even though they could do more
b. Game playing and suboptimization can occur, where people either ignore other
important goals or act in unintended ways to meet goals
4. Vague goals are no better than not having a goal at all
5. Goals are more likely to be effective when
a. People have a say in setting their own goals
b. Goals have been made public
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B. Reinforcement Theory – Behavior Modification
1. Based on the idea that behavior which is rewarded is repeated, and behavior that is
punished is avoided
2. Behavior modification has five major steps:
a. Performance-related behaviors are identified
3. Developing and Implementing a Behavioral Strategy
a. Use operant conditioning as a way of linking consequences with behaviors
i. Positive reinforcement – A desired behavior is followed by a positive
consequence – behavior increases
a.) Finding Creative Positive Reinforcements
negative consequence
iv. Punishment – An undesired behavior is followed by a negative consequence –
behavior decreases.
a.) In most companies, punishment increases in severity with the number of
times punishment has been administered
b.) Punishment should be avoided as much as possible, since it often has
unintended consequences.
c.) “Red Hot Stove” rule – Punishment is administered most effectively when
the following conditions are met:
d.) Punishment should focus on a specific behavioral problem – not on old or
general issues.
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CASES
Ritz-Carlton Hotels
1. Even though the employees at Ritz Carlton are not paid significantly more than people at
other retail establishments, they have the self-satisfaction and pride of knowing they are
their best because they know it will be noticed and valued.
2. Managers should lead by example; employees learn what behaviors are valued by
watching what their managers do. Moreover, mood is contagious, so managers who want
3. In some cases people who go “the extra mile” are paid more. Many companies use pay-
for performance to reward top performers; some companies use “spot bonuses” that
award employees “on the spot” when they are engaging in exceptional behavior.
Companies that go the extra-mile can sometimes afford to pay their employees more
with customers.
Maintaining Employee Motivation at MGM Grand
1. One reward used by MGM Grand is employee recognition dinners for top performers.
Such dinners are important because they show employees that their good performance is
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employees who are high in the need for achievement and power because advancement
opportunities signal not only achievement but can provide power.
2. The three components of expectancy theory are expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.
The company offers valued rewards (e.g., see question 1 above) so that valence is high.
3. Cutting employees can have negative consequences for not only the people who left, but
on the “layoff survivors.” Research shows that layoff survivors can suffer guilt and
anxiety. They are often afraid of future layoffs and feel burdened by additional work that
“MANAGE WHAT” SCENARIOS
1. Taking over As Manager: Building a More Motivational Workplace
Debrief is found at the end of the chapter.
2. Dealing with the Unmotivated Person
Debrief is found at the end of the chapter.
3. Motivating in an Economic Downturn
Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common in today’s economy. However, even in an
economic downturn, many employees remain motivated. Why? And what can we do
enhance motivation at such a time? In the scenario presented, the CEO of a leading