Employee Contribution and Wellbeing Dissertation

Employee Contribution and Wellbeing - Dissertation Example Many descriptions of â€Å"motivation† abound. One acceptable definition of motivation was postulated by Dr. Stephen Robbins. According to the Doctor, motivation is the process behind an individual’s direction, persistence, intensity, and effort towards the attainment of an objective or goal (Buford, Bedeian, & Lindner, 1995). Generally, though, motivation may be described as any factor that causes an increase in a person’s normal input with the hope and knowledge that a reward will follow (the input). One of the most important aspects of any organization is productivity. Motivation plays a big role in how people perform at their workplaces. Kreitner, 1995 defines motivation as the psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction. Motivation may also be defined as the predisposition to behave in a purposive manner to achieve specific, unmet needs ((Buford, Bedeian, & Lindner, 1995) Motivation Theories According to Changing Minds.org (2009) motivated employees are vital for the success of rapidly changing organizations. Motivated employees help organizations survive. Motivated employees are more productive†. This means that to be effective, employers need to know what exactly motivates employees in their jobs. Content Theories of Motivation In an attempt to explain the various factors that motivate people, a number of researchers have postulated motivational theories. Content theories of motivation as some of these are commonly referred to include those associated with ERG, McGregor, McClelland, and Herzberg. Content theories explain fundamentally the reason humans keep changing in terms of their needs over time. Content theories, therefore, focus on the specific factors that lead to people’s motivation. The main idea or logic behind these theories is the fact that individuals need should be considered for them to be satisfied. This in effect means that if the individual’s specific needs are not satisfied or met, he/she will probably not be motivated enough to achieve objectives and goals. The following section describes the four main content theories.