For this week?s reflection, respond to the following prompt for this week:
Think of a time when you or someone you know suffered from low motivation. Based on our learning this week think of some creative ways to solve this issue.
Be specific, and apply specific theories that we learned in class.
Note: Responses should be created in Word, include references to course material/content and be of at least 2 paragraphs per prompt (350-500 words).
Theories
· Need theories. Maslow?s hierarchy, McClelland?s needs, and the twofactor theory focus on needs. None has found widespread support, although McClelland?s is the strongest, particularly regarding the relationship between achievement and productivity. In general, need theories are not very valid explanations of motivation.
· Self-determination theory and cognitive evaluation theory. As research on the motivational effects of rewards has accumulated, it increasingly appears extrinsic rewards can undermine motivation if they are seen as coercive. They can increase motivation if they provide information about competence and relatedness.
· Goal-setting theory. Clear and difficult goals lead to higher levels of employee productivity, supporting goal-setting theory?s explanation of this dependent variable. The theory does not address absenteeism, turnover, or satisfaction, however.
· Reinforcement theory. This theory has an impressive record for predicting quality and quantity of work, persistence of effort, absenteeism, tardiness, and accident rates. It does not offer much insight into employee satisfaction or the decision to quit.
· Equity theory/organizational justice. Equity theory deals with productivity, satisfaction, absence, and turnover variables. However, its strongest legacy is that it provided the spark for research on organizational justice, which has more support in the literature.
· Expectancy theory. Expectancy theory offers a powerful explanation of performance variables such as employee productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. But it assumes employees have few constraints on decision making, such as bias or incomplete information, and this limits its applicability. Expectancy theory has some validity because, for many behaviors, people consider expected outcomes.
