IndexIntroductionMaslow's Hierarchy of NeedsGoal Setting TheoryWhich theory best explains my motivation to go to college?ReferencesIntroductionMotivation is the process of stimulating people to take actions that will enable them to achieve their goals/motives, (Juneja, undated). The word motivation comes from the word motive, which is the determining factor of your behavior. If we can understand an individual's motivations, we can influence their behavior. How an employee performs can largely depend on his or her abilities and motivation, so a primary task for management is to motivate employees to work to reach their full potential. Finding the right way to motivate staff is essential for managers if they want to accelerate the productivity of their staff and eliminate problems such as "boredom" in the workplace. Boredom is common, especially among people who work in offices. It is the demotivation that occurs due to repetitive, uninteresting and undemanding work. Fortunately, however, there are extensive studies, research and theories that outline what motivates people to work hard. In this assignment I will discuss Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory of motivation and goal setting theory, I will also compare the two and give my recommendation on their use in the workplace. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Maslow's hierarchy of needsThis theory of motivation was put forward by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow who argued that all human beings have innate needs and identified them in his 'hierarchy of needs', which act as motivators for dependent; Self-actualization; realizing your true potential. Esteem; respect, status, recognition. Social; self-realization remains the overall end goal. Everyone has the desire and potential to achieve self-actualization. But unfortunately, unmet lower needs or even life experiences such as the death of a loved one can leave individuals straddling the stages. and unable to reach the end goal. Self-actualization is defined as a need for “growth,” a need that occurs not because of a lack of something but rather because of a natural desire to succeed. Unlike all the lower, esteem, social, safety and physiological needs which are seen as "deficiency" needs. These are needs that arise in the face of deprivation, it is important that these needs are satisfied to avoid negative emotions and the consequences that arise from failure to meet these needs. Initially, Maslow stated that to move to the higher-level view of growth needs as motivation, lower-level deficit needs must first be satisfied. However, he later changed his opinion and clarified that need satisfaction is not an “all or nothing” phenomenon. Instead, it is when deficit needs are “more or less” satisfied that employee motivations diverge towards higher-level growth needs. These then become our salient needs. Maslow's theory is still used by managers to motivate their staff. For example, they will pay employees a salary that allows them to meet their physiological needs. Once this is achieved, managers can offer employees long-term employment contracts, providemedical checks or implement health and safety procedures in the workplace. Thus satisfying the need for security and motivating the employee to work towards social needs. Management introduces teamwork and organizes staff parties to help employees develop friendships in the workplace. They also meet social needs by offering flexible hours, giving staff the opportunity to spend time with family. Esteem needs are met by offering a new job title/office. Finally, managers will motivate employees through continuously achieving self-actualization goals, such as giving them more responsibility in their roles, etc. In my opinion, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a great motivator for staff as it has very few limitations and is flexible enough to adapt to many different career areas. The only problem with this theory is that in characterizing self-actualized people Maslow studied 18 biographies of people he believed to be self-actualized. It can be argued that this is biased and reflects certain individuals rather than humanity. Goal Setting Theory This is a theory of motivation that holds that motivation at work is influenced by goal difficulty, goal specificity, and knowledge of outcomes. There are four propositions in this theory: Challenging goals, which result in a higher level of performance than simple ones. Specific goals lead to high levels of performance, as opposed to vague goals. Participation in setting goals, improving performance by increasing commitment. Knowledge of past performance results, ensuring efficient achievement of objectives. There is a linear relationship between difficult goals and performance that assumes that people are committed to goals and possess the knowledge and ability to achieve them. Therefore, goal commitment is especially critical when goals are specific and difficult. While it is true that goal difficulty has a negative effect when individuals self-report their job performance, goal difficulty and goal clarity have been found to have positive effects on reported effort. It was suggested by Herminia Ibarra in 2015 that smartphones, watches, and other technologies that track personal progress throughout the day—that is, how many steps you've taken—have made goal setting more popular. The Californian company BetterWorks took advantage of this and developed performance monitoring software, used by more than 50 customers including Google, Intel and Twitter. The design allows people to set and share their goals, record progress on the company dashboard and receive feedback from colleagues through the app, available for download directly to their smartphones. This is a great example of how goal setting theory is effective in motivating employees. Systems as such help fuel staff's desire to achieve results, they can easily keep track of the goals they have set for themselves and this can be a great motivator. The added incentive of being able to publish your results and have others recognize the work you have done is another excellent motivator for employees, as they will gain a sense of satisfaction that they will want to continue working towards. This method is considered highly effective in the short term when the objectives are clear and precise, but has limitations in the long term as it loses its influence when the objectives tend to be more subject to; 19436804