Motivation and Maslow

Three words to keep apart:

• Motive: an inner state, born of a need, that pushes a person to act.
• Motivation: the process of stimulating people to act towards goals.
• Motivator: the technique used to motivate: pay, praise, promotion.

Motivation is an internal feeling; it produces goal-directed behaviour; it can be positive (a reward, such as a promotion) or negative (a threat, such as stopping increments); and it is complex, because each person reacts differently.

The motivation process: an unsatisfied need creates tension, which creates drives; these lead to search behaviour; the need is satisfied, and the tension is reduced.

Why it matters: it improves performance; changes negative attitudes into positive ones; reduces turnover (people leaving) and absenteeism; and helps people accept change.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs, from the lowest to the highest:

• Physiological: food, clothing, shelter; met by a basic salary.
• Safety: security of job and income; met by job security, a pension plan.
• Affiliation (belonging): friendship, acceptance by a group; met by friendly colleagues and informal groups, the kind of friend who packs an extra roti for you in their tiffin.
• Esteem: self-respect, recognition, status; met by a promotion, a rank or title, a cabin of one's own.
• Self-actualisation: becoming what one is capable of becoming; the highest need.

People move up the ladder: once a need is satisfied, it no longer motivates, and the next need takes over. A well-paid employee with a secure job may now want recognition and a challenge.