1.What is Motivation ?

 

What is Motivation?

We can describe as Motivation is the longing or willingness to do something due to the set of psychological forces or factors that compel you to act in service of a goal. It’s a vital component of human behavior in setting and accomplishing our goals. Psychologists define motivation as our overall readiness to accomplish something. Human beings do something due to a wide variety of motivating factors that are the combination of psychological powers that urge you to make a move. As well as, we can define as a driving force that makes individuals act, put forth objectives, and accomplish them. As a psychophysiological process, motivation controls human behavior and because of this people tend to stay motivated to set directions, take action, and accomplish goals.

The word motivation is originated from the word ‘motive’ which means desires, needs, wants or drives inside the people. We can also understand it as the method involved with stimulating individuals to perform an activity due to internal or external rewards to achieve the objectives.

Motivation is one of the important factors affecting human behavior & performance in the organization. It is one of the essential functions of a manager at the workplace. Here, a manager needs to understand the requirement for employees so as to motivate them properly. The concept involves needs wants, demand wishes, etc of employees.

Motives are often categorized into primary, or basic, motives, which are unlearned and common to both animals and humans; and secondary, or learned, motives, which can differ from animal to animal and person to person. Primary motives are thought to include hunger, thirst, sex, avoidance of pain, and perhaps aggression and fear. Secondary motives typically studied in humans include achievement, power motivation, and numerous other specialized motives.

Motives have also sometimes been classified into “pushes” and “pulls.” Push motives concern internal changes that have the effect of triggering specific motive states. Pull motives represent external goals that influence one’s behaviour toward them. Most motivational situations are in reality a combination of push and pull conditions. For example, hunger, in part, may be signaled by internal changes in blood glucose or fat stores, but motivation to eat is also heavily influenced by what foods are available. Some foods are more desirable than others and exert an influence on our behaviour toward them. Behaviour is, thus, often a complex blend of internal pushes and external pulls.

 

Motivation Definitions

There are more definitions for motivation, which described by veterans in human resources management. Few definitions can be shown as below.

1. Robert Dubin describe as

Something that moves the person to action and continues him in the course of action already initiated. It refers to the way a person is enthused at work to intensify his desire and willingness to use his potentiality for the achievement of organizational objectives.”

2 Definition of Koontz and O’Donnell

Motivation is a general term applying to the entire class of drives, desires, needs, wishes, and similar forces that induce an individual or a group of people to work.

3.  Dalton E. McFarlan describe as

Motivation refers to the way in which urges, drives, desires, aspirations, strivings, or needs direct, control, or explain the behavior of human beings.

4. According to Michael J. Jucious

Motivation is the act of stimulating someone or oneself to get a desired course of action, to push the right button to get the desired action.” It is nothing but an act of inducement.

References

Available at

https://www.britannica.com/topic/motivation

Accessed 23 November 2022

Available at

https://study.com/learn/lesson/what-is-motivation-theory.html

Accessed November 22, 2022