MOTIVATION

From your understanding of motivation theories and the literature on working groups and leadership, explain why motivating a group may be different from motivating individuals

Difference between Motivating a Group and Motivating Individuals

Introduction

Individuals have a variety of needs they seek to satisfy. Several theories of motivation address the role needs play in stimulating behaviour. Of primary consideration in the need-based theories of Herzberg, McClelland and Maslow is the notion that unmet needs are motivators. That is, people are motivated to act in ways that they expect will help them satisfy their current unfulfilled needs. For example, a need-based theory would say that if a person is hungry, she will be motivated to seek food. As soon as this need is met, however, the motivation to search for food will disappear. Need-based theories tend to be content theories because they offer an explanation for why a person is motivated. In the previous example, for instance, the individual is motivated because she is hungry. Groups, just like teams, are internally motivated. If the group is strongly motivated to achieve its goals then it will get down to business constructively.

Employing different motivation theories and the literature related to motivation, this paper explains why motivating a group may be different from motivating individuals.

Discussion

Although motivational theories may stress different factors, they reveal a common principle: People do what they are rewarded for doing. This is the case regardless of whether the reward is intrinsic (i.e., internally derived) or extrinsic (i.e., externally derived). Intrinsic rewards are typically intangible things such as feelings of accomplishment and increased self-esteem. Extrinsic rewards, which are usually more tangible in nature, include pay, promotions, and incentive trips, to name a few. (Ajzen 2007, 15-20)

Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Maslow's study guided him to the understanding that motivation could shoot from a number of needs which are enjoined in a specific hierarchical manner He therefore expanded his motivational theory derived from the “needs hierarchy”. The idea that an individual is transferred to connect in manners that would gratify the major need felt at that specific occasion is fundamental to the needs hierarchy theory. Hierarchy of Needs Theory is basically about individuals not about a group. A manager or supervisor may use it to motivate a single individual but not a group.

In application, this theory would suggest that an person who had sufficient shelter and food (i.e., had met his physiological needs) and who felt safe from potential threats (i.e., had no unfulfilled safety needs) would be motivated to meet love needs (i.e., if his social and belonging needs were as yet unsatisfied). Once these needs were met, the next level of need (i.e., esteem) would be activated, and the individual would behave in a manner expected to meet esteem needs. Then, as esteem needs were met, the individual would try to satisfy self-actualization needs.

[Maslow's hierarchy of needs]

If, however, a person's physical safety was suddenly threatened (e.g., if an angry customer threatened a hotel clerk with physical violence), the lower-order need for safety ...