WORK MOTIVATION

Work Motivation

Work Motivation

Introduction

This paper deals with a case study of work motivation. The scenario revolves around an employee of Midshires University, named Anne Henderson. Work motivation refers to motivation in the domain of work and careers. Most often it is used to refer to the motivation to perform or produce, but within the work setting it can also have other meanings, for example, the motivation to stay or commit to or quit a work group or organization (like Midshires University in this case); the motivation to cooperate, share knowledge, or help customers; the motivation to lead or to support a leader, peer, or subordinate; the motivation to start a new business; and so forth.

Job satisfaction is motivating but does not necessarily motivate high productivity; it is most consistently related, negatively, to turnover (Bandura, 2005). And that has what actually happened with Anne Henderson, the subject of this case study.

Discussion

Work motivation pertains to the dynamic person and contextual factors that influence an Anne's ongoing choice among goals, allocation of personal resources (in the form of time and effort), and strategies implemented for goal accomplishment. An Anne's motivation, expressed in terms of goal choice, behavioral intentions, intensity of effort toward goal accomplishment, and persistence has long been recognized as a key determinant of job performance and work adjustment. Over the past 80 years, diverse approaches to work motivation have converged on a broad picture of how motivational processes operate (Leonard, 2006).

In the work context, motivation is typically conceptualized as a set of two interrelated processes—namely, goal choice and goal striving. Individual differences in cognitive abilities, skills, non-ability traits (e.g., personality), motives, and interests along with situational factors have been shown to influence both the goals that individuals consciously adopt and the action-regulatory processes by which individuals pursue goal accomplishment over time (Locke, 2002).

In Anne's case, emotions have come to play their part. Emotions are the form in which people experience automatized, subconscious value judgments. Every emotion involves a particular type of value appraisal. Satisfaction with performance comes from the appraisal that one has achieved a desired performance goal. Job satisfaction comes from attaining desired values in one's job as a whole. Happiness is a wider form of satisfaction based on the appraisal of having attained important life goals and values (Pinder, 2005).

Pride stems from the appraisal that one has attained significant values based on one's efforts and virtues. Anxiety is a response to the appraisal of a current or impending threat, typically a threat to one's self-esteem. Fear is a response to the appraisal of a physical danger to oneself or a loved one. Depression results from the appraisal that one is no good, life is no good, and things will never get better (Vroom, 2004). Anger is a response to the perception of injustice or goal frustration.

People like Anne, may respond emotionally in different ways to the same person, object, or event because they have stored different premises, beliefs, and values in the ...