Self concept and work motivation

Personality is more than poise, charm, or physical appearance. It includes habits, attitudes, and all the physical, emotional, social, religious and moral aspects that a person possesses.

Essentially, the role of motivation in a person’s life is crucial to the understanding of human activities. Motivation is never static because in life, there always presents a dynamic and changing pattern of needs. Internal and external motivation provides in brief, an astute way of explaining the “why’s” of people’s behaviors (Halonen & Santrock, 1996).No wonder then, that in general, educators handle pupils or learners in the light of this ideation. Again the question, why do people behave as they do? How can people account for the workers who are always on time, exceed production quotas, and are polite to the boss, whereas other workers at the same plant who perform the same job under the same conditions for the same pay behave in the opposite way? It is easy to say that there must be an increase the motivation of the employees, but unless people know precisely what factors constitute motivation in this specific instance, changes may not be that feasible.Human motivation is most complex.

People seldom behave or respond to a particular situation because of a single motive. Generally, individuals are driven by a variety of needs and desires, some complimentary and others conflicting (Halonen & Santrock, 1996). Although there is no full and accurate understanding of a human being’s motivational structure, there is a body of knowledge from psychological research, which shows quite a bit about the forces that drive humans.This paper stands on the understanding that awareness of the self, understanding one’s dynamics or what makes oneself tick or fall short influences primarily this person’s desire, excel, or achieve.

Discussion Motivation is defined as the concept that represents the fundamental influence that drives behavior and providing its direction (Morris et al. 1999, p 284). One major motivational model or theory more often used in almost in all applications is the theory by Abraham Maslow (Smith et al, 1982). More prominently called as the hierarchy of needs, this theory explains an individual’s needs on different levels.

On the theory, Maslow defines basic or fundamental needs as the individual’s biological needs like hunger, thirst and rest. Maslow believes that on this basic level lies the “evolution” of the other so-called “higher” needs. If the lower levels are not satisfied, the implications mean the individual cannot or will not move onto the higher levels (Morris et al. 1999, p. 302; Marx 1976). Maslow’s theory became a phenomenal one especially in the workplace because of its humanistic desirability; they seemed significant to people.

It helps clarify why some work incentives are not effective for some people and situations. And managers in work settings can implement interventions in their workplaces based on their understanding of human behavior according to the hierarchy of needs (Berry, 2002, p. 240). ~Internal and External Classification of Motivation Psychology recognizes different perspectives of motivation. One of these viewpoints pertains to the idea of “motivational inducements,” otherwise known as incentives.

Incentives are referenced from either the vantage point of internal, or that of external motivation.An inducement coming from within the individual is called intrinsic or internal motivation. It is, according to Morris and Maisto, about the “. . .

desire to perform a behavior that originates within the individual. ” An inducement coming from outside the individual is called external or extrinsic motivation. It is the aspiration to do or achieve a goal in order to acquire a type of incentives or escape or steer clear of punishment (Morris and Maisto, 1999, p. 316). Children are often induced by the presence of external incentives to perform expected tasks or avoid incurring punishment.

For motivation experts, however, a person developing the internal type of motivation will reap more lasting and beneficial effects compared with external motivation (1999). To induce a child to do what the parents ask for by way of rewards or threats are at times less constructive or even detrimental to the overall performance of the person or child. ~Example of Motivation in the Workplace In a multinational company like National Panasonic, they practice and execute specific agenda for increasing motivation, one of which is Management by Objectives (MBO).They have faith in involving their employees in goal-setting and in decision-making. MBO works by integrating goal-setting into individual participation in decision-making in order to establish individual work goals to which the employee feels reasonably committed.

At the motivational level, it is theorized that resistance to change is decreased if individuals participate in decisions regarding change and that individuals accept and are more committed to decisions in which they have participated in making.To further encourage and increase involvement, the company provides suggestion boxes and hold monthly contests where they give monetary rewards for the best three suggestions. These give the employee a sense of achievement and responsibility for its success. For this company, the employees receive incentives in the form of Ladder promotion, general salary increase annually plus performance rating salary increases, CBA – employees can expect a minimum of 15% increase in salary annually within three years; and welfare benefits which include group insurances, medical insurance, accident benefits among others (Baron, 1983).

A company like this goes to such great lengths at least to assure that it does something for sustaining employees’ morale and motivation. Motivation according to Drebinger (2006) is simply the “act of helping someone achieve something that is beneficial to them. ” Along this vein, the intentions and usually the methods are ethically and morally right which is synonymous with such internal behavior/attitudes as impetus, drive and inspiration. There are risks involved such as being misinterpreted or misperceived which happens very commonly to almost anyone (Llewellyn , 2003; Kitchener, 2000).Conclusion Essentially, the role of motivation in a person’s life is crucial to the understanding of human activities. Motivation is never static because in life, there always presents a dynamic and changing pattern of needs.

Internal and external motivation provides in brief, an astute way of explaining the “why’s” of people’s behaviors. The problem of employee motivation is critical in all kinds of organizations today and is responsible for the shoddy products we buy and the careless service we receive.It was thought that all that was necessary to produce high motivation in workers was to pay them more; this idea may no longer be valid for a large portion of the work force. Modern workers demand jobs that satisfy their inner needs for fulfillment, expression, and self-actualization. Traditional values involved loyalty to the company and a strong drive for money, status, promotion and security. The new breed of workers focuses on self-fulfillment and self-actualization and demands jobs that are challenging and that allow participation in decision-making.

They have little loyalty to the organization and less concern with money, status and security. Whenever other people in the workplace are around us, it is undoubtedly a complicated set-up knowing that these people have values and priorities and desires multiplied over their number. Their motivation at work or in life is impinged upon by their ideas about themselves coming from values and priorities which are in turn what makes them motivated. These values are translated into goals that fuel what and how their conduct will be in their field of work.The workplace today considers any of the perspectives mentioned in this paper. However, what are more reflective at many organizations are their strategies in enhancing the life of the average worker.

The understanding of the needs or drives that motivate people is therefore critical in the choice of what “motivator variables” that the management may employ to encourage their people to do or sustain an excellent job or an efficient performance. Work-life initiatives are strategies implemented by firms to reduce turnover and increase productivity and overall firm performance.Studies were made to examine the influence and effects of work-life initiatives on employees and the organization in general. Workplace diversity which incorporates the concepts of work-life initiatives does indicate that it is inevitable that when a company introduces work-life initiatives, there is a resulting increase in diversity. Substantial evidence point to the effectiveness of workplace diversity hence, many institutions encourage and promote this in their particular milieu (http://www. cmdronline.

com/workshops. htm).This type of strategy caters to the goal-setting perspective posited by Edwin Locke. Although the other two are also very valid in many instances or situations, the applicability of the former (goal-setting) seemed to be more realistic and practical.

Every home has its set of beliefs or tradition that they hold in high esteem. This is referred to as family values. Anything that the family believes is important comprises a family values system. Among the values an individual possesses, the most important I believe is that a person must regard most his/her values about family as the most significant.Many people don’t usually pause and contemplate what their values are.

They may not know whether these values they already have are still practical or useful in a modern day world. Moreover, they do not think how their values fit in with their kind of milieu that they evolve in. There are families that take time out though to impart to their children what had been passed on to them when they too were yet very young. The values may not be as strong as when were yet children because the person may have adapted to his world and adjusted his values that others may be accommodated.Through the years, a family value system may be a combination of what had been passed on to an individual and the values system of one’s friends or colleagues at work.

The primary reason that goals and goal-setting are critical aspects in the role of motivation in people is pointedly because what we hold as important affects how we use time, money and energy or how we interact with people. If a person believes in the importance of education then he tries to save for the schooling of their children. What we set as goals are actually our values influencing how we spend our resources and make decisions.Referencehttp://www.cmdronline.com/workshops.htm