What is a Motivational Theory?
In an ideal world, every professional would carry out their duties to the fullest, with not a single mistake or missed deadline in sight. But unfortunately, we all have our days when we’re performing at half our potential – days where low motivation can make completing tasks feel like pushing a boulder up a hill.
Luckily, there are a whole host of motivational theories that can help you get the most from your day. Here, we’ll go into some of the most popular theories and look at how you can apply them to your job.
Quick navigation
– What is a motivational theory
– Exploring different motivational theories
What is a motivational theory?
Although there are many different motivational theories, they’re all concerned with the same thing: discovering what drives a person to work towards a particular goal or outcome. And it’s no secret that motivated employees are more productive – or that productive employees are more profitable.
As you’ll soon see, motivational theories differ in their approach, but they can be distilled into two factors:
– Extrinsic factors: People are motivated by external factors, such as a bonus for hard work or reproach should they fail to meet targets.
– Intrinsic factors: People are motivated by a desire to satisfy human needs, such as a desire to please their boss, be respected among their peers or to achieve professional or personal goals.
Most people are rarely motivated by one factor or the other, but rather a combination of the two. As their manager, it’s up to you to discover what this combination is. Below, we’ll take a look at the most popular theories in the workplace, their pros and cons and how you can apply them to your own environment in the future.
Exploring different motivational theories
Hertzberg Theory
In 1959, Herzberg surveyed 200 professionals and identified two factors that affect employee motivation: motivators (e.g., recognition, career growth, enjoyable work) that increase job satisfaction, and hygiene factors (e.g., poor pay, bad conditions, team conflict) that cause dissatisfaction if missing. Motivation and demotivation, he found, don’t sit on the same spectrum – they’re influenced by different things.
How to apply Herzberg’s theory
To boost motivation:
– Ensure employees feel that their efforts are appreciated.
– Let employees know they’re on a path to progression.
– Celebrate achievements regularly, both big and small.
– Offer opportunities to learn new skills and take on meaningful tasks.
– Give employees autonomy and trust them to manage their work.
To reduce dissatisfaction:
– Ensure workloads are realistic and manageable.
– Review salaries to ensure they are fair and competitive.
– Create a positive, respectful working environment.
– Address workplace conflicts quickly and effectively.
– Be approachable and open to employee concerns.
Advantages of Hertzberg’s theory
– It emphasises motivation from within. Rather than solely focusing on external factors, employees can more readily motivate themselves. This makes it easy for companies and managers to pursue it as a model.
– It highlights problems experienced by employees. Managers can benefit because it allows them to identify and then minimise the issues that stand in the way of job satisfaction and motivation.
– It gives managers control over performance. By treating them properly and creating the ideal working conditions, managers can easily increase employee productivity.
Disadvantages of Hertzberg’s theory
– It doesn’t use a comprehensive measure to assess what motivation means. An employee could find their job satisfying even though they don’t enjoy certain aspects of it, for example.
– It’s a highly subjective theory. What might satisfy one person may not satisfy another. For instance, some people may be motivated by a higher salary, while others might prefer learning new skills.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
In 1943, Maslow proposed that human motivation is driven by a hierarchy of needs, from basic survival needs (food, safety) to psychological (belonging, esteem), up to self-actualisation. Once one level is fulfilled, people are motivated by the next. In a work context, that means you need to satisfy fundamental needs before expecting high performance or growth.
How to apply the Hierarchy of Needs
Employees in offices with a strong work/life balance stand a better chance of adhering to this theory. Things like flexible working hours, industry-standard salaries, and a friendly working environment help to meet esteem, social and safety needs. To achieve this, a workplace should:
– Offer training and development opportunities to support growth.
– Provide regular recognition to boost confidence and self-worth.
– Encourage collaboration and team-building to satisfy social needs.
– Give employees a sense of job security through transparency and stability.
– Support health and wellbeing with initiatives like wellness programs or mental health days.
– Allow employees to shape their own goals and career paths.
– Provide autonomy to help employees feel trusted and in control.
– Avoid environments that pit employees against one another in unhealthy competition.
Hierarchy of Needs advantages
– It’s simple, easily understandable and can help managers understand how to motivate their employees, offering perceptive insight into their behaviour.
– As a result, managers can benefit from understanding their employees’ basic human needs, including social needs, job security and recognition. By creating an environment which meets these needs, managers can create self-actualised team members who carry out duties to their fullest.
Hierarchy of Needs disadvantages
– There is no way to accurately measure how satisfied one level of need has to be before the need above that comes into focus.
– A widely noted disadvantage of this hierarchy is that Maslow studied only a narrow segment of the human population. Certain terms, like “self-esteem” and “security”, don’t hold the same importance to certain cultures around the globe. This makes it hard for researchers to generalise these needs across all human populations.
– It also fails to take into account individual differences. There is little to suggest that every human in the world experiences these needs in the order that Maslow suggests they do.
Weiner Attribution Theory
In the early 1970s, Weiner’s theory explained how the reasons we give for success or failure affect our future motivation. It looks at three key factors: stability (is the cause consistent over time?), locus of control (was it internal or external?), and controllability (was it something the person could influence?). These attributions shape future behaviour, performance, and confidence.
How to apply Weiner’s Attribution Theory Model
Attribution theory is especially useful when giving employee feedback, as the way people interpret success or failure impacts how motivated they’ll feel going forward. Use the following strategies to support positive attributions and sustained motivation:
– Give constructive feedback that focuses on how improvement is possible.
– Emphasise that performance can be improved with effort and strategy.
– Help employees see setbacks as temporary and within their control.
– Reinforce that skills can be developed, rather than being fixed traits.
– Recognise effort and progress, even when goals aren’t fully met.
– Avoid attributing failure to personality or fixed ability.
– Guide employees to view mistakes as learning opportunities.
– Use encouragement to shift negative attributions toward positive, actionable ones.
Advantages of Weiner’s Attribution Theory
– Explains the difference in motivation between high and low achievers. High achievers will attempt, rather than evade, responsibilities that will allow them to prosper. High achievers also believe that failure is caused by bad luck, rather than any fault of their own.
Disadvantages of Weiner’s Attribution Theory
– The theory can be used for people to blame others and avoid personal convictions. It can also lead to low achievers avoiding opportunities that could lead to success, since they skew towards doubting their own abilities. This means they’re apt to presuming that accomplishments relate to luck or factors beyond their control, rather than their own abilities.
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
Vroom argued that motivation is a result of expected outcomes. People are more likely to work hard if they believe their effort will lead to good performance (expectancy), that performance will lead to a reward (instrumentality), and that the reward is something they value (valence). It’s a clear link between effort, outcome, and motivation.
How to apply Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
– Set clear, achievable goals that employees believe they can meet.
– Make sure employees understand how their effort links to performance.
– Provide rewards that employees genuinely value.
– Communicate how strong performance leads to specific outcomes.
– Avoid overpromising rewards that may not be delivered.
– Use praise, progression opportunities, and small incentives as motivators.
– Regularly check that expectations, performance, and rewards stay aligned.
– Be open to feedback to learn what drives your team’s motivation.
Advantages of Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
– When proper goals are set, it may motivate employees to improve their performance – even if the outcome doesn’t meet expectations.
– With a proper grasp of the theory, management can assemble more effective teams to accomplish business goals. By knowing exactly what they need to offer in order to motivate employees, identifying skills gaps and committing to delivering the right reward, managers can achieve far more as a result.
Disadvantages of Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
– Often assumes that effort and performance will directly lead to the desired outcome
– If the chosen rewards lack value in employees’ eyes, then the team may lose the motivation to perform.
McClelland’s Theory of Needs
McClelland identified three core motivators: achievement, affiliation, and power. Each person leans more heavily toward one, influencing how they work and what drives them. By understanding which of these needs dominates each employee, managers can assign tasks and shape roles to match individual motivation styles.
How to Apply McClelland’s Theory
– Identify each team member’s dominant motivator: power, affiliation, or achievement.
– Look at personality traits and past behaviour to spot motivational patterns.
– Assign tasks that align with an individual’s core motivator.
– Give leadership roles to those driven by power.
– Foster collaboration and group work for those motivated by affiliation.
– Set challenging goals with clear benchmarks for achievement-driven individuals.
– Adapt your leadership style to match each team member’s motivation type.
– Recognise and support individual motivators to keep engagement high.
Advantages of McClelland’s Theory
– It helps to assign the best people for particular tasks based on their needs. Not only does this ensure that tasks are completed properly, but managers can avoid alienating or demotivating certain team members by assigning them tasks they’ve actively shown a dislike towards in the past.
– This also helps with job satisfaction. When they’re aware that a manager has taken an interest in and has understood their needs, team members feel more motivated to perform to a higher level.
Disadvantages of McClelland’s Theory
– By keeping employees in their comfort zone and only assigning them tasks they’re comfortable with, pursuing this theory gives team members little chance of developing and learning new skills.
Goal Setting Theory
American psychologist, Edwin Locke, believed that clear, challenging goals boost motivation more than vague ones. When employees are part of the goal-setting process, receive feedback, and understand how to measure success, they become more committed. Motivation is closely tied to clarity, difficulty, and a sense of achievement.
How to apply Goal Setting Motivation Theory
When using Locke’s theory, there are five goal-setting principles which you can use to create relevant goals, and thus improve your employees’ motivation:
– Clarity: Vague goals are tough to measure and are difficult to determine when they’ve been achieved. By setting an outcome and identifying the metrics they’ll use to achieve it, employees know what they’re working towards.
– Challenge: Goals that are going to stretch your team’s abilities are more motivating than those which won’t.
– Commitment: If they’ve been involved with the setting of the goal, your team are more likely to commit to achieving it.
– Feedback: Provide objective feedback and deliver it in a positive way you know your team will be receptive towards.
– Task complexity: Much like the Challenge principle, your team may shy away from tasks that are challenging because they’re impossible to achieve. Employees who push themselves too hard may end up withdrawing and detaching, which is the opposite of what you want to happen.
Advantages of Goal Setting Motivation Theory
– It provides clear guidelines as to how set and achieve goals effectively.
– Leads to better performance by increasing motivation, as well as increasing and improve the quality of feedback.
– Provides employees with a sense of accomplishment, which helps to boost morale and workplace satisfaction.
Disadvantages of Goal Setting Motivation Theory
– Discord between the goal and the employee’s skills can lead to undermining of performance, which can harm worker morale
– Very little in the way of evidence that proves goal setting improves job satisfaction
– Difficult, complex goals can lead to riskier, inefficient processes
Intrinsic Motivation Theory
Deci and Ryan, the two psychologists who developed the Intrinsic Motivation Theory, focused on motivation that comes from within: curiosity, personal growth, problem-solving, and a sense of purpose. Unlike external rewards, intrinsic motivators create deeper, more sustainable engagement, though they can be harder to tap into without knowing what individuals care about.
How to apply Intrinsic Motivation Theory
– Empower employees with autonomy over their tasks and decisions.
– Recognise individual achievements publicly and consistently.
– Create space for curiosity by allowing exploration of new ideas.
– Assign tasks that are challenging but achievable.
– Encourage collaboration to build a sense of belonging.
– Offer regular, constructive feedback to support personal growth.
– Let employees take ownership of projects that align with their interests.
– Support learning opportunities that deepen skills and engagement.
Advantages of Intrinsic Motivation Theory
– By tapping into something they’re intrinsically interested in, it’s possible to motivate them to complete larger tasks
– When they’re intrinsically motivated, employees have a deeper understanding of the purpose of their tasks, knowing how it weaves into the project or the company’s bigger picture
– Likewise, the intrinsically motivated want to deepen their skills and knowledge. This means they’re more willing to hear and take on feedback since they want to better what they do.
Disadvantages of Intrinsic Motivation Theory
– If they have no innate passion for the subject, it can be difficult to get a team member to learn about something new
– Without an extrinsic motivator in place (i.e. a reward of some kind), letting someone work on a task that’s intrinsically motivating might have the opposite effect. Intrinsic motivation is often not enough to get them to achieve what you want from them.
Click here for the latest news and features from SM&T or visit our careers section to find out about our latest career opportunities.
The views, opinions and positions expressed within this article are those of our third-party content providers alone and do not represent those of SEFE. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. SEFE accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or representations.
