Describe and evaluate psychological theories of human motivation Essay

Describe and evaluate psychological theories of human motivation - Essay Example When we do things without enough reason, we are not motivated and the result of that activity is not pleasant and successful. Kanfer (1990) also argues that motivation cannot be seen or felt, that’s why it is termed a hypothetical construct and we see its effects and by-products. An analogy for this is gravity which cannot be seen or felt but we see its effects if we jump from a high building. (Jex, 2002, p. 210) Motivating employees is a challenge to managers; it is a part of effective management. There are various theories of motivation and there are many ways to motivate employees. One way is to demonstrate trust to employees. This may include removing some controls or asking an employee to create a plan or schedule and be creative, putting subordinates in charge of something one would not normally handle, or giving incentives and raising salaries, and so on. Motivation is also related with work-life balance – it is a balance for life and what people do. Managers motivate people in order to have blending between work and family life. Work and family with pleasure and fulfilment are impacted by effective motivation. A productive employee can have a balance of life and work – he cannot be productive at work if he has a problem at home. Satisfaction in work and feelings and satisfaction in life and happiness with the family are interrelated. Moreover, motivation is an important factor in the efficiency of people in an organization. Performance management emphasizes much on motivation. Studies have found that successful managers have stronger power motives than less successful managers. The human need theory asserts that people have urges relative to the three needs which are the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power. Much has been written on motivation and the literature has supplied us with theories of human motivation. These theories are categorized into several types like: 1.) the need-based theories