Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
According to the model, individual behaviors originate from choices available, leading to improving satisfaction while reducing dissatisfaction among the workforce. As a result, employee factors, including skills, experience, and personality, play an essential role in determining performance and productivity (Badubi, 2017). Furthermore, the theory asserted that elements such as motivation, performance, and effort influence instrumentality, valence, and expectancy. Equally, people would be motivated to engage in diverse activities they believe in the worthiness of the anticipated outcome and goals. In this model, expectancy persists as the probability that a particular effort results in an intended first-level effect. At the same time, instrumentality refers to how the first-level results would contribute to achieving the desired second-level expectations (Sahito & Vaisanen, 2017). Therefore, motivation and job satisfaction originate from level employees wanting to receive rewards existing as valence, probability, and estimation that productivity would be rewarding as instrumentality.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow explained that people desire to increase their needs in life and prioritizes those needs according to their significances. According to Badubi (2017), the model explains various employees’ needs and elements that result in satisfaction. The hierarchy of needs comprises physiological, safety and security, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Employees need food shelters, physical protection, association, reception of acknowledgment, and desire for various accomplishments (Sahito & Vaisanen, 2017). The workforce has multiple needs that require satisfaction and recognition by colleagues and management, leading to job satisfaction.
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
As per Holmberg et al. (2017), the model originated from a study among the accountants and engineers while investigating factors that make employees have a negative and positive feeling in workplaces. Herzberg asserted that factors such as recognition, responsibilities, achievement, advancement, and job itself contribute to motivation and job satisfaction (Holmberg et al., 2017). Moreover, elements and culture of the organization, including firm policy, working conditions, salary, administration, interpersonal relationship, and supervision leading to hindering motivation among employees.
Comparing the Theories
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs have various functions in studying and understanding employees’ motivation and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the theories play a significant role in informing multiple strategies to improve job satisfaction among the employees. For example, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs model focuses on delivering factors that would create suitable surroundings for employees to have a profound level of job satisfaction (Badubi, 2017). Satisfying employees’ social, self-esteem, safety, and security would result in high productivity due to favorable interpersonal relationships and working environment. On the same note, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory focuses on creating organizational policies and culture that motivate employees and lead to job satisfaction. For instance, the model postulates that promotion should occur after achieving particular goal and company expectations which contribute to working satisfaction (Sahito & Vaisanen, 2017). Similarly, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory concentrates on presenting meaningful choices that lead to a change in behaviors that contribute to job satisfaction. As a result, the theory assists the organization in formulating strategies that increase gratification and reduce dissatisfaction. Besides, the presentation of suitable variables, including instrumentality and valence, facilitates increased productivity, effort, and motivation, leading to high job contentment (Sahito & Vaisanen, 2017). The application of the three theories differs based on various factors such as functions and situations, thus complicated in determining the most effective than the others.
Motivation Theories
Motivation concepts applied in the management and human resource focuses on providing insights on factors that drive employees in different workplaces. As per Sahito and Vaisanen (2017), motivation of employees exit as a significant factor in the success of private and public business due to facilitating workforce to work aimed at achieving personal and organizational goals. For example, equity theory offers crucial insights o motivation strategies in which employees weigh input and output (Badubi, 2017). As a result, the individual employees the ration with others in which the concepts of fairness and distributive justice play an integral role in motivating the employees. Motivation existing in the cycle leads to high productivity contributes extrinsic and intrinsic rewards to inspire and satisfy the workforce (Sahito & Vaisanen, 2017). Notably, developing and empowering employees while performing their duties exits a significant application of the equity theory in motivating employees. Fairly empowered employees possess a high level of motivation to collaborate and achieve company goals.
Goal-setting theory exits a significant motivation model used by management in workplaces. Intention existing as goals facilitates motivation and work satisfaction. Specific and achievable goals lead to increased productivity and performance (Badubi, 2017). The concept has a significant role while applying healthy competition strategies in motivating employees. Healthy competition with specific and achievable objectives contributes to employees getting motivated to prove their capabilities and level of performance (Sahito & Vaisanen, 2017). Equally, the theory of needs or achievement persists as an essential model of motivation by focusing on driving factors to success. As per Badubi (2017), the concept argued that individual employees strive for personal achievement instead of focusing on the rewards leading to engaging in challenging tasks to higher achievements. Giving employees challenging tasks exits as an on-economic motivation strategy enhanced by the theory of needs.
Managers possess a fundamental role in understanding human behaviors in organizations’ environments and implementing diverse strategies to motivate and improve job satisfaction. Theoretically, using the behavioral management theory, which focuses on multiple factors such as motivation, expectations, happiness, group dynamics, and conflict, would understand the workforce’s traits. On the same note, managers should evaluate interpersonal relationships by monitoring teamwork, communication, and collaboration to assess the behaviors of the employees. Such strategies result in comprehending behaviors and understanding weaknesses and strengths of employees leading to the formulation of diverse support strategies to increase motivation and productivity.
References
Badubi, R. (2017). Theories of motivation and their application in organizations: A risk analysis. International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development, 3(3), 44-51. https://doi.org/10.18775/ijied.1849-7551-7020.2015.33.2004
Holmberg, C., Caro, J., & Sobis, I. (2017). Job satisfaction among Swedish mental health nursing personnel: Revisiting the two-factor theory. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 27(2), 581-592. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12339
Sahito, Z., & Vaisanen, P. (2017). The diagonal model of job satisfaction and motivation: Extracted from the logical comparison of content and process theories. International Journal of Higher Education, 6(3), 209. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v6n3p209
