Work Motivation

Have you ever wondered why you approach work a certain way while another person, who has the same salary and/or does the same job, seems to be motivated very differently? As an organizational consultant, familiarity with theories of work motivation, which are derived from years of behavioral science research, can help you to interpret employee behavior. Understanding the factors that motivate employees can help improve satisfaction levels within an organization, leading to increased performance and productivity.

Learning about work motivation is only one facet to understanding job satisfaction. In your role as a consultant, it is necessary to achieve a deeper understanding of employee behaviors. One way to do this is to analyze individual job attitudes and theories associated with job attitudes.

For this Discussion, select a work motivation or job attitudes theory presented in the Learning Resources. Think about how that theory might explain work motivation and job attitudes.

With these thoughts in mind:

an explanation of how the constructs of work motivation and job attitudes differ. Then describe the theory you selected and explain how the factors described in that theory might explain work motivation and job attitudes.

Suggested References:

Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: A test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279.

Hulin, C. L., & Judge, T. A. (2003). Job attitudes. In W. C. Borman, D. R. Ilgen, R. J. Klimoski, & I. B. Weiner (Eds.), Handbook of psychology, Volume 12: Industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 255–276). New York, NY: Wiley.

Fernet, C. (2013). The role of work motivation in psychological health. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 54(1), 72-74. doi:10.1037/a0031058

Greenburg, J. (2011). Behavior in organizations (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Herzberg, F. (1968). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard Business Review, 46(1), 53–62. Retrieved from https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/services/proxy/content/57334836/57335012/92a68cb9f318f47a859891d7359b7

Kruglanski, A. W., Jasko, K., Chernikova, M., Milyavsky, M., Babush, M., Baldner, C., & Pierro, A. (2015). The rocky road from attitudes to behaviors: Charting the goal systemic course of actions. Psychological Review, 122(4), 598-620. doi:10.1037/a0039541

Pinder, C. C. (2008). Work motivation in organizational behavior (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Psychology Press.

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