Motivation

Describe the role of motivation in the work environment and determine who is responsible for fostering motivation in the work environment.

In a work environment motivation is important for both the employees and employer. Motivation is something that cannot be forced. "Motivation results from actions that satisfy inner needs. Being forced to do something and doing it, is not indicative of being motivated." (Moulton, 2007) Motivation is defined by the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior. (WordNet 2008) Motivation is usually not driven by a single factor, but many factors in the work environment. Employees are not driven by the same motivational factors because each individual employee has different goals.

An in-depth study done between 1945 Ð'- 1965 involving 31,000 men and 13,000 women showed that both groups considered job security the highest factor in their work environment. This study was conducted by the Minneapolis Gas Company and revealed the next three highest factors were, career advancement, type of work, and if the employee felt proud to work for a company. Their study also showed that factors such as pay, benefits, and working conditions were given a lower rating. (Accel-Team , 2008)

The employer has the highest responsibility for creating and maintaining motivation in the workplace. Internally employees can keep each other motivated by encouragement and acceptance, but the employer has to create a workplace that has job security and a good name. Employers have to ensure employees that the job they are doing is more than earning a paycheck. People need to know they are part of something that is making a difference. Of course, the paycheck is very important to the employee, but studies show that other factors are what drive motivation in the workplace.