Theories Of Motivation

Theories of Motivation

People learn at different rates and in different ways. There are many learning

assessment tools available to assist a person in discovering their learning style. This

paper will cover the different discoveries I have made about myself during my

Managerial Communication class here at the University of Phoenix. I will concentrate

on four key areas: personal learning style, strengths, growth opportunities, and

strategies I will use for improvement.

Robbins (2002) defines motivation as "the processes that account for an individual's

intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal." (p.155) Experts

accede that the most highly motivating work assignments offered should be similar to

the kinds of activities people might choose to do for fun on their own. (Katz, 1998).

Educators postulate that most people fall into one of 4 basic learning styles: visual,

auditory, kinesthetic or didactic. The visual learner absorbs information by reading it or

seeing it on paper. The auditory learner absorbs information better when they hear it.

The kinesthetic learner needs hands-on exercises, practice, or examples to understand

and learn. While no one gathers all his or her information one-way exclusively, every

one has dominant method of learning. (Kay, 1998, pp. 6-7).

Based on the Learning Style Questionnaire given during class, I learned my style is

more reflective. I tend to spend a lot time thinking through the problem. This can be a

good way to work out a problem but I sometime waste a lot of energy analyzing and

over analyzing the problem and not enough time actually solving the problem. This

assessment also revealed my learning style is more sensing, meaning I tend to learn

easier by memorizing facts. I am also a visual learner. I learn best by using pictures,

diagrams, flowcharts, and time lines. Lastly, my learning style assessment revealed I

I am a sequential learner. Sequential learners do not always understand the big picture,

but can process the different elements of the problem logically. Understanding how I

learn was very helpful. It showed I needed to find balance in my learning style.

The Learning Style Questionnaire gave me feedback on myself as well are reinforced

some of things I already knew about myself.

Assessing my strengths is a little harder, mainly because I do not like talking about

myself. Talking about my strengths makes me feel a little uneasy, but I will try.

Although I like structure, I can be pretty flexible. I am flexible with plans, project

changes, and deadlines. I think flexibility is a good skill as long as I am not being taken

advantage of. I am an excellent listener. I listen to understand requirements or the other

person's position. I often observe people, especially if I do not really know them. This

helps to improve my listening skills. I am rational and analytical. These two go hand in

hand. I am able to apply logic and reasoning to work out problems. I look at the pros

and cons of each solution to determine the best solution for the problem or business

requirement. Lastly, I am a team player. I only want the team to succeed. No task is too

trivial to perform and I volunteer to assist my coworkers with their tasks. These skills

have helped me not only in my career but in my personal life as well.

Self-reflection has also allowed me to identify opportunities for growth in my life. I

prefer the word "opportunities" because it is a more positive word than "weaknesses".

My opportunity areas are procrastination, fear and writing anxiety. All three of these

areas are tied together. I sometime procrastinate because of a fear of writing. I put tasks

off that I hate doing until the last minute. I feared going back to school. I also have a

fear of failure. I have tried to face my fear of school by actually enrolling. I figured once

I enrolled and purchased my book, I would not back out.

Researchers have identified several characteristics of people suffering from writing

anxiety, including: (a) they are apprehensive about demand for writing competency; (b)

they fear their writing being evaluated, because they think they will be rated negatively,

and thus fail the task, assignment, or examination; (c) they avoid writing whenever