Motivation has to do with understanding the "why" of human behavior. If we have some knowledge of why people do what they do, we can do a better job of understanding, predicting, and influencing that behavior. Why do some people work hard and others coast? Why do some leaders have high-producing units and others, with employees of comparable background, have low producing ones? Why are some organizations noted for a culture in which employees are highly motivated and enjoy work, whereas others are noted for high turnover rates? Although a number of factors affect employee performance, a primary variable is motivation, the process of inducing a person or a group of people, each with distinct needs and personalities, to achieve the organization's objectives, while also working to achieve personal objectives.Motivation is as individual as human personality and behavior, that you will probably find that your employees have different backgrounds, needs, and aspirations, ranked the items differently. But certain underlying principles and theories of motivation enable managers to better understand and predict people's responses to performing their tasks, despite the uniqueness of human beings. It is possible to make three basic assumptions about human behavior as it affects motivation. First, human behavior is caused; second, it is goal directed; and third, it does not occur in isolation. This means that an employee behavior may be caused by the way they perceive the world and is directed toward achieving a certain goal or goals. Therefore, the motivational process is basically one of causation. Employee needs (motives) cause an inner desire to overcome some lack or imbalance. Some form of managerial incentive is applied that motivates us to respond and behave so that performance results. Thus, their needs are satisfied, and the organization attains its desired output. Understanding this process contributes to success in seeing that organiza...
