What best explains people's willingness to work hard?

Essay by solari789University, Bachelor'sB, January 2007

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Introduction

Why do people work hard? When motives are present , which are internal drives and energies of an individual which direct behaviour, they are then willing to work. The behaviour directed results in outcomes and any single outcome may be the result of multiple motives.

Motivation of the employees is one of the most important issues facing companies today. The need to instil the employees with motivation is becoming ever more important especially with the shift towards a more socially and culturally responsive workforce. So how does a company find out what motivates its employees? How do the company provides a motivational plan that includes incentives both traditional (money) and non-traditional elements? How do we keep the managers focused on the plan and give them the tools they need to make the plan successful? There are many different techniques that can be used in order to reward others for a job well done.

It is crucial for business to analyse these different methods and implement the one that work the best for them. There are many ways that an employer may choose to motivate its crew. There are extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, positive and negative motivators, as well as differentiating between individual and team, or group rewards.

Therefore, it is important for the companies to know why people are motivated. There are different theories of motivation to explain motivation, there are content theories and process theories. The interaction between the situation and needs and motives forms the basis of most theories of motivation. Under the content theories, there is Maslow's Hierarcy of Needs and the McClelland's Need Theories which emphasize the needs of human , which are internal to the individual, needs can be physiological or social or self-esteem needs. Under the process theories, there are equity theory and...