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What is Motivation?
Home » Careers » Motivation » What is Motivation?Posted by Your Guide on October 16, 2005 3:21 PM
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary says that motivation is act of giving someone a reason to act; to provide with a motive. Motivation is often discussed in the workplace, whether it’s the need to motivate people to do their jobs well, the need to motivate yourself to get going on a project nearly deadline, or the discussion of whose job it is to motivate and how it should be done.
In a professional setting, motivation takes several forms. Basically, these items serve to motivate employees:
- Positive reinforcement
- Discipline/negative consequences
- Treating employees fairly
- Meeting employees’ needs
- Setting achievable, measurable goals
- Basing rewards on job performance
- Offering praise for a job well done, publicly and privately.
Of course, no two people require the exact same type and level of motivation. Some people are highly motivated, or self-driven, to get the job done—just because that’s what they’ve been hired to do or because they see a need, and they fill it. These people are manager’s dreams come true. Others need much more than a job, a paycheck, and the knowledge that something needs done in order to get off their duff and do it. Managers spend considerable time trying to motivate these people—and wondering why they have to motivate people to do what’s their job to begin with.
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