Page 2 - Lesson Note 2

While discussing about motivation, we need to understand three inter related terms
— motive, motivation and motivators. Let us try to know about these terms.

(i) Motive: A motive is an inner state that energies, activates or moves and directs
behavior towards goals. Motives arise out of the needs of individuals. Realizations
of a motive cause restlessness in the individual which prompts some action to

reduce such restlessness.
For example, the need for food causes hunger an account of which a man searches
for food. Some such motives are – hunger, thirst, security, affiliation, need for

comfort, recognition etc.
(ii) Motivation: Motivation is the process of stimulating people to action to
accomplish desired goals. Motivation depends upon satisfying needs of people.

(iii) Motivators: Motivator is the technique used to motivate people in an
organization. Managers use diverse motivators like pay, bonus, promotion,
recognition, praise, responsibility etc., in the organization to influence people to

contribute their best. Some of the definitions to explain the concept of motivation
are given in the above box.
Features of Motivation: The analysis of various definitions and viewpoints on

motivation reveals the following features of motivation:
(i) Motivation is an internal feeling. The urge, drives, desires, aspirations, striving
or needs of human being, which are internal, influence human behavior. For

example, people may have the urge or desire for possessing a motorbike,
comfortable house, reputation in the society. These urges are internal to an
individual.

(ii) Motivation produces goal directed behavior. For example, the promotion in the
job may be given to employee with the objective of improving his performance. If
the employee is interested in promotion, it helps to produce a behavior to improve

performance.
(iii) Motivation can be either positive or negative. Positive motivation provides
positive rewards like increase in pay, promotion, recognition etc., Negative
motivation uses negative means like punishment, stopping increments, threatening

etc. which also may induce a person to act in the desired way.
(iv) Motivation is a complex process as the individuals are heterogeneous in their
expectations, perceptions and reactions. Any type of motivation may not have

uniform effect on all the members.