What are motivational theories

Need is the biggest motivation! It is one of the simplest yet the hardest sentence to comprehend. If people relate this sentence to their lives, they will understand that they always felt motivated when they got clarity on the need and reward of completing the task. To further explain in the context of the corporate world, let us look at a hypothetical example of an employer who wants to upskill his or her employees' soft skills. The biggest motivation, in this case, will be to upskill employees and to accomplish that, the employer will need to organize various mentoring and training sessions. As a result, the need for employee upskilling motivated them to provide a variety of soft skills training sessions. As a result, as previously said, the need is the most powerful motivator in a person's life.

Many well-known personalities devised their theories to motivate those around them. These theories addressed a variety of factors that contribute to a person's ability to perform better and more efficiently. In the area of management, multiple motivational theories provide managers with insight into what can encourage employees to give their best to the organization's progress. Employees who are inspired are more productive and engaged, which contributes to the organization's overall effectiveness and growth. Besides, leadership theories facilitate motivational theories in the workplace to produce great outcomes.

Hence, while probing further in this article, we will discuss key motivational theories that can assist employers in motivating employees and enhancing the growth of the company.

An elaborative list of Motivational Theories in management

Theory - 1

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

This article puts forth an elaborative description of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs along with its importance, limitations, and implementation in a workplace. Furthermore, a real-life example is also presented for better comprehension.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Theory - 2

Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory

Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene theory is a widely used motivation theory in a workplace that argues that there are two categories of factors, motivators and hygiene factors that decide the behavior of employees in a work environment. This article covers the theory’s significance, implementation, and limitation along with a real-life example of a company implementing the theory in their workplace.

Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory
Theory - 3

Theory X and Theory Y

This article features an effective comprehension of McGregor’s Theories X and Y. Furthermore, this article covers the importance, limitations, and implementation of the theory in the contemporary workplace. Along with this, this article also covers a real-life example of a company implementing this theory in the workplace.

Theory X and Theory Y
Theory - 4

Alderfer’s ERG theory

Alderfer’s ERG theory is another version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory. This article presents a detailed a meticulous elaboration of the theory along with a real-life example. Furthermore, this article also confers the limitations and implementation of the theory in the workplace.

Alderfer’s ERG theory
Theory - 5

Porter and Lawler's Expectancy Theory

Porter and Lawler's Expectancy Theory is another prominent motivation theory that states a clear relationship between the satisfaction and performance of individuals. Furthermore, this article discloses the implementation of the theory along with its importance and limitations.

Porter and Lawler's Expectancy Theory
Theory - 6

McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory

McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory describes the importance of three key drivers of human motivation in a workplace. This article confers detailed information on the theory along with its significance, implementation, limitations, and an exemplification of the theory in a workplace.

McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory
Theory - 7

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

Vroom's expectancy theory was developed by Victor Vroom in 1964 explaining a clear relationship between three variables that affect the performance and motivation of the employees. This article presents a detailed description of the theory along with its significance, limitations, implementation, and an example of implementation in a workplace.

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
Theory - 8

The Equity Theory

The Equity Theory presented by John Stacy Adams explains the importance of the right balance of input and output that is need to be maintained by the employer in order to keep the employees motivated. This article deals with the detailed presentation of the theory along with the significance, limitation, and implementation.

The Equity Theory
Theory - 9

Value – Percept Theory

Value Percept Theory is one of the most prominent theories of the contemporary world that was developed by Locke in 1976. This column deals with the meticulous elaboration of the theory along with its significance, limitations, implementation, and an example of implementing the theory in a workplace.

Value – Percept Theory
Theory - 10

Theory Z

Theory Z was developed by William Ouchi and was presented in his book “Theory Z: How American Companies Can Meet Japanese Challenge” in 1981. This article confers a detailed elaboration of the theory along with its importance, drawbacks, and an example of the implementation for better comprehension.

Theory Z