¶ … Human Motivation

Post Response

I would agree most with the humanistic approach to understanding human motivation, and in particular, Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory. That is primarily because Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs describes five specific levels of human psychological needs, of which three seem directly connected to the ways that people respond to their work environment. In between the first stage of Physiological Needs and the highest stage of Self-Actualization (which is nor necessarily ever reached by many people), are Maslow's Security and Safety Needs, Social Needs, and Esteem Needs (George & Jones, 2008; Robins & Judge, 2009).

In the workplace, security and safety relate directly to the transactional nature of work, whereby the financial and more general tangible aspects of security in life depend on the maintenance of gainful employment in return for the monetary compensation and other benefits necessary for the individual to support himself and a family (George & Jones, 2008; Robins & Judge, 2009).

The workplace is typically also an area of life in which people maintain positive social relationships with others; in many cases, those working in close contact with their professional associates for many years even come to regard them as a second family (George & Jones, 2008; Robins & Judge, 2009). Similarly, work often provides an important component of the identity of the individual. In that regard, one's seniority, status, authority, and the esteem in which one believes he is held by coworkers exemplifies Maslow's theory about the importance of esteem to the individual (George & Jones, 2008; Robins & Judge, 2009).

Conversely, I agree least with Edwin Locke's Goal Setting Theory, mainly because it seems too narrowly focused on only one aspect of the motivational dynamic. Instead of incorporating the many different issues that contribute to human motivation, Goal Setting Theory seems to view human motivation as primarily a function of self-efficacy principles and the desire of individuals to prove that they are capable of performing a job well (George & Jones, 2008; Robins & Judge, 2009). I agree that this may play a role in human motivation but not with the view that self-efficacy is necessarily the most important factor in human motivation.

References

George, J.M. And Jones, G.R. (2008). Understanding and Managing Organizational

Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Robbins, S.P. And Judge, T.A. (2009). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Prentice Hall.