Motivation for Many Years Motivational

Motivation For many years motivational theories have been utilized to improve productivity in schools and in the workplace. The purpose of the proposed study is to investigate work motivation.

The research question for the proposed research is as follows: Are the primary influences associated with work motivation feasibility, intentions, goals, the workplace environment and the capacity of the employer to ensure that these influences are present in the work environment? The primary Influences associated with work motivation tend to be feasibility, intentions, goals, the workplace environment and the capacity of the employer to ensure that these influences are present in the work environment? Statement of the Problem Motivation in the workplace is an issue that impacts both large and small organizations.

Employers want hire and retain productive workers and employees want to be fulfilled on the job. As such, understanding work motivation and how it is achieved and beneficial to the workplace are critical components in creating a successful organization. Preliminary Literature Review According to Klein (1990) work motivation is a subject of the utmost importance to business managers. However, many managers find it an arduous task to determine the type of motivations employees require. In his study Klein proposed the feasibility theory of work motivation.

The feasibility theory asserts there is a correlation between the feasibility of a task and the motivation to perform the task. In other words, the feasibility theory posits that work motivation is dependent upon the workers access to the tools needed to complete the task. Klein (1999) also points out that resources drive performance and the successful completion of a task occurs or does not occur based upon the absence or the presence of proper resources. In the authors' proposition of the feasibility study, feasibility and valence are the proposed variables.

Feasibility represents the amount of resource units that are available and can be utilized. Valence represents the amount of resource units that are not available but can be made available as a result of task performance. Klein (1990 utilized several motivational and behavioral theories to explain the feasibility theory. In addition, he discussed the behavioral effect, motivational consequences and, perceptual determinants associated with resource munificence. The researcher found a positive correlation between feasibility and motivation when feasibility is scarce and a negative correlation when there is an abundance of feasibility.

In their Work Tubbs and Eckeberg (1991) explored the role of intentions in work motivation. According to the authors, intention is the primary focus of cognitive theories that are designed to understand human behavior. Additionally, intention tends to have a central role in explaining motivational theory particularly as it relates to the setting of goals. Although intention is usually at the center of motivational theory a great deal of the research concerning work motivation does not distinguish intentions from goals.

The authors assert that these words are often used synonymously even though they have different definitions. In their research, the authors aimed to prove that intentions and goals are not interchangeable concepts but rather they are concepts that are strongly linked to one another. The authors assert that intention is a broader concept and as such provides the framework for work motivation. As such, a greater understanding of intention will provide a better understanding of work motivation. Tubbs and Eckeberg (1991) provide a model of intentional work behavior.

This model asserts that the assigned goal and other issues are examined through a choice process and the outcome of the process is intention. The authors contend that the process by which choice is determined is not definitive; however, there are several theories that assist in explaining the process of choice. These theories include traditional expectancy valence theory and image theory. The authors point out the latter is particularly important in explaining the choice process because it describes choices that occur as a result of a hierarchal intentional structure.

In their attempt to explain intention the authors insists there exist a complicated hierarchal structure. According to the authors this structure has both horizontal and vertical differentiations. The vertical differentiations are associated with the components of abstraction that permit individuals to determine both their intentions and their behaviors. The horizontal differentiation is associated with different intentions including the completion of the project. Tubbs and Eckeberg (1991) assert that understanding the intentional model has implications associated with understanding the effects of goal setting.

The authors argue that the intentional behavior model explains the cognitive effects of goals which is rarely seen in research pertaining to work motivation. The authors posit that the research is important because it is the first time that research has sought to determine the impact that goals have on people. Finally Latham and Pinder (2005) discuss Work Motivation Theory and research at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The author point out that interest in motivational theories has not waned since they first begin to surface.

According to the authors, work motivation represents a set of influences that are both intrinsic and extrinsic. Throughout this journal article the authors discuss national culture, the goal setting theory, self-regulation, contextual conditions, expectancy theory, organizational justice and social cognitive theory. The authors emphasize how all of the aforementioned factors have an impact upon motivation in the workplace. The article concludes that of the aforementioned theories the three that tend to be the most prominent in motivational literature are: goal setting theory, organizational justice and social cognitive.

The research also found that in the twenty-first century research about work motivation tends to place a greater emphasis on behavior when compared to past research on the topic. The authors also insist that employers have garnered a much greater understanding of work motivation and how to incorporate it into the overall strategy of the organization. In addition, in the twenty-first century there has been a greater emphasis placed on factors such as cognition needs and values.

Such emphasis has greatly influenced the ability of the organization to promote motivation in the workplace. The preliminary literature review tends to agree with the assertion that work motivation is influenced by feasibility, intentions, goals, the workplace environment and the capacity of the employer to ensure that these influences are present in the work environment. It is evident from the research that feasibility has a considerable impact upon an individual's ability to complete a task. In addition, the preliminary research found that intention is an underlying influence in.