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Multifactor Motivation Theory Print E-mail
Written by Steve Moulton   
Steve MoultonA number of years ago a humpback whale, affectionately named Humphrey, was migrating along the California coast when a wrong turn got him stranded. Humphrey became a national celebrity when he turned into the San Francisco bay, swam under the Golden Gate Bridge, and managed his way 70 miles upriver. Even though it was for his own good, Humphrey resisted all attempts to get back to salt water. Three weeks into his predicament, marine biologists lured him with the recorded sounds of feeding humpbacks. Humphrey excited the crowds as he responded to a familiar sound and followed his friends into the Pacific.

People – and whales for that matter – are motivated to do things because they want to, not because someone else thinks it is a good thing to do. Motivation results from actions that satisfy inner needs. Being forced to do something and doing it, is not indicative of being motivated.

Fredrick Herzberg’s theories on motivators and demotivators are helpful in understanding motivation. Herzberg described motivators to be primarily intrinsic (coming from within) and demotivators as being extrinsic (being external to the individual). Pay was categorized as a demotivator. A pay increase typically delivers a short-term boost in good feeling, but seldom motivates the individual to work harder. Hence, if pay is perceived as being low it becomes a demotivator, once an individual’s pay meets a level that meets his or her needs and is perceived as fair, it ceases to be a demotivator.

Where Herzberg identified a number of motivators and demotivators, determining which are important to specific individuals has not necessarily been emphasized as an action leaders should be taking.

If we begin to understand that organizations cannot motivate employees; instead, they can create a work environment where potential demotivators are minimized and where individual motivation can flourish. Everyone has a different set of motivational factors; but if they find the right environment they will create their own motivation.

Some organizations attempt to apply “motivational programs” to boost employee morale. Many times HR professionals are asked create programs that will “motivate” people. Companies that implement these types of programs usually get meager results within the short term. Why? “Carrot and stick” extrinsic approaches miss the heart of true motivation, the individual’s needs. Over the long term, these superficial actions have a negative effect, as people’s apathy and cynicism grows.

On the other hand, organizations that really care about employee motivation have ways of helping managers create an environment where individual’s fit and their objectives and values are in alignment.

Motivational Factors

Motivational factors change over the course of time, and depend on circumstances that an individual may be experiencing at the time, whether it be personal life or career. That can be easily demonstrated when, on one day a person believes they have a great job and future, and the next day they are unemployed.

It is also key to understand that not all people are motivated by a single factor; instead they are motivated by a series of factors. It is very important for managers to understand that different factors motivate different people.

When people are asked what factors motivate them in their work, we generally receive answers, such as:
The Organization for which they work
The Work Environment
Their Boss
Role – the work itself
Personal Achievement
Recognition
Money
Status
Their Peers and Co-workers
The Work Life Balance

How important are each of these factors? One way to gain understanding is to ask the individual to weigh each factor for importance.

Let’s look at what motivates a fictitious employee, Bob:

Bob’s Motivation = Salary + His boss + Role + Recognition + Work Environment.

Each factor also bears a different weight in Bob’s motivation formula:

Bob’s motivation is equal to:

(20%) Salary
+ (25%) His Boss
+ (35%) Role – the work he does
+ (10%) Recognition
+ (10%) Work Environment
= (100%) Bob’s Motivation
In Bob’s case, his biggest motivation to work comes from his role, followed by his boss, then salary, and finally the work environment and recognition.

Constant Change

Motivation changes depend on the individual's personal life and career phase (as well as many other circumstances and values).

In Bob’s case, having a role in the organization that is rewarding and a good relationship with his boss and having that boss care enough to coach and promote his career is a primary motivation.

The motivation factors might change when he looks to apply for a loan to buy a house, when salary can become a more relevant motivational factor.

If Bob invents a product that gets patented and makes the company a lot of money then recognition might become a key factor in determining his motivation to feel valued.

Multifaceted motivational theory gives us an insight as to how motivational factors can interact and vary, depending on the person we are leading and their needs at that moment in time.

Moral: Understanding people's motivations is a key competency to being an effective leader or manager. If we take time to understand the motivation factors, it will be easier to create a work atmosphere where motivation flourishes. Don’t just ask what motivates those you work with, ask them to prioritize and assign a weight to each item, maybe even ask why each item motivates him or her.

As organizations cannot wave a magic wand to motivate its employees, it is the role of leaders and managers to continuously monitor the motivational factors of their employees. This continuous exercise will allow them to take the right actions and to improve individual motivation.