Critical Analysis of Content and Process Theories of Motivation

Critical Analysis of Content and Process Theories of Motivation Name Institution Critical Analysis of Content and Process Theories of Motivation Introduction The management has the responsibility of integrating the principles of positive human relations, good decision-making strategies, and servant leadership as the basis for choosing an effective approach to motivate the employees of a given organization. The outlined elements of behavioral organizational theory, work to help the management in deciding on the best motivational strategy to embrace for increased job satisfaction as well as productivity. The content and process theories function to highlight or rather outlines the manifestation of the management’s efforts of influencing positive attitudes and reaction from the employees for increased productivity in their daily operations. The content theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Vroom’s Expectancy theory as a process motivational theory provide an excellent platform for the critical analysis over their viability or efficacy in enhancing the behavioral organizational theory of a business. Content theories of motivation focus on the underlying factors behind a person’s motivation to perform or behave in a particular way during the execution of their various working mandates CITATION Haq14 \l 1033 (Haque, 2014). Process theories, on the other hand, deal with how the motivation manifests itself in a person at their places of work or organizations CITATION Suc13 \l 1033 (Suciu, 2013). A comprehensive understanding of the two distinct theories of motivation calls for a comparative analysis of an example from each of the categories of work motivational theories, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Vroom’s Expectancy theory respectively. Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs Vs Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of Motivation Maslow’s theory builds on the premise that human beings have various needs with some rated higher or lower than the other CITATION Vit16 \l 1033 (Vitai, 2016). The human needs are separated in a hierarchy of five different levels, which are further divided into two broad categories. The five lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs include physiological, safety, and social needs followed by esteem and self-actualization needs simultaneously CITATION Jer13 \l 1033 (Jerome, 2013). According to Maslow, the satisfaction of the lower needs of food, shelter, and clothing allows one or motivates them to work towards satisfying the higher needs of esteem and self-actualization. Vroom’s process theory of motivation, on the other hand, builds around the manifestation of the process or how a person becomes motivated by highlighting the triggers for such positive reactions in the workplace CITATION Par14 \l 1033 (Parijat, 2014). The theory suggests that human being’s expectation of valuable rewards for their efforts serves as a key motivator for improved performances and productivity at work CITATION Min15 \l 1033 (Miner, 2015). Among the similarities between the two theories is the fact that expected rewards for any effort put at work serve as adequate motivation for improved performances. The projected satisfaction of the human needs in Maslow’s theory is an expected reward for a person’s motivation to put more effort in carrying out their duties. Similarly, expecting valuable rewards for a person’s efforts as suggested by Vroom’s theory serves as enough motivation for increase...