Theories of Passion?

The motivation is one of the most important factors when we are talking about Organizational Culture. Along the years many academics have develop several theories about the role that motivation has in the business and corporation world. Here we would make a brief review of the most important motivation’s theories in history.

Starting with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in which people’s needs are divided in 5 categories: physiological needs, security needs, social needs, self-esteem needs and needs of self-actualization. This theory exposed that when a person satisfy a rank need, the next level becomes dominant, but when the person arrives to the highest level, he/she never satisfies it, because the man is a perpetually wanting animal.

Then we have the Frederick Herzberg’s Two Factors Theory that explains, based on the sources of professional satisfaction and dissatisfaction, that good periods are related to content elements of the professional activity and the frustration periods are associated with the work’s context. Also we have the Theory X and Theory Y created by Douglas McGregor that divides the workforce in two types of employees: the X employees which have lack of ambition, avoid the job and are negligent and the Y employees which work voluntary and bring all their physical and intellectual efforts to the work. The first ones are motivated by punishment and permanently control and the second ones are motivated by rewards.

Another theory is the Expectancy Theory arguing that the motivation is possible only when there I a clear relation between the work performance and its results and these results are means to satisfy a certain need. As well there is the Goal Setting Theory that states that the level of motivation and performance is higher when he individual has specific objectives established and when these objectives, even with a high level of difficulty, are accepted and are offered a performance feedback.

Finally, we have the Fifty-Fifty Rule Theory which says that a substantial part of motivation lies within a person while a substantial par lies outside and beyond its control, giving a 50% of our motivation lying without us.

Like these theories there are so many more that explains and see the motivation from different point of views which means that the managers have to be aware o the motivation because it can drive the work performance to the success or the failure.