Workplace Motivation

Workplace Motivation Paper

“Motivation refers to the individual forces that account for the direction, level, and persistence of a person’s effort expanded at work” Schermerhorn, Jr., Hunt, Osborn, 2002, p. 147). Within this definition there are three key words that are easily misinterpreted by managers: direction, level, and persistence. Direction refers to an individual’s choice when presented with a number of possible alternatives. Level refers to the amount of effort a person puts forth. Persistence refers to the length of time a person sticks with a given action. Once managers fully understand the meaning of motivation they can begin to apply it in the workplace. But, first managers must determine which category of motivation is best. There are three categories that the theories of motivation fall in: reinforcement, content, and process. Reinforcement theories emphasize the linkage between individual behavior and some specific outcomes to show how managers can alte...