ALPERFER’S ERG THEORY

Clayton Alderfer of Yale University carried out further studies on Maslow’s theory of need hierarchy. He identified three basic needs of human being against five needs of maslow.

These are as under:

(a) E-Existence need - There are related to provision of basic material requirement of human being and are related to Maslow’s Physiological and safety needs.

(b) R-Relatedness - This need is related to desire of an individual to maintain sound interpersonal relationship. It is related to Maslow’s, Social need and External component of Esteem need i.e., status, recognition and attention.

(c) G-Growth - Growth is an intrinsic desire for personal development. It is related to intrinsic component of Esteem Need like advancement, self respect, autonomy, achievement and self-actualization need.

Aside from substituting three needs for five, how does Alderfer’s ERG theory differ from Maslow’s? In contrast to the hierarchy of needs theory, the ERG theory demonstrates that (1) more than one need may be working at the same time, and (2) if the gratification of a higher-level need is stifled, the desire to satisfy a lower-level need increases. ERG theory is more consistent with our knowledge of individual differences among people.

Variables such as education, family background, and cultural environment can alter the importance or driving force that a group of needs holds for a particular person.

MASLOW’S NEED HIERARCHY MODEL

It is probably safe to say that the best-known theory of motivation is Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.8 He hypothesized that every human being has a hierarchy of five needs:

• Physiological. Includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs.

• Safety. Includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm.

• Social. Includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship.

• Esteem. Includes internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement; and external esteem factors such as status, recognition, and attention.

• Self-actualization. Includes growth, achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment.

This is the drive to become what one is capable of becoming.

As each of these needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next need becomes more important to fulfill. In terms of Exhibit…, the individual moves up the steps of the needs hierarchy. From the perspective of motivation, the theory would say that while no need is ever fully satisfied, a substantially satisfied need no longer motivates. So if you want to motivate someone, according to Maslow, you need to understand what level of the hierarchy that person is currently on and focus on satisfying the needs at or above that level.

MOTIVATION CHALLENGES

In concept, the basic motivational process just described is simple and straightforward. In the real world, of course the process isn’t as clear-cut. The first challegnece is that motives can only be inferred: they cannot be seen. Leslie Lenser, head of project and system management at American Computer Systems, observed two examples in here department who were debugging software programs that estimate service requirements for the company. She knows that both employees are responsible for the same type of work, have received similar training, have similar competencies and have been with the organization for about five years. One employee is able to spot problems more easily and quickly that the other, so the difference in their output strongly suggests that they have different levels of motivation. Lenser recognized that she would have to investigate further to determine what motives each person.

A second challenge centres on the dynamic nature of needs. As we pointed out in the many times we develop neumoros programs in attempt to meet employee needs. Doing so is always difficult because, at any one time, every one has various needs, desires, and expectations. Moreover, these factors change over time and may also conflict with each other. Employees who put in many extra hour at work to fulfill their needs for accomplishment may find that these extra work hours cinflict directly with needs for affiliation and their desires to be with their families.

A third challenge involves the considerable differences in people,s motivations and in the energy with which people respond to them. Just as different organizations produce a variety of products and offer a variety of services, different people have a variety motivation. Chris Kosi, a marketing manager for Celanese Chemical corporation in the united States, took a three year assignment with her company in Sweden. She quickly joined a group of American managers so she could satisfy he need to belong to such a group and to learn quickly about Swedish management practices. She discovered that Swedes frequently bypass formal lines of communication and go directly to the person most likely to have the information and expertise, not necessarily their boss. If a Swedish employee would work in the Italian branch of her organization, this behavior would be a sign of disrespect. Why? Italian managers believe that frequently bypassing a boss indicates a poorly designed organization.

MOTIVATION

DEFINITION

Motivation is the characteristic that is required in order to achieve anything in life; without it you will give up at the first sign of adversity. It means to inspire, instigate and encourage a person to do their best. Motivation will compel a person to think "If I can't, then I must" and will cause them to do whatever it takes to become successful. If you inspire motivation it can change your life. You will be inspired to get what you want regardless of what people tell you that you cannot do. 

                VITELES: Motivation represents an unsatisfactory need which creates a state of tension or disequilibrium, causing the individual to move in a goal directed pattern towards resorting a state of equilibrium, by satisfying the need.

    ROBBINS: Motivation is the process that accounts for and individual’s intensity, direction and    persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.

     Motivation the internal and external forces that lead an individual to work toward a goal.

  Scot: Motivation is a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish desired goal

             Mc Farland : “motivation as the way in which urges, drives, desires, aspirations, strivings needs direct, control or explain the behaviour of human beings”.

ACTIVE LISTENING

• Make eye contact
• Exhibit affirmative head nods and appropriate facial expressions
• Avoid detracting actions or gestures
• Ask questions
• Para phrase
• Avoid interrupting the speaker
• Don’t over talk

GUIDE LINES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

• The ideas and messages should be clear, brief and precise.
• Sense of timing-timely for action to be taken.
• Integrity-communication should pass through proper channel.
• Consult with others who are involved in planning the communication.
• Be prepared to help the receiver
• Mode of delivery
• Use proper follow up
• Communication should be comprehensive