“Motivation is the fire from within,
if someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly”
Motivation is derived from the word Motive which means is desire, wishes, want within the individuals. The desire serves as an impulse that causes an individual to act and accomplish it. Motivation is a process that makes a person passionate to achieve an internal goal. Like intelligence, motivation cannot be directly observed rather it can only be inferred by noticing a person’s behaviour.
Motivation can also be defined as a biological, social, or psychological state that drives a 
person towards a specific action. Every human is engaged in action behind which is a driving force that compels the person to engage in that action is known as motivation.
Every action of a human has an aim and every reaction results in some good and bad consequences. These aims, outcomes, rewards, or punishments serve as a motivation for engaging in an action.
Apart from naturally existing motivation, there is a purposeful motivation that encourages an individual to initiate and accomplish goals. This purposeful motivation can be provided in different forms to different people. For business organizations, goodwill, profit margins, turnover, customer trust act as a motivation to improve the efficiency of an organization. Similarly to motivate students towards their studies merit certificate, silver and gold medals, achievement shields, and other prizes are designed at an educational institution.
Motivation in Management narrates the way in which a manager can encourage and promote productivity and efficiency in their employees. Effective direction, motivation and leadership are the steps towards the business success. Motivation plays a major role by identifying and satisfying the needs of employees and the organization.
Time and again people get confused with the words “happy employees” with “motivated employees”. Motivation defines the level of desire employees feels to perform irrespective of the level of happiness. Employees who are motivated to perform will have more efficiency productivity and will be more invested in their work. It is among the important functions of Management to motivate the employees to perform to the best of their abilities. It is important for an organization to have highly qualified and motivated employees to achieve their objectives.
Motivation is an important tool in the manager’s hands for instigating his employees to act in a desired manner. Motivation is concerned with how the behaviour get started, energized, sustained, and directed.
IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION
FOR ORGANIZATION :
- Making employees feel involved – It is always considered as a rule that employees do not contribute adequate energy for the accomplishment the tasks because somehow they feel dissatisfied and uninvolved with the work and work situation. Motivation helps to remove the apathy of the workers for adequate performance.
- Productive use of resources– Motivation helps employees to engage and work and convert physical and natural resources into useful products help the organisation to get the maximum output of the resources available.
- Increase efficiency and output – Motivation help people to work with passion and bridge the gap between and ability to work and willingness to perform thereby increasing overall efficiency and output
- Development of Friendly relationships – Employees love to work for an organisation that respects the employees’ contribution, suggestion, complaint and makes them feel involved. Organisation offers stimulus like promotional opportunities, challenging work, recognition, etc. to obtain good results.
FOR EMPLOYEES
- Communication – Motivation nurture communication between management and employees creating an understanding of each other’s needs and friendly relationship between them.
- Securing the cooperation of workers – Every business organisations to the successful needs the cooperation of workers with full energy, ability and willingness to work. It is rightly said that “You can buy a men’s time, you can buy a man’s physical presence but you cannot buy his enthusiasm, loyalty, and energy without motivation”.
- Reduction in labour turnover and absenteeism – A motivated worker will be satisfied with the work environment and the task assigned. Employees with contributing positively towards the attainment of organisational goals thereby reducing the rate of turnover and absenteeism.
TIPS FOR EMPLOYEES’ MOTIVATION
- Assess Yourself – To motivate and encourage the employees’ behaviour it is important for a manager to encourage and control his own behaviour. The manager should work upon utilising the strength and opportunities to neutralize the weaknesses and threats by motivating himself and the worker.
- Being familiar with the staff – The manager should be familiar with his staff because the more and better you know about the staff it will be simpler to get them involved in the work and achieve the team goal. Good communication and friendly relations with the staff will invite them for commitment and loyalty. A gracious relationship between superior-subordinate is a key factor in job satisfaction.
- Providing rewards to the Employees – Providing rewards for the employees act as an easy way to motivate them. Rewards can be in form of financial or non-financial benefits. Bonus, allowances, facilities, improvement opportunities, recognition, appraisal, etc. serve as a motivation for an employee.
- Acknowledgement of staff on their achievements – Giving a note of credit to employees, or some words of praise at a personal level and with broad publicity can motivate a worker to work harder in the upcoming task. Giving an achievement certificate, article in official newsletters or organisation’s journal, recognition in official meet can encourage an individual to work better and also act as a motivating force for the peers to achieve the target.
SELF-MOTIVATION TIPS AT WORK
- Self-Acknowledgement – Employees should recognise and appreciate themselves. This will keep them confident and contended.
- Monitor performance – For better performance, it is important for a worker to monitor its progress and should maintain success bars for the assignments. When you observe any progress you will definitely cultivate it.
- Communicate with others – No person can live and feel happy in isolation. Therefore to boost your energy it is important to have communication with optimistic and motivated individuals. These can be the friends, colleagues, family or with anyone you can share ideas and feeling.
- Remain optimistic – One should always remain optimistic and confident by considering obstacles as the cost of greatness. One should be buoyant and consider “today as an opportunity to build the tomorrow you want”.
- Support and motivate others – Share ideas and views with friends and peer groups and assist them in getting motivated. This will also help us to get motivated and invite feedback from others on your achievements
- Divide bigger goals into smaller ones – The bigger goals should be divided into the smaller goals and short time deadline should be set for the goals to be achieved. Progress in smaller goals keeps the person motivated for the attainment of bigger goals.
Article Written By-
Naina Rupani, Management Trainee- TVC
FOSTIIMA Business School
