Motivation Theories in Practice

Motivation Theories in Practice

I was motivated to start my own company and it is a one man show (yet) therefore I will be sharing some of the HR practices in my previous company that relate to the theories of motivation.

Abraham Maslow developed the theory of needs. His theory said that people can meet higher level goals when their lower level needs are met, Physiological, safety, security and belongingness. Keeping these in mind, flexi timings for all employees, cab service for female employees after a certain hour were some of the things implemented and appreciated by the staff. This also helped the company work on the higher level needs like self actualization and self esteem. The company took steps to instil its values of Integrity, Adaptability and Passion for Excellence in the employees.

The recruitment process was made transparent and competency based evaluation was done for all levels. English language tests, value assessments, case studies and strategy games were made a part of both the entry and performance evaluation. These motivated people to work smartly and harder to get promotions and instilled the faith that the process is fair and the meritorious will be awarded. Assessment centres were implemented for promotions to senior positions and key roles.

Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y helped build better teams that worked together to achieve goals. Managers tried to enrich jobs, people were involved in decision making, and Rotation of jobs was also encouraged. Employees were given regular trainings on required skills and competencies to achieve their tasks successfully. All this was possible because clear and measurable goals (Goal Setting Theory) were set half yearly for all employees across the board. This largely brought clarity and focus to the tasks at hand.

These theories show how each person is different from the other and how varied factors