Motivation in a Lazy Society

Motivation is sometimes hard to define except in certain situations. Many people feel that motivation is different to many people and I feel that the statement is accurate. Different people are motivated by different things. So, the question is, what motivates people?

Motivation is tricky for some and easy to explain for others. Personally, I define motivation as the important things in life that drive you or others to do something. The drive is obviously the action you take when driven by the stimulus that causes you to want to complete something. As discussed by Shah and Shah, “there is an arousal of need so urgent, that the bearer has to venture in search to satisfy it” (Shah & Shah, 2007).

The next idea is what motivates people? Well, to understand that, you must understand the different types of motivation. Shah and Shah discuss the following types of motivation:

Achievement Motivation: If you are concerned with your goals and working towards a definitive finish line, then your motivation is closely related to achievement motivation.

Affiliation Motivation: This is close to a desire to belong. People often want to associate with similar people and personalities.

Competence Motivation: This is the drive or desire to understand and develop one’s skills at something. They want to understand and raise their level of awareness and expertise in something.

Power Motivation: This is an important type of motivation for managers and people that want to drive change. People are motivated to use their influence to change things and gain power or the upper hand in a situation.

Attitude Motivation: This is a type of motivation when people are driven to work to define themselves. They are driven and work based on their beliefs or ideas and work towards a goal as their attitude pushes them to action.

Incentive Motivation: This is similar to a salary or sales bonus, when someone works and receives an incentive for their work. Some people can be motivated by this. Many people say money is a great motivator, and often, it is.

Fear Motivation: Has anyone seen Glengarry Glen Ross? The boss screaming at you to make sales and close or you are fired gives people some very serious motivation. They are required to act or are afraid that they may lose their job which causes them to act.

Looking at my work situation, I would say that I am most motivated by achievement. I want to move up within my company and have been looking at various Area manager jobs. In order to become an area manager, one must have experience inside and outside of facilities as well as attain an advanced degree. I have completed both of those and would like to become the youngest vice president in the history of my company. This is currently the most important aspect of motivation to me as I am concerned and driven to succeed and work my way up in my corporation.

Reference

Shah, K. & Shah, P. (n.d.) Motivation. Retrieved July 10, 2007, from http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html.