From the course: Certification Prep: SHRM-CP

Motivation theories

From the course: Certification Prep: SHRM-CP

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Motivation theories

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- What motivates you? The answer to this question is different for everyone. And that's one of the things that makes the job of an HR professional so complex. For the SHRM CP exam you need to know what motivates employees and be able to recommend appropriate interventions to keep them focused on achieving the company's objectives. There are several motivation theories that help HR pros understand employee behavior. The first are Needs Theories. Needs Theories are based on the belief that people are motivated by a desire to satisfy their needs, and include Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Motivation Hygiene Theory, Three Needs Theory, and Self-Determination Theory. If an employee asks for regular feedback on a project they're leading providing that feedback satisfies their need for achievement. Expectancy Theory is when employees put forth more effort in the expectation that there will be a reward for that effort, like a raise or promotion. Expectancy Theory relies on three factors, effort, performance, and rewards, in order for an employee to put forth the necessary effort to achieve a goal. For example, if an employee wants to get a promotion they may volunteer for high visibility projects. Attribution Theory states that employees are motivated based on how they interpret the causes of their past failures and successes. In other words, if employees believe they learn from past mistakes they're more likely to try again. If employees believe that past failures were due to a lack of skill, they're more likely to believe that they will continue to fail and won't try again. Goal-Setting Theory states that employees are motivated when they have a set of goals that they measure themselves against. Going through a goal-setting exercise at the beginning of a performance review period with employees who are motivated by having clear goals is an example of how you would apply this theory. You can learn more about motivation theories by reviewing the exercise file named Motivation Theories. Underlying most of the decisions we make as HR pros is our understanding of how to keep employees focused on achieving organizational goals. This means we have to be able to leverage our understanding of motivation theories to know how to keep employees fully engaged.

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