ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on motivation and how it relates to management theory. It discusses the contributions made by three pioneers in the field: Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg and Douglas McGregor. Maslow’s theory is based on his principles of a hierarchy of needs. Herzberg’s theory is an application of Maslow’s theory and explains many concepts about motivation that are widely misunderstood and hence misused. McGregor’s work is focused on management belief systems and how they affect the behavior of the workforce. Motivation is the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is the force that causes to act, and it involves both the intellectual and emotional forces that activate behavior. In general, there are two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivators come from “an external locus of causality”, that is, from outside of the individual. Engagement, creativity, cooperation and teamwork are no longer reasonable options. It becomes an every-man-for-himself culture with survival as the guiding motivator.
