From the manager’s viewpoint, the objective is to motivate people to behave in ways that are in the organization’s best interest. Motivation is the set of forces that causes people to engage in one behavior rather than some alternative behavior.
Managers strive to motivate people in the organization to perform at high levels. This means getting them to work hard, to come to work regularly, and to make positive contributions to the organization’s mission.
In most settings, motivation is the most difficult of these factors to manage. If an employee lacks the ability to perform, she or he can be sent to training programs to learn new job skills. If the person cannot learn those skills, she or he can be transferred to a simpler job and replaced with a more skilled worker. If an employee lacks materials, resources, equipment, and/or information, the manager can take steps to provide them.
But if motivation is deficient, the manager faces the more complex situation of determining what will motivate the employee to work harder. Of course, it is also important to understand what motivates us personally.
