Business – 2.2 Motivation – Motivation as a tool | e-Consult

Motivation drives employee effort, commitment and productivity, which directly influence a business’s ability to meet its strategic goals such as market growth, profitability and quality standards.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests that employees must have their basic physiological and safety needs satisfied before they can focus on higher‑order needs such as esteem and self‑actualisation. A company that provides a safe working environment, competitive wages and job security creates a foundation for employees to seek achievement and personal growth, leading to higher performance.

Herzberg’s Two‑Factor Theory distinguishes between hygiene factors (e.g., salary, working conditions) that prevent dissatisfaction and motivators (e.g., recognition, responsibility) that generate satisfaction. By ensuring hygiene factors are adequate and deliberately designing jobs that offer autonomy, achievement and recognition, managers can foster intrinsic motivation, which is more sustainable for long‑term objectives.

Applying these theories, a firm might first guarantee a reliable pay structure and safe workplace (addressing Maslow’s lower levels and Herzberg’s hygiene factors). Then it could introduce a performance‑recognition programme, empower teams with decision‑making authority, and offer career‑development pathways, thereby satisfying higher‑order needs and motivators that propel the organisation toward its targets.