Title: Theories on Employee Motivation | Bizfluent
Headings: Theories on Employee Motivation
Theories on Employee Motivation
Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
B.F. Skinner's Operant Conditioning Theory
J. Stacy Adams' Equity Theory

Content: Theories on Employee Motivation | Bizfluent
Theories on Employee Motivation
business colleagues image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
By: Marcia Moore, MSSW
Updated September 26, 2017
Share It
Share
Tweet
Post
Email
Print
Related
Organizational Behavior and Theories of Motivation
Learn More →
Motivation may be the desire within a person to do something. If the person is at work, employers may expect them to be motivated to have outstanding performance. Since being motivated could lead to high productivity at work, some professionals in the field of psychology (study of how people behave) have studied motivation and developed various theories to explain how employees are motivated. If such words as “want” and “desire” resemble motive to act, it may behoove employers to understand more about motivation and the relationship to high or low productivity. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
According to Abraham Maslow, a behavioral scientist, there are five levels of needs that motivate people. They are the psychological needs that are basic and have to do with food and shelter; safety needs, which keeps them from physical and emotional harm; social needs, which stem from the desire for belonging; esteem needs, which come from recognition for achievements and self-actualization needs, which have to do with fulfillment and creativity.