Individual Need example essay topic

333 words
Motivation can be defined in terms of some outward behavior. People who are motivated exert a greater effort to perform some task than those who are not motivated (Frogman, 1996). A more descriptive definition of motivation would be the willingness to do something, where this something is conditioned by its ability to satisfy some need the individual (Vroom, 1964). An individual need reflects some internal state that makes certain outcomes appear attractive. Although individual needs can be satisfied without the achievement of organizational goals (by, for example, winning a $5 million lottery), our purpose here is to focus only on those needs satisfied through work effort in an organization.

The process of motivation begins with an unsatisfied need. Unsatisfied needs are anything that we desire, of which we are deprived. Whenever we are in a state of deprivation, having unsatisfied needs, result in tension. Tension, as we " ve come to know it, has a negative connotation. But some tension is absolutely necessary. Rather than group all forms of tension into one term, tension can be recognized both in the positive and negative forms - functional and dysfunctional tension.

For motivation to occur, an individual must have functional tension. Given that individuals are experiencing some unsatisfied needs and have the desire to change that, the functional tension they have will cause them to exhibit a particular behavior-in the model, called effort. Effort is the outward action of individuals that focuses on a particular goal. These actions are performed so that the required goals can be achieved. If the efforts are successful in achieving our goal, then the needs remain satisfied. Satisfied needs reduce or eliminate the deprivation initially experienced by the individual.

Therefore, motivated employees are in a state of tension. To relieve this tension, they engage in organizational activities. The greater the tension, the greater will be the drive to bring about relief.