Motivation in the Workplace

Stephanie Jusino

BUS 345.66

December 13, 2013

Reflection Paper

In this paper I would be talking about the chapter’s 13 and 14 and the motivation one puts into the workplace and the have and has not’s of these society and the two classes that benefit from it. Motivation is basis and a psychological feature that arouses an organism to act towards a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal-directed behaviors. Employee motivation develops in one of two ways. Intrinsic motivation comes from within, driving you to succeed based on inner goals and ambition. Extrinsic motivation comes from external sources, motivating you with incentives to push your performance. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation carry distinct advantages and different employees display different motivational characteristics. Knowing which employees are motivated more intrinsically or extrinsically can improve your skills as a manager.

Alienation in the workplace is a difficult and common problem that undermines productivity, employee morale and the sense of intrinsic satisfaction. Companies will find it difficult to motivate alienated employees to perform at their highest level. Employees who identify closely with the work that they do take pride in its quality that is independent of how much they earn or how others evaluate their skills. Intrinsic motivation emerges out of identification with the work. When an individual views an activity as an expression of his inner self, he will take care to do it well and take satisfaction in the work.

Over the past two decades, a growing share of the public has come to the view that American society is divided into two groups, the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Today, Americans are split evenly on the two-class question with as many saying the country is divided along economic lines as say this is not the case. Of equal importance, the number of Americans who see themselves among the “have-nots” of society has doubled over the past...