Needs Theory of Motivation

Needs Theory of Motivation" Please respond to the following:

• From the case study, analyze Mary’s attitude before and after the meeting with Sue. Determine which motivation theory applies best to this scenario. Support your answer.

This case study was very interesting and real. Mary’s attitude before the meeting was filled with expectancy and anticipation. Sure she knew she had been putting in hard work and going the extra mile over the past year, but after talking to some of her peers she at best thought she would only get between a four and five percent raise. So after the interview and getting confirmation from her manager that her work had been noticed by her peers and being told what a great asset she has been to the company and the project she was apart, and then to be rewarded the “highest” percent ever given out she was on cloud 15! Her manager had filled her head up with so many accolades she left out of his office more motivated than ever to continue to go above and beyond with her work. However, after speaking to her co-worker Sue, that all changed once she heard her starting salary.

I believe the “equity theory” applies best in this scenario. Equity theory is when employees are motivated to eliminate any perceived inequity in an organization. This feeling comes from unfair distributions of rewards. These perceptions develop when employees receive outcomes as a result of their work effort and then make comparisons with others. Once Mary found out how much Sue made she immediately felt maybe all her hard work had really been for nothing , even though she got a good raise (so she thought),but to know that Sue was hired a year after her, for more money, and has not put in all the extra time and effort as she had, she may feel as though Sue is already ahead of the game so why try so hard in the future.