Importance of Motivation

No concept of OB receives as much attention of academics, researchers and practicing managers as motivation. The increased attention towards motivation is justified by several reasons.

First, motivated employees are always seeking for better ways to do a job. When people actively look for new ways of doing things, they usually find them. It is the responsibility of managers to make employees look for improved ways of doing jobs.

Second, a motivated employee generally is more quality oriented. The organization benefits, because individuals, in and outside the organization see the enterprise as quality conscious. A clear understanding of the way motivation works helps a manager make his employees quality oriented.

Third, highly motivated workers are more productive than apathetic workers. The high productivity of Japanese workers is mainly due to motivation.

Fourth, every organization requires human resources, along with the need for financial and physical resources for it to function. Three Behavioral dimensions of human resources are significant to the organization:

• People must be attracted not only to join the organization but also not quit
• People must perform the tasks for which they are hired and must do so in a reliable manner.
• People must go beyond this dependable role performance and connect in some form of creative, spontaneous and innovative Behavior at work.

Fifth, motivation as a concept represents a highly complex phenomenon that affects, and is affected by a multitude of factors in the organization. A complete consideration of the way in which organization functions requires that, increasing attention be directed towards the question of why people behave as they do on their jobs.

Sixth, yet another reason why more attention is paid towards motivation can be found in the present and future technology required for production. As technology rises in complexity, machines tend to become necessary yet inadequate vehicles of effective and successful operations.

Seventh, while organizations have for some time viewed their financial and physical resources from a long- term perspective, only recently they have begun seriously to apply this same perspective to their human resources. Many organizations are now focusing more on developing their employees as future resources (talent bank) upon which they can bank upon as they grow and progress.

Finally, attention paid to motivation by our managers speaks about its significance in management of human resources.