Employee Motivation through the Lens of Motivational Theories - Motivational Speech Style

Hello! I am Karmin Walker, and I am here to discuss employee motivation with all of you. A little bit about myself, I have worked for both the Alaska State Troopers and the Oregon State Police in Human Resources. I have spent countless hours coaching both law enforcement officers and civilian employees to find motivation in their professional environments to achieve the desired goals and outcomes they wish to pursue. I now own my own business where I am a certified Life Coach and publish books to advocate for others. To say the least, I love helping people accomplish the goals in which they wish to pursue. That is exactly what I will be doing here with you all today.

Motivational Theories

The first theory we will look at is the Self-Regulation Theory. This theory helps “individuals direct the course of their development as they select and pursue goals and modify goal pursuit based on personal and environmental opportunities and constraints,” (Newman & Newman, 2020). The idea behind the Self-Regulation Theory is that people can control their behavior, feelings, and thoughts to adjust their actions to meet their personal goals (Study.com, 2022).

We will also be looking at the Goal-Setting Theory. “Clear goals and appropriate feedback motivate employees,” (Mindtools, 2022). The keys to accomplishing this theory are to (1) Set clear goals for yourself, write down your goals, and assess how you feel about your goals after you write them down; (2) Set challenging goals, and ensure that the goal you set will spark your interest enough to be able to follow through and accomplish it; (3) If you are part of a team, ensure that you have the commitment of the team to back up your goals; (4) Seek and gain feedback regarding your or your teams progress; and (5) When you set these challenging goals, ensure that you are giving yourself an appropriate amount of time to attain the goals, otherwise, you can begin to become stressed, and the goal will be less likely to be accomplished (MindTools, 2022).

The third, and potentially my favorite theory, is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This motivational theory focuses on basic human needs and goes all the way to Self-Actualization. In order to attain Self-Actualization, one must have met all of the other needs and goals prior to reaching that point, however, it is believed that as long as you are tapping into the basics on each level (or need) that you can continue to climb the hierarchy toward Self-Actualization (McLeod, 2022). These additional needs are physiological, which is essentially food and clothing, basic human needs; safety, which would be job security, and physically feeling safe and secure; love and belonging, which would be friendship, family, and other close relationships; then there is esteem, which is freedom, recognition, and respect; and lastly, self-actualization, which is the desire to be all that you can be (McLeod, 2022).

Question and Answer

Okay, so now that we have reviewed a few theories let us look at how that can be applied to any one person in this exact room. Who in here feels unmotivated in their current position in life or job? Okay, you there, what is your name?

Answer: “John.”

Okay, John. Tell me, what is your job title?

Answer: “I am an Alaska State Trooper.”

That is great! Can you explain your job responsibilities to me briefly, and how long have you been a Trooper?

Answer: “I am an Investigator, and I manage mostly sex assault crimes and homicides. I investigate the crime from the time of report all the way through prosecution. I have been with the Department for thirteen years and was promoted to this position about four years ago.”

That sounds like a lot of hard and dedicated work. If you do not mind, share with me a little bit about your attitude toward your management and co-workers?

Answer: “Well, it is a good thing that none of them are here I suppose. I would like to say that I love what I do, because I know I am making a difference in many people’s lives. But honestly, it is exhausting, and I feel like there is too much overhead in the Department that they focus on all the wrong things. When I am able to focus on my daily tasks and work all the way through a case, it flies by and goes smoothly. However, when politics get involved, then there are too many hands in the pot, and people other than I control too much of how the investigation goes.”

Okay, thank you. And how do you feel about your co-workers? Other investigators?

Answers: “Other investigators and I are all in the same boat, and sometimes I get annoyed by road Troopers that complain that they have life difficult. They just pull over cars or chase people down when I am doing all the hard investigation work. Sometimes I just wish I could be a road Trooper again.”

And what about stressors? Tell me a little bit about your stressors.

Answer: “Politics, definitely. Leadership, and Troopers under five years of service who run into situations headfirst and could get anyone else killed.”

Okay, now tell me what your professional goals are?

Answer: “I would love to be a Private Investigator, and work for myself so that I do not have to deal with the overhead, politics, or baby Troopers.”

Analyze Attitudes and Motivations of Employee

Thank you, John, for sharing! John is a little different than some of you, but he is also very relatable. John is frustrated by micromanagement and interference in his daily job duties by leadership. John does not feel trusted to do his job, but he is a seasoned law enforcement officer. He knows his job, and his responsibilities, but does not feel motivated by leadership when they step in and take over for him or when they interfere. John’s goal to be a private investigator simply to escape the politics and micromanagement is very telling, that he is not doing what he enjoys. The reason why he does not enjoy it is either that it is not challenging enough or because his needs are not being met, and he is not receiving appropriate feedback regarding his job performance. However, John stated that when he is able to focus and just get through his caseload, he is motivated to continue pushing on and actually enjoys what he does.

Apply Motivational Theories to Employee

Out of the three motivational theories that we discussed earlier; we could apply at least two of those to John’s circumstances. If we had some of John’s leadership in the crowd we could discuss the Goal-Setting theory, so that we could ensure that John gets the appropriate feedback necessary to feel accomplished in his job. However, that may not change the way that they still interfere with cases when politics get involved as John mentioned. Thus, we look at the Self-Regulation theory. “Future events cannot be causes of present motivation and action,” (Bandura, 1991). Thus, if John is able to stay in the moment, focus on what he can control, and direct his motivation to what he is able to control he will be able to self-regulate his actions and emotions to feel more fulfilled at work, knowing that he did all that he could with the resources he was given.

We can also look at Maslow’s Hierarchy Needs and based on this theory it proves that all employees have “basic physiological needs that they seek to satisfy and are specifically necessary for their motivation at work,” (Wong and Low, 2018). In order for an employee to get to the Self-Actualization level of needs in the workplace, the employee must first feel safe and secure in their position, but also feel respected at the esteem level. If these needs are not met, it is not surprising that John would not be able to reach the Self-Actualization level of the hierarchy. Or it would not be surprising that John would begin considering alternative job choices, such as being a Private Investigator.

Based on the information provided, and the parties we have currently here, we can suggest to John that he focuses on what he can control. If the Self-Regulation theory does not work for him, then it would be suggested to follow Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If John does not feel safe, or secure in his current position then he will not feel respected, and ultimately will not be able to reach self-actualization in his current role. It would be realistic then, to begin setting goals to finance and secure a Private Investigator business instead of being a Trooper for a government organization. If his superiors were here, what I would suggest to them is to ensure that the policies are being followed regardless of who is being investigated, to ensure a proper investigation is followed through. John was hired for a reason, and if the Department for any reason does not trust John to do his job, then the Department should consider mentorship and regular feedback associated with John’s job performance.

Conclusion

These motivational theories, Self-Regulation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, are the most in line with John’s current needs because there are a lot of frustrations currently associated with his job. He loves what he does when he is able to do it, but his needs are not being met in the workplace—hindering his progress toward professional goals within the Department. On the other hand, the Self-Regulation theory enables John to take control of his own life’s and job’s circumstances.

References

Bandura, A. 1991. Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation. Stanford University. chrome-

extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/BanduraPubs/Bandura1991OBHDP.pdf

MindTools. 2022. Locke’s Goal-Setting Theory: Setting Meaningful, Challenging Goals.

MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm

Newman, B. M., and Newman, P. R. 2020. Self-Regulation Theories. Science Direct, Theories of Adolescent Development. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/self-

regulation-theory

Study.com. 2022. Self-Regulation Theory. Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/self-

regulation-theory-overview-components-strategies.html

Wong, P. T., and Low, A. 2018. Improving Workplace Productivity: Applications of Maslow’s

Need Theory and Locke’s Goal-Setting. Psychology & Psychological Research International Journal. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329732901_Improving_Workplace_Productivity_Applications_of_Maslow's_Need_Theory_and_Locke's_Goal-Setting