Define Motivation. Critically Evaluate Contribution of Mc Gregor to Motivation.

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"The term motivation refers to factors that activate, direct, and sustain goal-directed behavior... Motives are the "whys" of behavior - the needs or wants that drive behavior and explain what we do. We don't actually observe a motive; rather, we infer that one exists based on the behavior we observe." Definition of Theory X and Theory Y: by Mc Gregor Theory X and Theory Y was an idea started by Douglas Mcgregor in the year 1960. It was first published in his book ‘The Human Side of Enterprise’. Both theories centre around the Management Styles in a working environment. Theory X applies to individuals whom are reluctant to work and need to be urged to work in most cases and are more inclined to work for extrinsic rewards, and as such, an authoritarian style needs to be adapted in order to keep these individuals in line. It highlights the limitations of manpower within an organization, and that an authoritarian style needs to be used in order to correct these limitations. Theory Y applies to individuals who have a high level of autonomy within a workplace. The authoritarian style from Theory X is highly ineffective on them, as these individuals have a high degree of self-direction, crave for intrinsic rewards, and show an unwavering commitment towards achieving any given objectives. A participative style is much more suited to these individuals as more participation means that these individuals can easily satisfy their intrinsic needs of self-respect and achievements. Five Important Limitations about Theory X & Theory Y: 1. Theory X style of management fosters a very hostile and distrustful atmosphere- An authoritarian organization requires many managers just because they need to constantly control every single employee, and the method of control usually involves a fair amount of threat and coercion. At times, an employer that is overly

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