STAFF MOTIVATION AND ITS IMPACT ON ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Although, there is general agreement among psychologists that man experiences a variety of needs, there is considerable disagreement as to what these needs are and their relative importance (Van Rooyen, J.  2006). One of the basic problems in any organization is how to motivate people to work. Motivating people to work entails, meeting their needs. This is because people working in the organization to meet workers needs affect the satisfaction, which the workers derive from their job.  The satisfaction that the workers derive from their job can affect their motivation to work. People are motivated by various factors at different times, according to Wilkinson et al (2007) the first factor is the combination of the individual perceptions of the expectations other people have of them, and their own expectations of themselves. This happens because people come into work situations with various expectations.  When they arrive at the work place, they meet other people who also have expectations of them; positive individual and group expectations serve as positive motivational factors for the worker. This is why a balance must be struck as much as possible between organizational objectives and individual aspirations (Sulcas, P.  2007). The essence of this is to ensure a situation where the individual is motivated while the organization is achieving established objectives. The second factor deals with the issue of self-images and concepts as well as life experiences and personality. These factors have to be positively motivated in the worker to yield proactive behaviour. This can be achieved through a carefully planned reward system, which is a type of reinforcement directed at modifying people behaviour.