Discussion: Motivation Theory: Supporting and Contrasting Theories

Discussion: Motivation Theory: Supporting and Contrasting Theories

    When you want to build a ship, do not begin by gathering wood, cutting boards, and distributing work, but rather awaken within men the desire for the vast and endless sea.

    —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince (1943)

People around the world are different. They belong to different families and different cultures. Therefore, it is understandable that what motivates one person may not motivate another. As a DBA independent scholar at Walden University, your source of motivation as an employee or student may be different than your classmates’ sources. Previously, you may not have consciously considered what motivates you or those around you. However, considering your personal and your colleagues’ experiences with motivation—along with insight provided by research on motivation and leadership—may help you to better motivate yourself and others. As a global change agent, you might find the motivation theory and supporting theories helpful as you gain insight into this theory and its relevancy to you and others. Perhaps you can begin by asking yourself, “How will I recognize my motivation for developing leadership skills so that board members will evaluate me for an executive leadership role?”

To prepare for this Discussion, consider the scope of motivation theories (e.g., inspirational motivation and the path-goal and expectancy theories) and the various components of motivation. Share with your colleagues how at least three aspects of motivation (i.e., the will to lead, express dominance, and commit to the social good of the organization) are essential in developing leadership skills (Northouse, 2016, pp. 52–53).
By Day 3

Post your analysis of three aspects of motivation (i.e., the will to lead, express dominance, and commit to the social good of the organization) that are essential in developing leadership skills and your personal experience recognizing motivation exhibited by an employee within the workplace. In your analysis, do the following:

    Describe three aspects of motivation that support leadership skills and an example of how a work colleague, employee, or leader exhibited these aspects of motivation.
    Explain how each of these aspects of your analysis relates to the motivation and leadership theory.

Be sure to support your work with a minimum of two specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and one or more additional scholarly sources.

Refer to the Week 4 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

    Offer insight on the strengths and weaknesses of your colleague’s analysis.
    Compare your analysis of motivation to your colleague’s analysis, and explain what the results suggest about the nature of motivation.

Please note that, for each response, you must include a minimum of one appropriately cited scholarly reference.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what insights you gained as a result of reading the comments your colleagues made.



Learning Resources

    Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

    Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

        Case 7.1, “His Team Gets the Best Assignments” (pp. 151–152)

    Barbuto, J. E., Jr., & Story, J. S. P. (2011). Work motivation and organizational citizenship behaviors. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(1), 23–34. doi:10.1002/jls.20202

    Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

    Dwyer, P. C., Bono, J. E., Snyder, M., Nov, O., & Berson, Y. (2013). Sources of volunteer motivation: Transformational leadership and personal motives influence volunteer outcomes. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 24(2), 181–205. doi:10.1002/nml.21084

    Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

    Effelsberg, D., Solga, M., & Gurt, J. (2014). Getting followers to transcend their self-interest for the benefit of their company: Testing a core assumption of transformational leadership theory. Journal of Business & Psychology, 29(1), 131–143. doi:10.1007/s10869-013-9305-x

    Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

    Fehr, E., Herz, H., & Wilkening, T. (2013). The lure of authority: Motivation and incentive effects of power. American Economic Review, 103(4), 1325–1359. doi:10.1257/aer.103.4.1325

    Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

    Jenkins, S., & Delbridge, R. (2013). Context matters: Examining “soft” and “hard” approaches to employee engagement in two workplaces. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(14), 2670–2691. doi:10.1080/09585192.2013.770780

    Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

    Raven, B. H. (1993). The bases of power: Origins and recent developments. Journal of Social Issues, 49(4), 227–251.

    Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

    Schriesheim, C. A., Podsakoff, P. M., & Hinkin, T. R. (1991). Can ipsative and single-item measures produce erroneous results in field studies of French and Raven’s (1959) five bases of power? An empirical investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76(1), 106–114. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.76.1.106

    Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

    Walden University. (2015a). APA course paper template (6th ed.). Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ld.php?content_id=7980596

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). Leadership and power [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute