Meaning of Motives, Behavior and Needs

Meaning of Motives and Behavior

Motives are the caused behavior. A motive is what prompts to act in a certain way or at least develop a propensity for specific behavior. A person’s choice of one course of action over others depends on his or her motive. Individuals in organizations have different motives and they change over time. There is positive relationship between motives of an individual and behavior of an individual. In business organization, the work is done by the workers. According to the need theory, all normal human behavior and his course of future action, both are caused by a person’s need structure. So, management can influence the behavior of individual in the organization by recognizing and influencing their needs. The management can create a suitable environment in the organization conductive to the fulfillment of individual needs within the overall structure. 

In other words, motivation causes goal-directed behavior. Need is the base for motivation which is a kind of mental feeling in an individual that he needs something. This lack of something creates tension in the mind of the individual. Since the tension is not an ideal state of mind, the individual tries to overcome this by engaging himself in and behavior through which he satisfies his needs. This goal-directed behavior is presented in the following figure.

Motives, Behavior and Needs

Causes of Motivation and Behavior

Goal directed behavior leads to goal-fulfillment and the individual successes in fulfilling his needs and thereby overcoming his tension in the favorable environment.

Meaning of Needs

Needs are internal feelings of individuals and sometimes, even they themselves may not be quite aware about the needs and the priority on these. Thus understanding of human needs and providing means for their satisfaction becomes difficult. Needs are the initial factors for the motivation. Needs are deficiencies that is energized us or trigger our behaviors to satisfy them.

There are two popular models explained by different authors. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and McClelland ERG theory of needs.

There are many needs which an individual may have and there are various ways in which these may be classified. The basic objective behind classification of needs into different categories is to find out similarity and dissimilarity in various needs to that incentives are grouped to satisfy the needs falling under one category or the other. From this point of view, a meaningful classification of needs is based on the sources through which individual, or these may develop over the period of time through learning. Since, these two types of needs emerge from two different sources, these may be satisfied by different types of incentives. Besides, there are certain needs which are neither purely biological nor these are completely learned but fall in between the two. Therefore, a separate category has to be provided for these. Thus, needs may be grouped into three categories.

1. Primary Needs

Primary needs are also known as physiological, biological, basic or unlearned needs. However, the term primary is more comprehensive as compared to other terms. Primary needs are animal drives which are essential for survival. These needs are common to all human beings, though their intensity may differ, some of the needs are food, sex, sleep, air to breathe, satisfactory temperature etc. these needs arise out of the basic physiology of life and are important to survival and preservation of species. These needs are also conditioned by social practices. According to the concept of economic man, these are the only wants of a human being and he attempts to satisfy them only. But researches in human behavior show that psychological needs are equally rather more important for human beings.

2. Secondary Needs

As contrast to the primary needs, secondary needs are not natural but are learned by the individual through his experience and interaction. Therefore, these are also called learned or derived needs. Emergence of these needs depends on learning. This is the reason why we find differences among need pattern of a child and a matured individual. There may be different types of secondary needs like need for power, achievement, status, affiliation etc.

3. General Needs

Though a separate classification for general needs is not always given, such a category seems necessary because there are a number of needs which lie in the grey area between the primary and secondary classifications. To be included in this category, a need must not be learned but at the same time, it is not completely physiological. In fact, there are certain such needs like needs for competence, curiosity, manipulation, affection etc.

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Personality and Behavior

Personality may be understood as the characteristic patterns of behavior and modes of thinking that determine a person's adjustment to the environment. Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psycho-physical system that determine his unique adjustment to his environment. On the other hand, behavior is the outcome of external stimulus and internal cognitive or mental process. As we know that organizational behavior is the aggregate form of the behavior and employees in the organization. The relation between behavior and personality is a part of overall individual behavior, where as organizational behavior consists of these combine. Both the terms has close relation as both those deals with human nature. 

However, the difference between personality and behavior can be

• Personality cannot be easily predicted and measured by behavior can be predicted and can also be measured in some extent. 
• Personality is the source but behavior is the result of every new information received and interpreted by an individual.
• Personality results behavior but sometime certain behavior shapes personality.

Behavior is resulted from motivation but personality mainly is the result of individual characteristics and the result of situation.

Matching personality and jobs explain that the job given to an individual should fit to his personality. If the given jobs and personality matches, then high performance can be expected from the employee. So, a rational manager should always think of personality of the employee while assigning him any task. Organizations operate in a dynamic and complex environment. They want employees who can readily change tasks and move between teams. They aim for a personality-organization fit. Organization should select those employees who fit better with organization's culture. This leads to high satisfaction and low turnover.

John Holland developed personality job fit theory. He has presented six different personality types and purpose that satisfied and propensity to leave the job depend on the degree of matching personality and the job.

The six theories are as follows:

1. Realistic: It refers physical activities that require skill, strength and coordination. The personality characteristics of realistic are shy genuine, stable conforming etc. Their matching jobs are former, drill press, operator etc. 
2. Investigative: It prefers activities that involve thinking organizing and understanding. The personality characteristics are realistic are analytical, original curious, independent etc. Their matching job are new reporter, mathematician etc.
3. Social: It prefers activities that involve helping and developing others. The personality characteristics are sociable friendly, cooperative, understanding etc. Their matching jobs are teaching, counselor, social worker etc.
4. Conventional: It prefers rule regulated, ordering and unambiguous activities. The personality characteristics are conforming, efficient, practical, unimaginative, inflexible etc. Their matching jobs are accountant, bank teller, manager etc.
5. Enterprising: It prefers verbal activities where there are opportunities to influence other and attain power. The personality characteristics are self confident, ambitious, energetic domineering etc. Their matching jobs are lawyer, P/R officer, and small business manager.
6. Artistic: It prefers ambiguous and unsystematic activities that allow creative expression. The personality traits are imaginative, idealistic etc. Their matching jobs are painter, musician, writer etc.

Thus, if jobs are matched to personality attributes, employee will be more motivated towards the job given to him. Therefore, a rational manager should be very much conscious regarding the type of the job and personality of the employee.

Role of Learning in Organization

Learning in Organization

Learning is a continuous process. It occurs all the time. Learning is any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience. Learning is not only important to employee but also it is important for managers. It plays a vital role on training in organizational settings. It assists in optimally developing the talents and for effective performance. They guide the employees to engage the management to accomplish the goals. By means of learning, employees get confidence at work. Similarly, employee's behavior can be changed to improve their job performance, knowledge about work, attitudes, values and ethics of profession etc. On the other hand learning is not only important for organization and employee. But also it helps in social enlistment. Learned and cited workers extend the social reputations of organization. It can extend the brand loyalty of customers towards organizational product.

In simple words, learning is any relatively permanent change in behavior that results from reinforced practices or experience. It is very essential component in both human and organizational lives. It is a cognitive, effective and physical process as all complex process and behaviors are learnt.

The important characteristics of learning includes:

• Learning involves change: The process of learning initiates change in an individual which can be desirable or undesirable from organization point of view. Favorable and unfavorable behaviors may be learnt during learning process.
• The change should be relatively permanent: The temporary change in an individual resulting to reflexive behavior for certain period doesn't involve learning. It requires permanent change through reinforcement.
• Learning results change in action: Learning involves change in action. If the change in individual's thought processes or attitudes doesn't change the behavior, it can't be termed as learning.
• Experiences initiates learning: Experiences acquired directly through observation and practice or indirectly through books and conscious attention initiate the learning process.

Organizations need people with learning capacity to adopt and cope to the changing dynamic environment. Learning is directly related to the development, maintenance and change of employee work behavior. an organization should deploy individual who are intelligent, knowledgeable, creative and are directed to achieve goals through intense learning process. Apart from learning to work through training and development, an individuals should learn norms and values of organizational culture. Thus, learning brings permanent change in behavior and mind set of an individual which is directly or indirectly related to OB in terms of increasing competency, self efficiency, HRD (Human Resource Development), behavioral change, leadership ability, technological adaptation, change management etc.

Cognitive Theory

This theory was given by Edward Tolman. He held that learning involved a relationship between cognitive environment cues and expectations. Cognition implies a conscious or deliberate process of acquiring knowledge through perceiving, imaging, thinking and reasoning. The theory implies learning as a purely an outcome of the thinking process and the act of knowing an item of information that cues to respond the expected goal. The theory was developed after experimentation on rats in laboratory. He showed that rats learned to run through complicated maze towards a goal (food), it was observed that rats developed expectations at every choice point in the maze. Thus, they learned to expect that certain cognitive cues related to the choice point could ultimately lead to food. In this situation, where rats got the food, the relationship between the cues and expectancy was strengthened and learning took place. The theory differs from classical conditioning (S --> R) and operant conditioning (R --> S) theories as the theory emphasizes learning is the result of relation between cues and expectancy (S --> S). The impact of theory on organization setting includes great impact on the human relation movement and motivation of employee at which with the establishment of relation between cognition and organizational behavior. 

Tolman approach is also called as stimulus-stimulus approach. These experiments embarrassed the behaviorist learning theories. Reinforcement failed to predict rats behavior and it was no longer a prerequisite to learning. One stimulus lead to another stimulus rather than classical S-R or operant R-S interpretation. Indeed the rat behavior was purposive. In other words, they learned a cognitive map to determine how to reach food.

Tolman made significant contributions to learning theory by forcing the behavioristic theory to evolve highly complex explanation of behavior and indicating the need to include cognition in a mediating role between the environmental stimulus and the behavior. These theories exerted a strong effect on early human relation movement.

Implication of Cognitive Learning Theory

Cognitive theory of learning has a number of implications. Tolman made significant contribution to learning theory by forcing the behaviroristic theorist to evolve highly complex explanation of behavior and indicating the need to include cognition in a mediating role between the environmental stimulus and the behavior. Most of the early human relations training programmes were based on this concept. Various training programmes were designed to strengthen the relationship between cognitive cues (organizational, supervisory, and job procedures) and worker expectations (incentive payments for good performance). In the context of the modern organizational behavior, this theory has relevance in the field of motivation as it is a cognitive process. Thus, various expectancy theories of motivation derive clues from cognitive theory of learning. These theories exerted a strong effect on early human relations movement.

Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory was developed by A. Bandura in 1977. This theory combines and integrates both behavioristic and cognitive concepts and emphasizes the integrative nature of cognitive, behavioral and environmental determinants. This theory agrees with some parts of behavioral and cognitive theories but finds that these theories do not explain the process and elements therein fully. It posits that learning can also take place via vicarious or modeling. In other words, individuals can also learn by observing what is happening to other people and just by hearing told about something as well as by direct experiences. For example, what we learn comes from watching models i.e., our parents, teachers, peers, superiors and so forth.

Social learning theory is an extension of operant conditioning that is a function of consequences. It also acknowledges the existence of observational learning and the importance of perception in learning. People respond to how they perceive and define consequences, not to the objective consequences themselves.

The theory states the combination of cognitive, behavioral and impact of environmental forces in learning. Individuals can also learn by observing what happens to other people and just by being told about something as well as by direct experiences. The learning occurs by observing other and modelling the behavior that leads to favorable consequences. It accounts for behavioral modeling approach to learning as people can learn from watching their seniors, parents, models, teachers, peers, superiors and so forth.

This theory combines and integrates operant conditioning and cognitive theories. the operant conditioning assumes behavior as the function of consequences and the cognitive theory focuses in the factor of how people perceive and define consequences for learning process rather than the consequences themselves. 

While social learning theory is an extension of operant conditioning i.e. it assumes that behavior is a function of consequences. It also acknowledges the existence of observational learning and the importance of perception in learning. People respond to how they perceive and define consequences, not to the objective consequences themselves.

The influence of model is central to the social learning view point. Four processes have been found to determine the influence that a model will have on an individual. These are:

1. Attention process: People only learn form a model when they recognize and pay attention to its critical features. We tend to be most influenced by models that are attractive, repeatedly available and we think are important or we see as similar to us. In other words, the degree and intensity of attention paid influence the process of learning.
2. Retention process: A model's influence will depend on how well the individual remembers the model's action, even after the model is no longer readily available.
3. Motor reproduction process: After a person has seen a new behavior by observing the model, the watching must be converted to doing. This process then demonstrates that the individual can perform the modeled activities. Thus, the watching of modeled activities must be practically performed and demonstrated to initiate learning.
4. Reinforcement processes: Every individuals will be motivated to exhibit the modeled behavior, if positive incentives or records are provided. Behaviors that are reinforced will be given more attention, learned better and performed more often.

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Behavior as an Input-Output System

People are considered as the "spinal cord" of every organization. Managers of every organization must be familiar about behavior of people. Understanding an individual behavior is a very difficult task. Therefore behavior can be observed as input-output system.

The Inputs: Stimuli form the inputs for the system and the information getting process or function is the sensation. The event data from the environment are received and transformed to sensations by sense organs of vision, audition, smell, taste, those on the inner ear and muscles.