# Motivating Employees

## Introduction


### Learning Outcomes

After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer these questions:
1. What are the basic principles of Frederick Taylor’s concept of scientific management?
2. What did Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne studies reveal about worker motivation?
3. What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and how do these needs relate to employee motivation?
4. How are McGregor’s Theories X and Y and Ouchi’s Theory Z used to explain worker motivation?
5. What are the basic components of Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory?
6. What four contemporary theories on employee motivation offer insights into improving employee performance?
7. How can managers redesign existing jobs to increase employee motivation and performance?
8. What initiatives are organizations using today to motivate and retain employees?
This chapter details motivational theory, both historically and currently, and applies that theory to the business world, where motivation, whether in the form of a rock band or not, is a key to success.
People can be a firm’s most important resource. They can also be the most challenging resource to manage well. Employees who are motivated and work hard to achieve personal and organizational goals can become a crucial competitive advantage for a firm. The key then is understanding the process of motivation, what motivates individuals, and how an organization can create a workplace that allows people to perform to the best of their abilities.