The Motivation Theory which I feel is most relevant to me is Taylor’s Theory of Scientific Management, that people are mainly motivated by pay. His theory states that workers generally do not enjoy work and have to be closely supervised. He proposed that in order to solve this problem, managers should break down the work into a series of little jobs and workers should be given the appropriate training and equipment to be able to complete the tasks as efficiently as possible. He claimed that workers should be paid by the amount of units they produce (performance related pay). I work as at Waitrose and employees at Waitrose get paid based on their performance. This encourages Waitrose workers to work hard and maximise productivity. When I was told how much I could be earning compared to what I was earning at Waitrose, it motivated me to work harder and faster resulting in my pay going up.

(tutor2u, http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_motivation_theories.htm

Motivation for starting university:

My main motivation for starting uni was simply the fact that I have always wanted to be an accountant, and the best way to do this is to obtain a degree. I have always enjoyed numbers, and so far I am thoroughly enjoying my Accounting and Finance course (and hopefully doing well)! I am here because I want to obtain a degree, meet new people and also have fun. My uncle is also an accountant and he is extremely well off, owning 3 houses and having extremely flexible hours. In the next few years the main things that are going to motivate me to do well, are my parents and getting a decent job at the end of uni. I also have experience of not doing very well as I royally messed up my first year in sixth form and had to redo some of the exams. The memory of looking at that grade sheet at the end of the year and realising that I may as well have taken a gap year because it felt that I had wasted the whole year, will motivate me to push myself and continue working hard in order to achieve my degree and hopefully a successful (highly-paid) job. My motivation is relating to Taylor’s Theory of Scientific Management because it is mainly money that is motivating me. If I was a millionaire and money was no object for me I certainly would not be motivated to attend lectures, focus on my work and obtain the best degree possible, as I would much rather be going out spending that money elsewhere. I know that by working hard now, I will be able to reap the rewards later on in life with a well paid job, and in that job if I continue to work hard, I will be able to climb the accountancy ladder resulting in me earning even more money (performance related pay).

Time when I was Demotivated:

A time when I was very demotivated was during my first year in sixth form. I had received GCSE results that I was very pleased with and the newly given freedom I received upon entering sixth form, you could say went straight to my head. I spent more time having fun and messing around with my mates than working, and I did not realise the step up that was needed from GCSE to A Level. The main reason I felt like this was ignorance and the fact that I felt that I had been spending all my life working and now I had to put in another two whole years of hard work. At the end of the year when I looked upon that grade sheet and saw that I had just wasted a whole year, I felt like the most foolish person in the world. I had to retake the whole year. I promised myself that I would never slack again, and since then I have kept to my work, completing all work to the best of my ability and handing them in before the set deadlines. As well an my motivation increasing after my first year in sixth form, I also noticed my grades going up, which in turn motivates me to work even harder and achieve even better grades.

Relating to Theories learned in lecture:

In relation to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I was working towards self-esteem needs. I wanted to gain recognition and status by doing well after failing so miserably. If I had worked hard during my first year I would not have had to retake, and watch some of my friends finish school before me. A reason for why I want to become an accountant is because an accountant is a well respected job. I want to work toward gaining a degree so that I can be proud to tell my family I have one. I am working towards gaining their recognition (self-esteem needs), but also status in society and personal fulfilment and achievement (self-actualisation needs). With regards to Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory, I was dissatisfied with my results, and after attaining much better results the following year, I was motivated to continue working as hard as I was and in fact to try even harder because I was proud to show off my results due to the recognition I gained from them. Gaining a better grade than I was predicted was a major sense of achievement for me. With relation to Aldefer’s ERG Theory, growth needs would have been relevant to me as I wanted to grow and achieve even better grades the first time round following my successful retakes.

Conclusion:

I believe that motivation is key to every individual in all aspects of work and life. If you work hard you have a better chance of achieving what you want and becoming successful in life. I have learned from my past mistakes that it is better to try to get things done to the best of your ability the first time round, as if you have to retake, you just end up putting in more effort in because it takes longer, costs more, and makes you feel bad. To become successful in this degree course I understand that I must remain motivated and continue working to the best of my ability, whilst handing in all work before the deadline.