Group Motivation Inventory Essay Example for Free

Group Motivation Inventory Essay Majority of us humans get up from bed in the morning, set out for school or our job and practically do our daily routines in a way that is unique to us. We interact to our environment and the people around us without fully understanding why we are doing our routine – why we go to school or do great in our job or are amused from a particular activity. Nonetheless we all know that there is something that motivates us for doing this. Motivation refers to the things either internal or external to a person from which makes him enthusiastic and persistent on pursuing a particular course of action (Daft, 526). Studying motivation makes us understand what makes us people initiate a certain action, and what influences our selection of actions. After I took the motivation rating exam, I have a moderate level of group motivation. This means that I am not fully committed to my group but also not completely disregarding how my group will perform. After taking the exam, I realized that there are factors that affect a person’s motivation on a group. Some of these factors are: 1) composition of the group; 2) commitment and dedication of other members; 3) chemistry within the group; 4) appreciation of the group; and 5) each member’s contribution for the group’s success. Upon taking the exam, I became aware that the factor that mostly affects my motivation in a group is a member’s commitment and dedication to the group. This is maybe because I have the habit of giving my best on anything that I am doing. Having this attitude makes me compare what my contributions to the other members of my group. If I think that they are not as dedicated as me, my motivation becomes lower. Appreciation of the group is the next factor that affects my motivation. In my opinion, only a martyr would work on a group that does not value what he is doing. When it comes to the composition of my group, the only problem is that some of the members of the group are so shy to even tell their names. I have encountered this kind of members. They usually want to work on their own. The only thing a leader should do is give him/her what she will do and that is all. The composition of the group is essential to another factor, chemistry. The interaction within a group is also important when considering one’s motivation. Working with group whose chemistry is good usually leads to achieving the group’s goal. Contribution of other members to the group also affects my motivation. If all of the members participate well and contribute what they should give makes me want to also do my part well. On the other hand, if some members do not actually help with the achievement of our group’s goals, the other members, including myself, would have to exert more effort. Thus, we have to be more motivated. The motivation exam made me realize that I am moderately motivated when I am involved in a group. Unlike before, I think I can also measure the dedication of the other group members. With this, I am able to compare my level of motivation with the other members of the group. Only a little bit has really changed. I still do my part wholeheartedly. I try to attend all of the scheduled group meetings and do my best to help the group finish its goals. The only thing that changed is on how I interact with them. Usually before taking the exam, I only ask something to the group if I am having trouble understanding what I should do. I do not want a conversation other than the problems that the group is dealing with. Now, I talk to my other co-members about anything under the sun to further improve our chemistry. With each member’s trust and friendliness, I became a lot motivated. After taking this exam and analyzing my results, there are some things that I would change in order to further improve my participation and motivation in other future groups. First, I will improve my interaction to my future co-members. The chemistry becomes the â€Å"spark† of a good group relationship. If group members interact to each other with respect and friendliness, everyone will help on each. Thus, group goals will be done in a smooth way. In the future, I will also motivate my co-members. I will talk to them if I think they are not participating well in the group and encourage them that we are a team and we have to work together to be successful. There are some theories or approaches to further improve motivation within an organization. One particular theory is the Expectancy Theory associated to the works of Victor Vroom with a number of contributions from other scholars. The Expectancy theory implies that the degree of motivation of a certain individual is associated on his expectations on their capability to perform a particular task and the desired awards he will receive. Expectancy theory focuses on the thinking process present to an individual to gain rewards, not on recognizing what his needs are (Daft, 536). With this theory, I think that sharing my expectations to my co-members will further improve each of our motivations, thus improving the performance of the group. The factor that mostly affects my motivations, based on the results, is the commitment of the other group members. If other members do not do their part, my motivation decreases. I am not comfortable working with a group who is not as committed as me. In order to avoid this, confrontation is needed. Other member should be confronted regarding their attitude and their respective responsibilities to the group. In a sense, before the group does anything, rules should be made clear. Content Theories can also be used to improve motivation within an organization. One of these Content theories is the famous Hierarchy of Needs theory by Abraham Maslow. The theory suggests that there are five classes of needs that motivate a person existing in a hierarchical form. Maslow argues that needs with low-ranks should be the priority. These needs (from lowest to highest rank) are as follows: 1) Physiological needs – the most basic physical needs of humans; 2) Safety needs – the need for a protected and harmless physical and emotional setting; 3) Belongingness needs – the desire to be in a particular group with their trust; 4) Esteem needs – the need for appreciation and recognition within a group or organization; 5) Self-actualization needs – the need of self-fulfillment (Daft, 529-530). The suitable incentive for the group would be from the categories of belongingness and esteem needs. To improve motivation within the group, one should acknowledge each member for what he had done for the group. Appreciation should also be given to them even though their work is not that excellent. At least they have given their best. For every work that a member accomplishes, the other members should at least try to thank him/her. A simple line of â€Å"good job† will make a person exert more efforts and be more motivated. Reference: Daft, Richard. 2005. Management 5th Ed. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.