"Motivation" is defined as forces within the individual that account for the direction, level, and persistence of a person's effort expended at work. It's the energy that makes us do things. To be motivated we must be inspired to complete our mission. We must have a goal to work towards to satisfy our individual needs. These needs vary from person to person as everybody has their own individual needs to motivate themselves. Depending on how motivated we are, it may further determine the effort we put into our work and therefore increase the standard of the productivity. .
There have been a wide variety of theories developed about motivation, which are often divided into two types, content theories and process theories. The content theories of motivation focus on individual needs. They try to explain work behaviors based on pathways to need satisfaction and on blocked needs. While the process theories of motivation focus on how cognitive processes as thoughts and decisions within the minds of people influence their behavior.
One example of a content theory is Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory. This theory identifies five levels of individual needs. It starts with lower-order needs: Physiological, Safety, Social and ends with higher-order needs: esteem and self-actualization. This concept assumes that some needs are more important than others and must be satisfied before the other needs can serve as motivators. Although this model is popular, research evidence fails to support the existence of a precise five-step hierarchy of needs. .
Some suggest that the order of needs vary according to different people and the stages they are at in their lives.
Another example of a content theory is Frederick Herzbergs Two-Factor Theory. This theory claims that motivation derives from two dimensions. Herzberg began by reporting on the times that workers felt exceptionally good about their jobs and the times when they felt exceptionally bad.