Question

Which leadership role do you prefer? Why?

Which of the three content motivation theories do you prefer? Why?

Which of the three process motivation theories do you prefer? Why?

Answer 1

Which Leadership role do you prefer?

I would prefer the 'Transformational Leadership' role. A transformational leader is someone who works closely with his or her subordinates. he or she also guides them and inspires them. This kind of leader does not need to impose his or her authority over the subordinates. They follow him by the virtue of the leader's attributes. These leaders also give clarity about the vision and goals to the team members. This makes the task easy for the members. Because of all these reasons, according to me, in an ideal scenario, this leadership role is the best-suited role because it benefits both the firm and the employees by supporting a good work environment and task delivery.

However, you must keep in mind that different kinds of leadership roles suit different kinds of organizational set-up. So, you must also keep this point in mind.

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3 Content Motivation Theories

According to Content Motivation Theories, there are some intrinsic factors of each human being that motivate them. Different individuals have different needs and also there are different motivating factors for each of them. I prefer the three listed theories.

1. Maslow's Hierarchy Theory of Needs - According to this theory, there is a hierarchy of needs for a human being. There are 5 levels to it. As soon as the lowest level gets fulfilled, the human moves to the next level and tries to satisfy it. Thus, the human being slowly moves up the hierarchy. The five levels from the bottom are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization need. I prefer this theory because it is very close to human psychology and it is highly relevant. Individuals keep moving because of the internal motivating factors and the topmost is self-actualization which means the achievement of full potential which is next to impossible. So, a person remains motivated throughout and this theory always holds good.
2. Mc Gregor's Theory X and Theory Y - According to this theory, managers follow two major approaches in the workplace. One is the authoritative approach called Theory X. It is believed that the employees only get motivated by rewards and punishments and also they need strict supervision. The second approach is exactly opposite to theory X and it is called Theory Y. According to this theory, employees do not need strict supervision, they are committed to working and always feel motivated due to their own intrinsic factors. I also prefer this theory, because it is in line with Maslow's Hierarchy Theory. Moreover, it goes a step ahead and its Theory Y is advantageous to both the organization and the employee. It will also never lose relevance in the workplace because there are different types of people in the workplace and there are different intrinsic factors that motivate them. So, in some places, Theory X will be applicable and at other places, Theory Y will be applicable.
3. ERG Theory - ERG Theory is again an advanced work on Maslow's Theory. it was devised by Clayton. He reduced the 5 level hierarchy to a 3 level hierarchy. They are Existence Needs, Relatedness Needs, and Growth Needs. Apart from this, he also stated that human beings not only move up the hierarchy and always feel motivated, but in the absence of any of the levels, humans also move downwards. In other words, human beings lose motivation if any of the levels in the hierarchy is not met. I also prefer this theory because, from a human psychology perspective, it holds true. We as human beings get motivated when the motivating factor is present but at the same time, we also get demotivated when the motivating factor is absent.

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3 Process Motivation Theories

According to Process Theories, the motivational factors affect the behaviour of individuals. The below listed three theories are my preference.

1. Equity Theory - According to this theory, employees compare their efforts and rewards with other individuals working at the same level. If they feel that they are not rewarded as per their effort, they get demotivated and reduce their effort or quit the organization. I prefer this theory because it holds true in any work environment. How much ever we are motivated due to our own intrinsic factors, if we see unfair treatment at work, we feel betrayed and demotivated.
2. Goal Setting Theory - According to this theory, employees feel motivated at the workplace if they see clear goals in front of them. It also affects their behaviour. I also prefer this theory because this is another practical thing at the workplace and it still holds good. If as an employee, we are communicated about our goals clearly, we feel motivated to achieve it. It is also related to basic human nature. If we are swimming in the deep sea and we see the shore clearly, we put double effort to reach there.
3. Expectancy Theory -  As per this theory, every human act has an expectation or belief attached to it. So, when a human being acts in a particular way, he or she expects a certain outcome. And, the attractiveness of the outcome will decide if he or she will act on it or not. So, this theory is one of my favourites because again it is very close to a normal human nature. For example, most of us take up any work and get motivated to complete it when we know that our efforts will be recognized in time and we will also get an attractive reward.