Modern Management: concepts and skills, 14/e

Process Theories of Motivation

Four important theories describe how motivation occurs:

1. Needs-goal theory

2. Vroom expectancy theory

3. Equity theory

4. Porter–Lawler theory

These theories build on one another to furnish a description of the motivation process that begins at a relatively simple and easily understood level and culminates at a somewhat more intricate and realistic level.

Figure 14.1 The needs-goal theory of motivation

The Needs-Goal Theory of Motivation

The needs-goal theory of motivation, diagrammed in Figure 14.1, is the most fundamental of the motivation theories discussed in this chapter. As the figure indicates, motivation begins ...