PHR Exam Prep™

Motivation Concepts and Applications

Motivation cuts across all six functional areas. Motivation, for instance, is often associated with why—and how—employees learn. It's also highly relevant, however, to how employees perceive and value salaries, wages, and benefits, and to establishing and sustaining positive relationships in the workplace.

Motivation theory directly impacts employee performance in the workplace. As such, HR professionals need a keen understanding of the various motivation theories in order to incorporate them—in a practical sense—into their initiatives and into their consulting relationships with managers. Some of the key theories in which HR professionals must be well versed are

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• B.F. Skinner— Operant ...