Motivation Theory Essay

The most effecting theory to apply in a bid to motivate employees is the self-efficacy theory. It is a strategy that usually focuses on the effectiveness of employees while performing specific duties. This motivation theory postulate that employees that believe that they are extremely efficient feel, think, and perform in a different way from those who do not consider themselves to be efficient. Therefore, the self-efficacy theory of motivation looks at the functioning aspect as the key to motivating employees. The most distinctive feature of this theory is self-reflection hence employees are encouraged to evaluate themselves as an antecedent for changing their attitudes and behavior towards work. The theory is premised on the fact that among the things that affect the functioning of a person is self-belief.
In order to realize maximum efforts from the employees, the self-efficacy theory considers issues such as the welfare and personal achievements of employees. By using previous successes of an employee to show them that they have the ability to replicate and possibly surpass past accomplishments. Consequently, an employee can use this form of motivation through observation where one can observe others perform their duties effectively. Through observation employees are motivated to improve their performances by implementing what they have learnt from observation. Motivation through self-efficacy can also be achieved through social persuasion where the management tutor, evaluate and provide feedback on employee performance. The management can also encourage employees to deal with anxiety with regard to certain tasks since apprehension can affect a person’s ability to complete tasks.
It is important to note that although the self-efficacy theory offers considerable encouragement to people, it is particularly effective to individuals who have high self-esteem. Conversely, this approach to motivation may not yield much for those who do not believe in themselves. As such, one may be faced with a huge task of first building self-confidence to an employee before seeking to motivate the same employee. To that extent, motivating through self-efficacy approach may be time consuming.