The Secrets and Science of Motivation – Part 1 of the Series

The fact is, we all know what motivation is, but only few know hot it actually works. To know the secrets and laws of motivation can be beneficial in all areas of our lives, since motivation encourages and guides behavior of everyone of us. The only problem here is the diversity of the people and diversity of the factors which influence their emotions and behavior. To motivate someone depends on several facts, including their sex, their personality, their current situation, their needs and desires, their personality, the type of work they do, their urgency and many more other factors.

The science of motivating yourself and other people has therefore no one simple theory or method, which would fit to all the people, but rather a collection of techniques which will help you to motivate other people in particular given situations. According to Max A. Eggert there are several motivation theories, which solve particular motivational problems, as seen below.

• When money does not motivate – Hierarchy Theory (Pyramid Man)
• When people complain a lot – ERG Theory (Three Level Man)
• When you can’t give money – Token Theory (Token Man)
• When there is a lack of direction – Goal Theory (Soccer Man)
• When people work in teams – Group Theory  (Social Man)
• How to motivate professionals – Two Factor Theory (Growth Man)
• When work is boring – Two Factor Theory (Growth Man)
• When rewards are not working – Expectancy Theory (Expectant Man)
• When managing a culture change – Expectancy Theory (Expectant Man)
• When your managers are poor – X & Y Theory (Good Man/Bad Man)
• When you have a difficult person – People Types

However, you should always remember the basic rule of management: If what you do does not work, do something different!

Many would ask, why are there so many different techniques and theories about motivation. As I mentioned in first part of this article, motivation is an artificial construct and therefore impossible to be examined a comprehensive research, usual for natural sciences. It’s also true that certain goal can be reached in number of different ways or motivations and that a single goal can satisfy a whole host of different needs. Motivation is also easy to differ, since people quickly change their desires and aspirations and consequently their needs in each situation. Using many different techniques and theories according to the situations and aspects is for this reasons necessary.

About the Author:

Mark Hanselich, MPharm - I try to be as versatile as possible. I graduated in pharmacy, work as journalist, play soccer, have my own wine cellar and can communicate in six languages. I'm also personal development author and internet marketing specialist. Together with Mr. Daniel Maxoff I run the Website Anioc.com, dedicated to personal development, health and all the good things in our lives. You can also follow me on Twitter.