THE

MOTIVATION
POCKETBOOK
By Max A. Eggert BA, BSc, MA, F.IPD, Dip Clin Hyp
Drawings by Phil Hailstone

“One of the best I have seen on the complex subject of motivation. Max has managed to
integrate and synthesise a plethora of data into a compact, concise and very readable
form. Good reading.”
Tony Grant-Salmon, Managing Director, Knowles Europe.

To the late great Hugh S. Knowles who not only knew all this stuff but was humble enough
to put it into practice.
Special thanks to Caitlyn Barnier who created the WP version from both poor spelling and handwriting.
 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1 DISPOSITIONAL THEORIES: 61

Definition, how to use this book, so TYPES, DISPOSITION &
many theories, seed analogy, PERSONALITY
assumptions Achievement Man, Self-Limiting Man,
Fair Man, Gambling Man, Good
NEED THEORIES 9 Man/Bad Man, motivators for
Basic model, Pyramid Man, people types (security & comfort,
Three Level Man, Rat Man, motivation affiliation & friendship, organisation
rules 1, 2 and 3, Pleasure Man, Token & structure, status & authority,
Man, Soccer Man, Social Man, Growth individuality & autonomy), disposition
Man, summary of tips & motivation (helpful, directive,
consolidative, adaptive)
PROCESS THEORY 57
Expectant Man MOTIVATING INDIVIDUALS 89
AT WORK
Motivating words, what employees
want, the sports coach approach,
keeping yourself motivated, confidence
activity, 100 ways of saying well done,
nine rules of motivation
Author’s Introduction

Motivation is rather like a jellyfish. Everyone knows what it is but it is difficult to describe
or define.
Consequently, motivation has given psychologists some real problems. If you cannot see
or feel it, it becomes difficult to measure; if you can’t measure it in some way, how do
you know you have found it?
In an absolute sense motivation per se does not exist - it can only be inferred by looking
at behaviour, quantifying changes in behaviour or by inviting individuals to talk about
their needs or goals and why they do what they do.
Behaviour can be prompted by a whole host of things and the same motivational drives
can produce all sorts of different behaviours. So you need to do more than just look at
changes in behaviour or performance to understand motivation.
In spite of all these difficulties, the concept of motivation has proved very resilient, if not
as rigorous as one would like. It continues to be useful as a management tool for
understanding and for helping individuals, from the most senior to the most junior, give
of their best at work.
Max Eggert
Bondi Beach, Australia
November 1998
I NTRODUCTION

1
 INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION

MOTIVATION
The process
which encourages
and guides
behaviour

2
INTRODUCTION

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Since people are so complicated there is no one way of motivating them. To answer the
question: ‘How do I motivate Joe or Jenny?’ one can only say: ‘It all depends’.
It depends on:
● Joe or Jenny
● Their personality
● Their needs
● The type of work they do
● Their situation
● The urgency
and many, many other factors.
Consequently, there is no one simple theory that will assist you - no ‘one size fits all’
facility when it comes to motivation.
Even in a book of this size we mention lots of theories, not because they exist but
because each one will help you in a particular given situation. Just as one man’s meat is
another’s poison, so one person’s motivation is another’s procrastination!
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 INTRODUCTION

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Use the following as a guide:

Problem Motivation Theory Page
When money does not motivate Hierarchy Theory (Pyramid Man) 11
When people complain a lot ERG Theory (Three Level Man) 19
When you can’t give money Token Theory (Token Man) 39
When there is a lack of direction Goal Theory (Soccer Man) 41
When people work in teams Group Theory (Social Man) 47
How to motivate professionals Two Factor Theory (Growth Man) 49
When work is boring Two Factor Theory (Growth Man) 49
When rewards are not working Expectancy Theory (Expectant Man) 58
When managing a culture change Expectancy Theory (Expectant Man) 58
When your managers are poor X & Y Theory (Good Man/Bad Man) 72
When you have a difficult person People Types 77
4
INTRODUCTION

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

However, always remember the basic

rule of management:
If what you do does not work,
do something different!
When motivating people you have to be like a
detective who wants to get into a suspect’s
house: you use lots of different picks to create
the right key for the lock.
When you begin you do not know which of the
little picks is going to be required, so you just keep
trying until you unlock the door, or in this case the
person. Everyone has a motivational lock; this book
gives you the theories and hints on which keys to use
and how to turn them to your advantage.

5
 INTRODUCTION

SO MANY THEORIES

Why are there so many different theories about motivation? Because:

● Motivation is an artificial construct so there is no comprehensive way of examining it
● An individual goal can be reached in any number of different ways - or motivations
● A single goal can satisfy a whole host of different needs - and thus motivations
● People are different in their needs - and thus their motivations are different
● Individuals frequently change their aspirations and their needs - and consequently
their motivation differs in each situation
Different theories have been developed to account for different aspects of the concept
of motivation.

6
INTRODUCTION

THE SEED ANALOGY

YOU CANNOT MOTIVATE ANY ONE

You cannot make a seed grow,

but you can provide the right
conditions for it to develop into its
full potential.

This book helps you understand

and use the motivational theories
and approaches to help people
grow and give of their best.

7
 INTRODUCTION

ASSUMPTIONS

Because there is no one theory of motivation the first part of this book, which covers the main
theories, is divided into one large section covering need theories, followed by two smaller
sections for process theory and for dispositional theories (Types, Disposition & Personality).
The main assumptions each type of theory makes are as follows:
1. Need theories
● All employees are alike ● All situations are alike ● There is ‘One Best Way’
2. Process and dispositional theories
● Behaviour is determined by a combination of factors
● People make decisions about their own behaviour in organisations
● Different people have different types of needs, desires and goals
● People decide between alternative plans of behaviour based upon their perceptions
(expectancies) of the degree to which a given behaviour will lead to a desired outcome
3. Dispositional theories
● People are different ● Different people have different needs
● Personality has an effect on motivation
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N EED THEORIES

9
 NEED THEORIES

THE BASIC MODEL

THE BASIC NEED THEORY MODEL

FEED BACK

INTERNAL INCENTIVES GOAL

STIMULUS SATISFACTION

MOTIVATION - BEHAVIOUR

EXTERNAL INCENTIVES
PERFORMANCE
STIMULUS

FEED BACK

10
NEED THEORIES

PYRAMID MAN
THE HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

The ‘hierarchy of needs’ theory is based on the premise that individuals require
satisfaction on ascending levels of need.
Maslow, who developed the theory, suggested that when one level of satisfaction is
achieved another level of need becomes important,
rather like an ascending staircase.

11
 NEED THEORIES

PYRAMID MAN
THE HIERARCHY OF NEED

Sometimes it is shown
as a pyramid.

We explain each level of need.

12
NEED THEORIES

PYRAMID MAN

1. Physiological needs
The most basic needs, at the foot of the pyramid, are physiological, namely:
● Air ● Water ● Food ● Sleep ● Sex
These are essential for the continuation of life. If they were removed our lives would
be endangered. Some would even fight to secure them. At the most basic level we
will work for food and drink.
Once this physiological need is satisfied we move up to the second level, the need
for security.

2. Security needs
Here we need to be safe from harm and to achieve this we require:
● Shelter and clothing ● Personal safety and security
Once this security need is satisfied we move up to the third level which represents
our social needs.
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 NEED THEORIES

PYRAMID MAN

3. Social needs
Since we are not social islands we need:
● Friends and colleagues
● To be part of a group
● To be part of a team
We want people to talk to, who will share our joys
and concerns, our hopes, fears and aspirations.
We want to be part of a team and
experience group solidarity.
Once this social need
has been satisfied we
move up to the fourth
level which is our need
for esteem.

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