- Using the motivation theories presented in the book, how could you increase success for students enrolled in online classes? Make sure you indicate how those theories would apply to a student taking a distance learning class. More specifically, how could they also be applied to attending a Keiser LIve? session?
- How do the concepts of employee engagement, organizational climate, and organizational culture differ? What is a contemporary measure of one of those constructs and a research example?
Week 7 Discussion: Motivation Theories
1-Motivation is referred to as the epitome of learning. It influences what to learn when to learn, and how to learn. The research, reveals that the students who are motivated enough undertake most of the challenging activities and participate actively and also adopt the approach to learn and boost their performance levels. There is a reciprocal relationship between motivation and learning and motivation is seen as an important activity for dealing with various challenges of traditional educational settings (Hartnett, 2016). Moreover, with the introduction of digital technologies in the worldwide educational systems, many distance learners or students have adopted the characteristics of self-direction, independence, and intrinsic motivation and it has been proved through various studies that online students are found to be more intrinsically motivated as compared to the on-campus students.
There are 3 major theories of motivation which had been presented in our book which are expectancy theory, motivation flow theory, and self-determination theory. By utilizing these motivation theories in e-learning, the administrators of e-learning can be able to boost engagement and maximize its offered services. The first expectancy theory provides the desired outcomes for the students effectively after driving and boosting engagement and interest in the e-learning environment. This motivation theory is provided by Victor Vroom which helps in drawing the attention of the students that the expected outcome of the action is very attractive and will offer great success to their academic career. Meanwhile, the motivation flow theory formulated by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi identifies the motivation flow as a nirvana-like state where concentration and engagement go along with the learner’s efficacy (Lynch, 2020). Hence the e-learner administrator needs to develop a motivation strategy that makes the course worthy of the students’ targets and goals. Therefore, they can able to learn soft skills in due time.
The last i.e. self-determination theory highlights that the human innate motivation needs to act upon their wish to grow as a person. Here the online learning administrator needs to build those courses that allow the students to pace themselves and find a way of building self-determination sense (Lynch, 2020). This theory also allows the studentsreceive to solicit and receives feedback so that the teachers can mirror their growth and performance compared with other peers.
2- When differentiating between employee engagement, organizational culture, and organizational climate, it is found that organizational culture is closely related to the organizational purpose i.e. why the organization is running, its goals and targets, and how the employees of the organization are making efforts to achieve the organization’s goals. The culture of the organization is said to be perfect and adequate when the employees enjoy their work environment and put their knowledge and skill set to achieve the organizational results. However, those who think that the organizational culture always reflects the organizational climate, then they are in myth. It is because the organizational climate is termed as how employees experience their work environment and how the employees feel when they work in the workplace. The climate of the organization is said to be evaluated when the organizational employees give feedback on the organization’s services and talents offered to them.
On the other hand, employee engagement defines the process of those organizational employees who feel connected to their organization, work harder, stay for a longer time, and work towards achieving the organizational goals. It is one of the most important aspects to be considered in all kinds of organizations (Quantum Workplace, 2022). Meanwhile, whether the organizations are looking for profitability, customer experience, revenue, or employee turnover, considering employee engagement is crucial for its success as a whole. Through research, it has been found that business managers who consider employee engagement as an important task, do not only achieve the success of their employees but also great outcomes for the organization too. Furthermore, I am taking the employee engagement concept to construct its measure. To develop the measure, it is crucial to know that employee engagement is the management tool that keeps on gaining momentum in modern management practices (Imandin, Bischoff, & Botha, 2014). Therefore, employee engagement can be measured with the cognitive drivers which will be derived from the employee’s appraisals of whether the ongoing work in the organization holds some meaning or not. Likewise, this concept is measured by various other drivers.
References
Hartnett, M. (2016). The importance of motivation in online learning. In Motivation in online education (pp. 5-32). Springer, Singapore. Retrieved on 27th September 2022, from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-0700-2_2
Lynch, M. (2020). 3 MAJOR THEORIES OF MOTIVATION THAT MASSIVELY BOOST ENGAGEMENT IN ELEARNING COURSES. Retrieved on 27th September 2022, from: https://www.thetechedvocate.org/3-major-theories-of-motivation-that-massively-boost-engagement-in-elearning-courses/
Talogy (2020). Organizational culture vs. climate. Retrieved on 27th September 2022, from: https://calipercorp.com/blog/organizational-culture-vs-climate/
Quantum workplace (2022). What is Employee Engagement? What, Why, and How to Improve It? Retrieved on 27th September 2022, from: https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/what-is-employee-engagement-definition
Imandin, L., Bisschoff, C., & Botha, C. (2014). A model to measure employee engagement. Problems and Perspectives in Management, (12, Iss. 4 (contin. 2)), 520-532. Retrieved on 27th September 2022, from: http://www.irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgi-bin/irbis_nbuv/cgiirbis_64.exe?C21COM=2&I21DBN=UJRN&P21DBN=UJRN&IMAGE_FILE_DOWNLOAD=1&Image_file_name=PDF/prperman_2014_12_4(contin.2)__6.pdf
