Motivation Theories Motivation theories played a major role for our group as they helped us perform better than expected, such as Becca and Brennen’s use of the rewards theory on project 2, and at times the neglecting of them hurt us, for example Brennen’s lack of goal setting as project manager on project 3. In addition, Brennen’s subpar performance on project 3 could have been improved by using the positive reinforcement component of the reinforcement theory. Through the use …show more content…
Since there were only four projects throughout the semester, receiving a good grade on each project is important and provided Becca and Brennen enough motivation to deliver a strong performance. The second component of the rewards theory, intrinsic rewards, also increased Becca and Brennen’s motivation. Intrinsic rewards are intangible rewards that make the employee feel good about themselves and give them a sense of accomplishment when completing a task (Williams, 2015, p.272). For Becca and Brennen, even though it was important for them to get a good grade, they were able to further excel in their pitch because the task was an interesting and engaging challenge that called for extra effort. Also, since every team was giving an elevator pitch, it made it more of a friendly competition rather than a burden, which is also called “gamification” (Williams, …show more content…
Goal setting is vital in order for managers to have success because it is the best tool for direct motivation (Crawford 11/10). Setting goals that are clear to the team members is important because they show that the manager has a set vision on how to complete a task, which encourages motivation and participation amongst members. Also, "managers are the linchpin of a company 's productive efforts. Managers must clearly articulate strategies and plans so that an employee team knows what to do" (Heibutzki n.d.). Despite the importance of goal setting, Brennen assigned everyone to a question but didn 't set any goals other than getting the project done on time. He didn 't create any deadlines nor strategy of execution which made it hard for everyone to be motivated as a team and do well on the project. Also, a main component of the goal setting method is getting feedback from various group members (Crawford 10/11). Since Brennen did very little to facilitate communication amongst the team, there was minimal feedback on each member’s work which hurt the group’s grade. Brennen’s actions of not setting goals for the group caused a lack of interest and guidance amongst the members and resulted in little motivation and a poor grade on the