Features and Importance of Motivation and Tools of Motivation

Features of motivation 

1. Personal and internal feelings: Motivation is a psychological concept. It's concerned with internal force operating within an individual, which forces him to act or not to act, in a particular way. Motivation is a personal and internal feeling of an individual. It cannot be observed directly.
2. Continuous process: Human wants are unlimited. Therefore, motivation is a continuous process that produces as per goal-directed. The individual tries to find an alternative to satisfy his wants. At all times people must be provided with the encouragement to work since the satisfaction of one need gives rise to another need.
3. Complex process: Motivation is a complex process. Individuals differ in their motivation even though they are performing the same type of job. Different people work for different reasons. Human needs change from time to time.
4. Motivate change from time to time: Motives of an individual change from time to time, even though he may continue to behave in the same way.
5. Goal-directed behavior: Motivation leads to goal-directed behavior. goal-directed behavior is one that satisfies the causes for which behavior takes place. motivation directs human behavior toward certain goals.
6. Positive or Negative: Motivation may be positive ad negative. positive makes people willing to work efficiently and improve performance. Negative motivation people tend to produce a minimum enough to get by satisfying, due to fear of loss of job, punishment.
7. Person motivated in totally: A person is Motivated in totally and not in part. Each individual in the organization is a self-sufficient unit and his needs are interrelated. These affect his behavior in different ways.
8. Motivation is different from satisfaction: Motivation differs from satisfaction. Motivation is the derive to satisfy a want and it concerned with the goal-directed behavior. Satisfaction refers to the containment experience of an individual, after the satisfaction of a need.
9. Product of anticipated value: Motivation is the product of anticipated values from an action and the perceived probability that these values will be achieved by action. 

Importance of motivation: 

1. Satisfied workforce: The workforce will be better satisfied if management provides them with the opportunities to fulfill their psychological needs.
2. Realizing Organisational Goals: Motivated employees cooperate freely with management and will contribute their maximum toward the organization's goals. Highly motivated employees would make a goal-directed effort. They are more committed and cooperative for realizing organizational goals 
3. Efficient use of resources: Efficient and effective use of physical resources depends on the ability and the readiness of the workforce. The team of highly motivated employees helps in making optimum use of available resources for achieving goals and objectives.
4. Higher Productivity: Motivation is directly related to the level of efficiency. Highly motivated employees make full use of their energy and work whole-heartily. this results in higher productivity.
5. Getting the right personnel: Attractive motivational schemes help in attracting highly talented and competent people from external sources.
6. Healthy industrial relation: Motivation is necessary for good industrial relations. The possibilities of industrial disputes and unrest are reduced for a minimum and Industrial Relation get improve 
7. Reduce employee grievances: Good motivational schemes help in reducing the number of employee complaints and grievances. The accident rate also will be less.
8. Facilitated change: High motivation helps to reduce the resistance to change. An organization has to absorb environmental changes. Properly motivated employees accept, introduce, and implement changes.
9. Corporate image: Motivational helps in improving the image of the company. Motived employees produce more and maintain self-discipline. Thus, outsiders dealing with the organization get a better impression, and thereby the image of the company is improved.

Tools of motivational 

• The term incentive means encouragement or providing monetary benefits to employees which leads to efficiency in work and improves performance.  The incentive has a motivational power. It influences an individual's efforts toward task performance. In a modern organization, a large variety of incentives are used to motivate the employees. These incentives may be broadly grouped into (A)Financial or precautionary incentives and (B) non-financial incentives for non-precautionary incentives.
• Financial incentives: The financial incentives are monetary(money) in nature, as they involve the flow of money from the organization to its staff.  eg. Pay and Allowance, wages, incentive, bonus, profit-sharing, stock option, etc.

The financial incentives are as follows:

1. Pay and Allowances: Salary is a basic allowance. salary and allowances increase once a year.
2. Incentives: several wage incentive plans aim at linking payment of wages to increase productivity or employees or a team. 
3. Bonus: Bonus is a monetary benefit given to employees over and above the salary or wages.
4. Profit-Sharing: Sharing profit of the organization to employees helps to improve performance and productivity. 
5. Stock Option: Organization offers their shares to their employees at the discount rate/lower than the market price. 
6. Retirement benefits: Company provides retirement benefits to its employees like pension, provident funds, etc.

Non-financial incentives

Non-financial incentives do not involve monetary benefits. A company frames different policies t motives its employees and improve productivity and their performance. 

1. Job Security:  An organization motivates its employees by providing job security (permanent job). Which leads to improve performance and overall productivity.
2. Promotion: It is the best technique to motivate the employees by promoting from lover designation to higher designation.
3. Recognition and Status: Recognition is acknowledgment and appreciation for employee's good performance. recognition and tatus motivate the employees by satisfying their ego needs.
4. Responsibility: Human beings prefer to take responsibility. They prefer challenging jobs its inspire employees to put more effort.
5. Team Spirit: If there is team spirit among the employees which encourages the employees to put their maximum effort to achieve the objectives.
6. Participation in management: Management provides incentives for employee's participation in management by providing suggestions and opinions. 
7. Competition: competition among the employee inspire them to work hard and improve their performance. 
8. Praise: It means the organization expresses warm approval, respect, and gratitude towards its work. It motivates employees to satisfy their ego needs.
9. Suggestion System: Many organization uses the suggestion system and gives cash rewards for useful suggestions.