Employee Motivation. From motivation theory to motivation practice

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Psychology - Work, Business, Organisational and Economic Psychology, grade: 1.0, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, language: English, abstract: In March 2010, the Gallup Institute published their annual study on employee motivation in German companies. The survey came to the conclusion that only 11% of employees in Germany are still committed to working for their company. Two-thirds of respondents said they only do 'duty by the book' and avoid additional commitment. Almost a quarter (23%) are said to have already quit internally. These figures were obtained by Gallup from a survey conducted in September and October 2009. What is shocking about this study is that the previously mentioned data has been very constant for years. The economic damage caused by fluctuation, absenteeism and poor productivity is estimated by the Gallup Institute at between 92.3 and 121.5 billion euros per year. One of the main reasons for a lack of employee motivation is seen in the behavior of managers. The present term paper deals with the topic of motivation and thus also with possible results of the above-mentioned study. Related to the professional environment the theoretical and the practical side are more near regarded. After a short introduction of the most important terms selected motivation theories are examined more near. Emphasis is placed here on the content theories. In the following chapter possibilities of the motivation increase are outlined. The focus here is on the leadership concepts of 'management by ...' and forms of work organization. Following the theoretical explanations, the theories are applied to a practical example. After describing the situation, the scenario is analyzed and possible solutions are formulated. Finally, the core statements of this paper are summarized and a conclusion is drawn.