Motivation Aspects to Job Selection

Motivation is derived from the latin word “movere” which means to move. Motivation is the process of moving from ones needs to drives and finally to incentives.

Needs are identified because of a deficiency which may be physiological or psychological.

Drives activate the behaviour for fulfilling the needs that were identified above.

The behaviour which is performed because of drives cause results in a reward or an incentive which may be tangible or intangible.

This report is about selecting a job that will motivate us and explaining the same using various motivation theories. We deliberated on the kind of jobs that would motivate us and came to the conclusion that we would wish to be management consultants in a reputed consultancy firm. After looking for vacancies in various job portals and company websites we came to the conclusion that joining Mckinsey and Company would be the best.The details of the job description and the company overview is discussed below.

Job Description

Junior Associate – McKinsey & Company

“As a consultant, you will join teams working with the top management of corporations on critical issues, identifying business opportunities, generating and evaluating solutions, and developing result-oriented change programs. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of state-of-the-art management concepts and practices.”

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm which started in the year 1926. It is one of the most trusted advisors to the world’s leading businesses, governments and institutions. One of the golden rules that Mckinsey follows is below which is beneficial to both employees as well as clients “We work with our clients as we do with our colleagues. We build their capabilities and leadership skills at every level and every opportunity. We do this to help build internal support, get to real issues, and reach practical recommendations. We bring out the capabilities of clients to fully participate in the process and lead the on-going work.”

Motivation theory – Equity Model

This cognitively based model is on the calculation of outputs received by an individual and the amount of input that he/she has put in to get the outputs. The inputs and outputs might be perceived differently by different individuals and hence it is measured relative between individuals. Age, sex, education, social status, organisational position, qualifications and how hard the person works are examples of perceived input variables. Outcomes consist primarily of rewards such as pay, status, promotion and intrinsic interest. Schematically this is represented in the 3 possible scenarios.

If the perceived ratio is not equal to the others, he or she will strive to restore the ratio to equity. This striving to restore equity is used as the explanation of work motivation. The person may alter the inputs or outcomes, cognitively distort the inputs or outputs according to his or her scale.

Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy and Theory of Motivation

The Maslow’s model is one of the classic content theoretical models that explained motivational needs as a hierarchy. To simplify, he believed that once a given level of need is satisfied, it no longer serves to motivate. The next level of need has to be activated, which results in the motivation of an individual. The various levels of Maslow’s need can be understood by the below diagram with reference to a job or career.

The job application that we are referring to is catering to the physiological and safety/security concerns that are required. The pay is quite high even at the entry levels with a base package of 20 lakhs p.a. with additional variable salary components that amount to 6 to 8 lakhs more.

The next level i.e. the social level has been considered as an important aspect in the work culture of Mckinsey wherein they follow a collaborative approach. The associates work in small groups of 3 to 5 which consists of business analysts, associates and partners. The organisation is flat with few hierarchical levels and hence it makes easy for a person to approach others and get help in case of any issues. Our understanding of different industries and functions will grow exponentially as the teammates share their expertise. We’ll receive coaching and feedback throughout the engagement. In fact, consultants often find life-long mentors—and friendships—in their senior colleagues.

The 3 levels of Maslow’s hierarchy are something which is readily satisfied by the job and the organisation. Hence focusing on the next level is the Esteem. Self Esteem as well as respect from others is an important aspect that needs to be addressed. Taking this job would provide us and opportunity to grow in the organisation. This is evident from the fact that Mckinsey recognises the performance of the individual and promotes them as seen in various posts from associates in forums. Formal performance reviews happen at the end of every project and associates with good analytical and people skills move up the ladder. The “Up or Out” approach makes sure that the performing people deserve to go to the top, right to the level of a CEO.

Self-actualisation is indeed the most important aspect of this hierarchy where the professional tends to move towards satisfaction in life, both professional and personal. To cater to this need, Mckinsey creates a conducive environment where we will get many opportunities as described below.

“Our private-sector work will put you at the center of the transformative forces sweeping business. We work in just about every industry and functional area you can imagine, with engagements that range from creating entirely new businesses, to leveraging leading-edge technologies, to reinventing manufacturing, to advising companies on the future of media and social sharing.

Our public-sector and social-impact work is global in nature. We advise many of the world’s governments and NGOs on everything from re-imagining the delivery of education and the healthcare services to creating centers of local entrepreneurship.”

Apart from professional aspirations, there is a scope of people for pursuing their passions such as singing, travelling and other personal wishes by opting for a programme known as the TIME-UP programme. The highlights of the programme are

“Our “Take Time” program allows consultants to take time off between engagements to pursue personal interests and passions, whether that includes spending time with family or going on a dream trip. This “on and off” model allows consultants additional time to recharge without disrupting client work.”

Making a difference in the world is a deep motivation.

Porter Lawler Model

Porter and Lawler suggested that motivation does not equal satisfaction or performance but they are all separate entities. They say that effort does not lead directly to performance but is directed by abilities, traits and by role perceptions. The rewards that follow and how they are perceived will determine satisfaction. Unlike the content theory, here performance leads to satisfaction.

In lieu of the above theory, Mckinsey is cutting back their financial-incentive programs, but have used other ways of inspiring talent. The understand how to make their employees perform better and hence get satisfaction. Analogous to Porter-Lawler’s model we have:-

Opportunity to perform- Mckinsey provides ample opportunities to its employees in order to enhance performance a chance to lead projects or task forces.

Abilities & Traits- As a company Mckinsey believes in its employees’ abilities and delegates work as per their abilities. Their belief helps the people to understand their potential and work towards better and better performance.

Role Perceptions—Managers set expectations for the employees under them to perform better with specific roles.

Effort Level and Direction of Effort- Praise from immediate managers for their work is found to be an effective way to boost the morale of the people. The employees are guided towards a direction so that their own effort is rightly appreciated and is fruitful for the company

Self-Efficacy- Inculcating a strong sense of self-efficacy among the people helps them to develop deeper interest in the activities they perform.

By Leadership attention-Managers go on one-on –one meeting with their team members to help them develop the desire to perform and produce a desired effect.

Effort-Reward Probabilities- Team members are rewarded as per their performance.

As budding managers this study helps us to realise that we need to inculcate the culture of performance driven satisfaction among our peers and subordinates. It is important for us, as managers, that we have belief in our team members and motivate them to perform better which will help us and them to gain satisfaction.