People in the work team should be diverse but have a common feature, since this helps to look at the issue from different perspectives. This condition also motivates people to work effectively as employees see each other’s differences and strive to surpass or to be equal to their colleagues. Consequently, there are no contradictions in motivational theories, since they reveal the features of individuals’ motivation based on their interaction in a team, which can be proved by the theory of equity and Herzberg’s work.
Herzberg’s theory and the theory of equity are very similar if one thinks about them in the context of human motivation in interaction with a group. Process theory of equity assumes that people get motivation based on their desire for justice (Lee & Reschke, 2016). For example, an employee expects recognition and reward for his or her contribution to the project. If his or her work is unjustly underestimated, this will reduce his or her motivation. Therefore, according to this theory, a person cannot get motivation without comparing himself or herself with other people in the same conditions but different personal traits.
Herzberg’s theory is one of the content theories of motivation, but it has similar features. It is also based on the assumption that the motivation and satisfaction of a person depend on such factors as achievement and recognition (Lee & Reschke, 2016). Achievement, in this case, can exist without a group, but only its recognition by other people brings satisfaction and importance to the work. Diversity only strengthens this satisfaction, since people with different views and personal traits agree on one person’s achievements. The difference between the theories is that Herzberg suggests that monetary reward is only a factor that reduces dissatisfaction. The theory of equity, on the contrary, admits payment as a component of fair evaluation of work that motivates.
In conclusion, theories of equity and Herzberg’s work confirm that individual differences in motivation are interconnected with people’s interactions. Both approaches determine that a person finds motivation by receiving incentives from other members of the group. These stimuli can be negative or positive, and diversity of the employees within a group only increases their influence. Moreover, the assessment of these incentives by a person is subjective; therefore, the level of motivation may differ.
Reference
Lee, M. T., & Raschke, R. L. (2016). Understanding employee motivation and organizational performance: Arguments for a set-theoretic approach. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 1(3), 162–169.