Theory of L Porter and E Lawler. Process theory of motivation. Porter-Lawler model

The Porter-Lowell theory is rightly called the theory of truth and justice. This model allows the employee to understand that the results he achieves in his work largely depend on his abilities. In addition, he must realize that he plays an important role in the company's activities. According to Lawler, the amount of effort a worker puts into completing a task is determined by the value of the reward. That is, only productive work can become a cause of satisfaction.

Why do you need motivation?

Motivation is a way of encouraging someone to take a specific action. Lawler's theory is its scientific foundation. The Porter-Lowell model of motivation can be classified as a process theory. She explains that between staff productivity, staff satisfaction, and motivation, consisting of a reward system and other incentives.

The essence of the Lawler-Porter theory

The Porter-Lowell theory of motivation includes five variables.

Five Variables of Porter-Lowell Theory

The amount of effort put into performing a job is determined by the amount of reward a person should receive, as well as the degree to which he is confident that his work will actually bring the expected satisfaction. In this model, there is a close connection between remuneration and the result of work.

If we talk in simple words, the whole theory is based on the fact that a person receives a salary for the results obtained and due to this satisfies existing needs. It should be noted that these may be internal rewards, such as:

1. Self-confidence.
2. Self-respect.
3. Satisfaction received from completed work.

There are also external rewards:

1. Career growth.
2. Salary increase.
3. Prize.

Most often, reward is a reflection of a person's abilities and the opportunity to use them. Talented employees who are responsible for their work and quickly complete all tasks assigned to them receive much more than their indifferent colleagues.

The main conclusion that can be drawn after a detailed consideration of the Porter-Lowell model of motivation is that only work for results can lead to complete satisfaction. Unfortunately, most managers have a different opinion. They believe that if a person is happy, he will work much more efficiently. But, as shown scientific research, high performance is the cause of job satisfaction, not its consequence.

Brief analysis feature

The Porter-Lowell model proposes to combine into one whole the employee's efforts, his reward, the employee and the results of his work in order to perceive all this as a single system.

However, in many enterprises, despite the fact that many managers prefer to calculate salaries based on the results of work, the effort expended is most often compensated based on how much time a person spent in the workplace and how much seniority he has.

It is best to divide the reward into three parts:

1. The first part is accrued for the employee’s performance of the duties provided for in the job description.
2. The second part can be determined by length of service.
3. The third part of the salary is calculated based on the results of work. It can change significantly in one direction or another. If it becomes smaller, the employee will understand that he needs to increase his productivity.

Elements of a motivational model

Elements of the Lawler-Porter theory

Let's take a closer look at all the elements of the Porter-Lowell model.

What is the effectiveness of using the model to increase staff motivation?

If an employee does not have the necessary skills to complete a given task, he will not be able to achieve satisfaction even with the highest motivation. To improve productivity, an employee must understand what tools to use to complete the task.

The degree of job satisfaction is also influenced by the nature of the task. A comprehensive assessment of the quality of work performed by the employee himself is also of great importance in this matter. The higher he rates, the higher the level of remuneration.

Job satisfaction can only be influenced by actual performance. It follows from this that for effective motivation personnel need to learn how to correctly set tasks, monitor their implementation and correctly distribute rewards.

Company management must ensure that different rewards are provided for each level of performance. Employees who are more productive should know that they will receive rewards and great benefits. The higher the intensity of work, the greater the reward, otherwise the staff will understand that increased productivity will not lead to increased income.

Criticism

Unfortunately, this motivation model is not highly effective at every enterprise. Some managers set a certain salary, the size of which has no influence on labor productivity. They criticize the Porter-Lowell theory and believe that it does not show much effectiveness. The reason for this misconception lies in the inability to establish a process for constantly monitoring the quality of staff work.

If the enterprise has all the necessary conditions, an increase in wages will lead to a significant increase in labor productivity. Employees must feel a connection between their performance and their reward. That is, if they start working better, management is guaranteed to raise wages.

Lymon Porter and Edward Lawler developed a comprehensive process theory of motivation that combines elements of the concepts of expectancy and justice. Its key concepts are: effort expended - perception - result obtained - reward - degree of satisfaction.

According to this model, the result achieved by an employee depends on three factors: the effort expended; abilities and characteristic features person; awareness of one's role in the labor process. The level of effort expended depends on the value of the reward and how likely it is that the effort expended will be rewarded. Achieving the desired level of performance can lead to internal rewards (for example, a sense of self-esteem or satisfaction from the work performed) or to external rewards (praise from a manager or promotion).

The dotted line between the result achieved by the employee and the external reward in Fig. 7.26 means that there may be a gap between the first and second. Perceived as fair, it brings benefit; the employee himself evaluates the degree of fairness of the remuneration he receives for a particular result.

Satisfaction - a consequence of external and internal rewards, which are perceived as fair. This is a measure of how valuable the reward actually is. This assessment also influences the employee’s perception of future situations.

An important conclusion can be drawn from this model: productive work leads to satisfaction. But this contradicts the concept of “human relations”, which is based on the fact that satisfaction leads to high results. Porter and Lawler argue that a sense of accomplishment provides satisfaction. This conclusion is confirmed by many studies.

Causal theory of V. Weinershows that everything possible reasons successes and failures can be assessed by two parameters: localization and stability. The first characterizes whether a person sees the reason for his failures in himself or in circumstances that have developed independently of him. The second is the constancy or stability of the action of the corresponding cause.

Weiner classifies possible reasons for success and failure as follows:

• complexity of the task: external, sustainable success factor;
• diligence: an internal, variable factor of success;
• a coincidence of circumstances: an external, unstable factor of success;
• abilities: internal, stable factor of success.

R. Decharms, studying how reward affects success and motivation, came to the following conclusions:

• if a person receives a reward for something he did at will, this weakens internal incentives for appropriate activities;
• if a person does not receive a reward for uninteresting work performed only for the sake of this reward, then, on the contrary, internal motivation for it may increase.

Based on theories of motivation, various motivational models are developed.

According to rational model,To motivate people, a combination of financial rewards and punishments is used - “carrot and stick” tactics.

Rice. 7.27. Rational model

In some cases, this approach is correct, but its effect is short-term, and in other cases it can cause harm and negatively affect people's relationships.

Model of human relationships(E. Mayo) suggests that Productivity depends on job satisfaction, which is determined by internal factors - recognition, a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction of social needs.

Rice. 7.28. Motivational model human relations

This approach does not take into account the influence of such external factor like salary. In addition, if we believe that satisfaction always leads to improved performance, we must recognize that “a satisfied (satisfied, enjoying) person is a productive (effectively working) person.” But this statement in some cases turns out to be incorrect or naive.

Self-actualization modelis based on the approach of Maslow and Herzberg and suggests that the most important need for long-term motivation is a person’s internal desire for self-realization, self-improvement, and “people exercise self-control in achieving the goals of the organization to the extent that they are involved in these goals” (McGregor) . Behavior is influenced by internal and external motivational factors, but the most important are internal ones.

Rice. 7.29.

Complex modeldescribes the complex relationships between motivation factors. The amount of effort a person puts into doing a job is influenced by:

• the value of the reward for a person (it is as important as his need is satisfied);
• waiting for the opportunity to receive the desired reward.

But effort alone is not enough; to obtain the desired result you need additional factors motivation: a person’s abilities, his individual qualities - intelligence, dexterity, knowledge.

Motivation of employees is carried out in accordance with the needs of the organization and its employees, and depending on the degree of their need, which acts as pressure exerted on the organization and its members by the environment.

It is necessary to analyze the content of the requirements put forward:

• the environment in which the company operates;
• the needs of the organization (corporate and organizational development plans, human resource management);
• individual needs, which can vary greatly.

Rice. 7.30.

Some people strive for security, others crave recognition and prestige, others only care about the level of salary, and others are trying to realize themselves.

The needs of the organization and the individual depend on the surrounding work environment. The two circles of needs (organization and individual) never completely coincide, but it is the zone of their intersection that makes it possible to achieve effective work of the individual and effective functioning of the enterprise. Situations are possible when the interests of the organization contradict or even harm the interests of the individual, and vice versa.

Porter-Lawler's theory of motivation includes elements of expectancy and equity theories. Learn how to put the developed models into practice to achieve the required level of performance.

From the article you will learn:

Description and significance of Porter-Lawler theory of motivation

The process theory of motivation was developed and presented by Lyman Porter and Edward Lawler in 1968. The model is complex and includes the main elements of the theories of justice and expectations.

There are four variables in the Porter-Lawler theory of motivation:

effort expended;

order of perception;

level of results obtained;

degree of satisfaction.

The motivation theory of the Porter-Lawler model shows how the results achieved depend on the efforts made, abilities and characteristics in combination with awareness importance of the employee's role. The level of effort exerted is determined by the value of the reward that the employee will receive, the degree of confidence and justification.

IN complex theory Porter-Lawler motivation establishes a direct relationship between the results obtained and the corresponding reward. A person has the opportunity to satisfy current needs through the reward received, which follows the achieved result.

Upon achieving the required level of performance, employees receive internal rewards in the form of a feeling of satisfaction from the work performed and self-esteem. External rewards are expressed in bonuses, accolades, and promotions. From this we can draw a conclusion. Productive work brings a feeling of satisfaction. And ineffective is the opposite.

The Importance of Porter Lawler's Process Model

The significance of Porter Lawler's process model lies in the necessity and importance for the entire motivation system of combining the main factors that have a direct impact on human behavior. These factors include:

The results achieved by an employee, according to the Porter-Lawler theory of motivation, depend on three variable factors:

effort expended;

certain abilities, attitudes and values;

environment in which a person works.

The level of effort expended directly depends on the value of the reward. An employee always evaluates the fairness of recognition of his merits. If rewards are perceived as fair and worthy, this leads to a feeling of satisfaction that influences the perception of situations that arise in the future.

Main conclusions and decoding of elements of the theory of motivation of the Porter-Lawler model

According to the Porter-Lawler theory of motivation, employee satisfaction and productivity levels are inextricably linked. A high level of satisfaction leads to improved productivity. Porter & Lawler, in their theory and motivation model released in 1968, noted that the motivation system itself is not considered synonymous with satisfaction. Direct motivation, satisfaction, productivity are among the independent variables.

Using the Porter-Lawler model of motivation, we can explain the complex relationship between high level productivity, satisfaction and motivation. Current system incentives and rewards developed in the company influence all the components specified in the Porter-Lawler model. High or low satisfaction is considered a direct result of the work performed. The relationship occurs in situations where the amount of remuneration received is equal to or exceeds the expected result.

How to Apply Porter-Lawler's Comprehensive Theory of Motivation

The application of Porter-Lawler's comprehensive theory of motivation is:

1. the need to properly recruit personnel with the appropriate level of skills and abilities. Employees who do not have certain skills and abilities will not be able to show high productivity at any level of motivation. This must be taken into account by managers whose work is aimed at developing effective methods for recruiting personnel;
2. subjective personal assessment of the quality of one’s work. This will help you get the expected reward result. High productivity will be achieved by developing methods for correctly setting tasks and carefully monitoring their implementation. Only after completing the work does the employee receive a certain level of satisfaction and adequate reward that was expected.

Applying in management motivation model Porter-Lawler, it must be taken into account that productive work leads to satisfaction. This is the main conclusion of the complex theory. In practice, most managers hold the opposite opinion; earlier theories suggest that it is satisfaction that leads to achieving high performance results. Lawler and Porter expressed completely opposite opinions. Their model of motivation has made a major contribution to the general understanding of the validity of the models used.

Motivation is always expressed in cause-and-effect relationships. It is important to integrate ability, performance, effort, satisfaction, perception and reward into one interconnected system. And then it will be possible to achieve the strategic and current goals set for the enterprise in a shorter time.

We are glad to welcome you, dear blog readers! We often raise topics of motivation, so it’s time to study one interesting theory called the Porter-Lawler model. We will look at why it is needed and what exactly its essence is.

The essence of the theory

Lyman Porter and Edward Lowell created a model that was able to make a significant contribution to the study of motivation, making many nuances clear, and using the theory in practice allowed achieving more effective results. Their theory includes integrated approach to the study of motivation, and has five variables, combining which into a single process, you can increase labor productivity.

So this is:

1. The effort that has been expended to achieve what is desired.
2. Assessment and perception of the situation, as well as the possible receipt of reward, in simple words - motive. By the way, you can read more about it in the article “What does motive mean in modern psychology and what are its types?”
3. The result obtained.
4. Just encouragement.
5. The level of satisfaction, both from the result, encouragement, and from the process.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that high results of human labor depend directly on 3 indicators, which are described below.

Three indicators of high work results

1. Energy. Which he spends in the process of activity, as well as the readiness to give his best to achieve the goal.

2. Personal characteristics. If you read the article, then remember that with the external type a person is not able to bear full responsibility for their actions, as well as showing initiative and interest. Why would it be unnecessary to expect colossal success from him?

Anyone who gives power to external circumstances, without relying on himself, will not be able to move towards his dream, correctly setting priorities and forming goals and plans.

3. Skill level. That is, to what extent a person understands what is required of him and what responsibilities are assigned to him. If you remember, in the article we talked about the fact that it is extremely important for an employee to feel important in the company. Therefore, if you give him certain power and assign responsibilities that distinguish him from other employees, he will do everything to justify the trust placed in him.

Simply put, the results achieved depend on how much effort a person is willing to put in. And this readiness is formed on the basis of an understanding of what reward he will subsequently receive. And the more it is desired for him, accordingly, the faster he will begin active activity. And the fewer attempts there will be to arrange a break, sabotage the process, or even avoid it altogether by shifting responsibilities to another employee.

Reward can be both internal and external. Internal - the recognition he receives from colleagues and managers, praise, a sense of self-esteem from how much work he was able to do, and satisfaction with the level of his competence. And externally - receiving a bonus, increasing wages or moving up the career ladder.

An interesting nuance is the fact that Porter and Lawler, contrary to the opinions of other scientists, stated that a person receives satisfaction as a result of the successful completion of his activities, and not as a reason and reason.

Conclusion

And that’s all for today, dear readers! Finally, I want to recommend to you about increasing motivation. It sets out comprehensive program, which can help improve your performance. Good luck and achievements to you!

The material was prepared by Alina Zhuravina.

Porter–Lawler theory

Ward Lawler developed a comprehensive process theory of motivation, including elements of expectancy theory and equity theory. Their model, shown in Fig. 1, includes five variables: effort expended, perception, results obtained, reward, and degree of satisfaction. According to the Porter-Lawler model, the results achieved depend on the efforts made by the employee, his abilities and character, as well as his awareness of his role.

L. Porter and E. Lawler developed a comprehensive process theory of motivation, including elements of expectancy theory and equity theory. In their model shown in Fig. 5, there are five variables: effort expended, perception, results obtained, reward, degree of satisfaction. According to the Porter-Lawler model, the results achieved depend on the efforts made by the employee, his abilities and character, as well as his awareness of his role. The level of effort exerted will be determined by the value of the reward and the degree of confidence that a given level of effort will actually entail a very specific level of reward. The model establishes a relationship between reward and results, i.e. a person satisfies his needs through rewards for achieved results.
So, according to the Porter-Lawler model, the results achieved by an employee depend on three variables: the effort expended (3), the person’s abilities and character (4), as well as his awareness of his role in the work process (5). The level of effort expended, in turn, depends on the value of the reward (1) and on the extent to which the person believes in the existence of a strong connection between the expenditure of effort and the possible reward (2). Achieving the required level of performance (6) may entail internal rewards (7) - such as a sense of satisfaction from the work performed, confidence in one's competence and self-esteem, as well as external rewards (8) - such as praise from a manager, bonus, promotion .
The dashed line between performance and extrinsic reward means that there may be a relationship between the performance of an employee and the rewards given to him. These rewards reflect the opportunities determined by the manager for a given employee and the organization as a whole. The dashed line between performance and rewards perceived as fair (9) shows that, according to equity theory, people have their own assessment of the fairness of rewards given for certain results. Satisfaction (10) is the result of external and internal rewards, taking into account their fairness (9). Satisfaction is a measure of how valuable a reward actually is (1). This assessment will influence the person's perception of future situations.
One of the most important conclusions of Porter and Lawler is that productive work leads to satisfaction. This is exactly the opposite of what most managers think about this. They are influenced by early theories of human relations, which believed that satisfaction leads to better performance at work or, in other words, that more satisfied workers perform better. The authors of the theory, on the contrary, believe that a sense of accomplishment leads to satisfaction and contributes to increased performance.

Research supports Porter and Lawler's view that high performance is a cause of overall satisfaction, not a consequence of it. As a result, the Porter–Lawler theory made a major contribution to the understanding of motivation. She showed that motivation is not a simple element in the chain of cause and effect relationships. It also shows how important it is to integrate the concepts of effort, ability, performance, rewards, satisfaction, and perception into a single, coherent theory of motivation.
It has been established that only under certain conditions does an increase in wages stimulate an increase in labor productivity. The first of these is that people should attach wages great value. The second is that people must believe that there is a clear link between wages and productivity and that increased productivity will necessarily lead to higher wages.

Porter-Lawler model

Lyman Porter and Edward Lawler developed a comprehensive process theory

motivation, including elements of expectancy theory and equity theory. In their

model shown in Fig. 4, there are five variables: effort expended,

perception, results obtained, reward, degree of satisfaction.

According to the Porter-Lawler model, the results achieved depend on

the efforts made by the employee, his abilities and characteristics,

as well as their awareness of their role. The level of effort applied will be

determined by the value of the reward and the degree of confidence that

this level of effort will indeed entail quite a certain

remuneration level. Moreover, the Porter-Lawler theory establishes

the relationship between reward and results, i.e. person satisfies

their needs through rewards for achieved results.

Figure 4. Porter-Lawler model

To better understand how Porter and Lawler explained the mechanism of motivation,

Let us analyze their model element by element sequentially. The figures given in

text in brackets, taken from Fig. 4. According to the Porter-Lawler model

the results achieved by an employee depend on three variables: spent

efforts (3), abilities and characteristics of a person (4), as well as from

awareness of his role in the labor process (5). The level of effort expended in

in turn depends on the value of the reward (1) and how much the person

believes in the existence of a strong connection between the expenditure of effort and the possible

reward (2). Achieving the required level of performance (6) can

lead to internal rewards (7a), such as a feeling of satisfaction from

completed work, a sense of competence and self-esteem, as well as external

rewards (7b), such as praise from the manager, bonus, promotion

The dotted line between performance and extrinsic reward means

that there may be a relationship between the performance of any employee and

the rewards given to him. The point is that these rewards reflect

remuneration opportunities determined by the manager for a given employee

and the organization as a whole. The dotted line between performance and

reward, perceived as fair (8), is used to

to show that according to the theory of justice, people have

own assessment of the degree of fairness of the reward given for those

or other results. Satisfaction (9) is the result of external and internal

rewards taking into account their fairness (8). Satisfaction is

a measure of how valuable a reward actually is (1). This assessment

will influence a person's perception of future situations.

Applicability of the Porter-Lawler model

in management practice

One of the most important conclusions of Porter and Lawler is that

productive work leads to satisfaction. This is exactly the opposite of

What do most managers think about this? They are under the influence

early theories of human relationships, which believed that satisfaction leads to

achieving high results in work or, in other words, more

satisfied workers work better. Porter and Lawler, on the contrary, believe that

a sense of accomplishment leads to satisfaction and appears to promote

improving performance.

Research supports Porter and Lawler's view that high

performance is a cause of complete satisfaction, not a consequence

his. Ultimately, the Porter-Lawler model made a major contribution to understanding

motivation. She showed that motivation is not a simple element in the chain

cause-and-effect relationships. This model also shows how important

combine such concepts as efforts, abilities, results, rewards,

satisfaction and perception within a single interconnected system.