MGCR 222 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Clayton Alderfer, Expectancy Theory, Motivation

• School: McGill University
• Department: Management Core
• Course: MGCR 222
• Professor: Chantal Westgate

Document Summary

Motivation is a psychological force that explain what arouses, directs, and maintains human behaviour. One of the best-know theory of motivation is maslow"s hierarchy of needs, which is the theory that people are motivated to satisfy five levels: psychological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Psychological and safety are at the bottom, and esteem and self- actualization are at the top. Clayton alderfer built on maslow"s work to construct his erg theory, which describes three universal categories of needs: existence, relatedness, and growth. Existence needs correspond to psychological and safety needs. Relatedness needs focus on how people relate to their social environment (social and esteem). Growth needs are desires for continued psychological growth and development, including need for self-esteem and for self- actualization. Erg theory differs from maslow"s theory in that it does not assume lower-level needs must be satisfied first.