Four-Drive Model Of Motivation!

The Four Drives Theory was developed by Dr. Paul Lawrence and Dr.Nitin Nohria. This model of employee motivation is a holistic way to look beyond typical financial workplace rewards.

It is an innovative and unique approach for organizational leaders, and each drive is necessary to understand motivation in the workplace. According to Nohria, the focus of motivation will be based on the four needs hardwired into our brains that contribute to motivation These drives include the drive to acquire, the drive to bond, the drive to comprehend and the drive to defend.

Drive to acquire a Reward system focuses on acquiring resources, status, and possessions, which means that leaders should optimize extrinsic incentive programs around this drive. Drive to bond culture Understanding that employees thrive on developing relationships inside the organization. Employees need to create connections, perceive a fit with the corporate culture, and engage with others. Drive to comprehend Job design Employees perform better when they are engaged and learning on the job. Motivation centers around attaining mastery, learning, improving, and Creating challenges for employees Drive to defend Performance management an organization’s reputation, moral bearing, and company culture all influence workplace motivation. 

Drive to Acquire

people are driven to acquire goods, both physical and psychological. The ability or inability to acquire these goods has an impact on a person’s emotional state and therefore affects their actions. (Nohria, 2010) Many people also strive to distinguish themselves from others through acquiring goods. The drive to acquire is an insatiable desire; a person will always want more of a good, be it food, money, and intangible goods also. (Nohria, 2010)

In the workplace, the drive to acquire is most often satisfied by an organization’s reward system. (Nohria, 2010) These systems can encompass many types of rewards, including, salary, recognition, time-off, and promotion. Reward systems are often performance-based. Thus, it is important for an organization to have a system of rewards that satisfies the drive to acquire and effectively motivates employees to prevent the negative consequences of an unmotivated workforce. For this reason, it is essential to understand the different rewards that are desired by each generation of workers.

Drive to Comprehend

In many cases, employees want a job that is challenging and presents an opportunity to grow and learn more. (Nohria 2010) This is where the drive to comprehend comes in. The best way to help an employee achieve their drive to comprehend is through job design. When presented with a challenging job, an employee is excited and ready to tackle new scenarios and problems. The opposite occurs when a job is static and dull. A position like this can result in demoralized and bored employees.

Drive to Bond

The drive to bond, in the context of an organization, is the desire of an employee to feel a sense of belonging to the company. When this drive is achieved, it also creates positive emotions for an employee. When an employee feels a sense of belonging, positive emotions can lead to desirable behavior and increased motivation. (Nohria,2010)

Drive to Defend

Finally, the drive to defend is a natural human instinct. Employees can satisfy this drive at work by being part of an organization that is just, has clearly defined goals, and is a forum for open communication. The satisfaction of this drive can lead to feelings of confidence and security in the workplace. By doing so, an employee will be more motivated because some of their indicators of motivation are higher.

(Nohria, 2010) confirmed that both the drive to bond and to defend can be satisfied through company culture. Creating an open and honest atmosphere and placing value on teamwork and friendship in the organization can help achieve satisfaction. Unfortunately, these drives cannot all be satisfied by a single action. An employee’s drive to defend will not be satiated by a high salary. Likewise, a company with very clear goals and open communication may satisfy that drive to defend but if it does not reward employees, the drive to acquire is not satisfied. Therefore, it is imperative that an organization create a balance of rewards, challenging job assignments, and corporate culture to appeal to every drive of the employee. By doing so, the organization can maximize employee productivity. (Trimble, D. E. (2006))

References

Nohria, Nitin, Boris Groysberg, and Linda-Eling Lee. "Employee Motivation." Harvard Business Review 86.7/8 (2010): 78-84. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 9 Feb. 2018

Porter, L. W., Bigley, G. A., & Steers, R. M. (2003). Motivation and work behavior.

Trimble, D. E. (2006). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intention of missionaries. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 34, 349–360.