1. Discuss the nature of Birds motivation in building pianos. What are his drives and needs? Would a behavior modification program affect his motivation? Why or why not? What would be the effect of setting a goal of 2 pianos per year for him? Motivation is the strength of the drive toward an action. It originates within an individual. One factor that makes Bird remain in the career of making piano is that it is his hobby and that he likes challenges which he get when he is making one.
Potential pianos are a product of ability and motivation. When a person have goals to achieve it is easy for him to be motivated. Birds drive is to accomplish his goal and that is to build a grand piano. That is why he is still constructing pianos though it takes nearly a year; it serves as his practice stage so that when he build s his dream grand piano, it will be perfect. He also sells his pianos at the modest price because accomplishment is seemed as important primarily for its own sake, not just for the money that accompanies it.
His needs focus in Maslow’s Higher-order needs which are the self-actualization. It means becoming all that one is capable of becoming, using one’s skill to the fullest, and stretching talents to the maximum. His ultimate dream is to build a grand piano which he haven’t done yet but want to do. Birds motivation will be affected by behavior modification program. Positive reinforcement may be used wherein it provides a favorable consequence that encourages repetition of behavior.
In the case of Bird, when he is constructing a high-quality piano he experienced satisfaction and he feels that he overcomes the challenge so as a result he tends to do high-quality pianos again. Challenge will push a person to work harder to accomplish his goals. These goals must, however still be attainable, given the experience of the individual and the resources available. We can say that Bird likes challenges, has the experience, and likes his work but the goal of two pianos a year will only result into failure because it is not achievable.
Failure to attain his goals will lead to feeling of tension, lower self-esteem, and will no longer stimulate his personal growth needs. According to Maslow, people are more enthusiastically motivated by what they are currently seeking than by receiving more of what they already have. It means that Bird will not be that motivated by doing two pianos per year because this need is already satisfied. What will really motivate him is what he is currently seeking and that is to build a grand piano. 2.
How could a manufacturer of pianos build the motivation Bird has now into its employees? In order to motivate his employees, he must first identify, discover and understand their needs and drives. Reinforcements can also motivate them. Goal setting is also important because employees will be more motivated if they have clear goals to achieve. An element of goal setting, which is the challenge, motivates most employees to work harder when they have difficult goals to accomplish rather than easy ones. Reward and incentives also play a big role in motivating employees.
