What is the relationship between motivation and labour productivity?

What is the relationship between motivation and labour productivity?

• A. Motivation has no impact on productivity
• B. Motivation reduces output
• C. Well-motivated workers will produce higher output
• D. Motivation only affects morale, not output

Answer: (C)

Motivation drives the effort, focus, and persistence workers bring to their tasks. When people are motivated, they tend to work more quickly, make fewer mistakes, and stick with a task until it’s finished. All of these factors raise the amount produced in a given time, so well-motivated workers will generate higher output. The other ideas miss this link between effort and results—motivation doesn’t just affect feelings or morale in isolation, and it isn’t a force that reduces what gets produced. In practice, good motivation generally boosts productivity, though it’s also true that poorly designed incentives can harm quality if pushed too hard.

Motivation drives the effort, focus, and persistence workers bring to their tasks. When people are motivated, they tend to work more quickly, make fewer mistakes, and stick with a task until it’s finished. All of these factors raise the amount produced in a given time, so well-motivated workers will generate higher output. The other ideas miss this link between effort and results—motivation doesn’t just affect feelings or morale in isolation, and it isn’t a force that reduces what gets produced. In practice, good motivation generally boosts productivity, though it’s also true that poorly designed incentives can harm quality if pushed too hard.