Motivation Theories and Behavioral Influences in Mentoring and Coaching

Motivation is the internal drive or force that stimulates an individual to take action towards achieving a goal. It influences human behavior by directing, sustaining, and energizing efforts to fulfill personal or organizational objectives. Stephen P. Robbins: “Motivation is the process that accounts for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.”

Motivation is essential in coaching and mentoring because it determines how engaged, persistent, and successful a mentee will be in their personal and professional development.

Major Motivation Theories in Coaching and Mentoring

Several motivation theories help explain what drives individuals to take action. Understanding these theories allows mentors and coaches to develop effective strategies to support and inspire their mentees.

1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943)

Maslow’s theory suggests that individuals are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, starting from basic survival to self-fulfillment.

Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy:

1. Physiological Needs: Basic survival needs (food, water, shelter).
2. Safety Needs: Job security, financial stability, personal safety.
3. Social Needs: Relationships, friendships, and a sense of belonging.
4. Esteem Needs: Recognition, self-respect, and personal achievement.
5. Self-Actualization: Reaching one's full potential and personal growth.

Application in Mentoring and Coaching:

• A mentor should identify which level the mentee is currently at and provide support accordingly.
• If a mentee struggles with self-confidence (esteem needs), a coach should focus on positive reinforcement and encouragement.

2. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (1959)

Herzberg identified two sets of factors that influence motivation and job satisfaction: Hygiene factors and Motivators.

Key Elements of the Two-Factor Theory:

1. Hygiene Factors (Prevent Dissatisfaction): Salary, job security, work conditions, relationships with colleagues.
2. Motivators (Increase Satisfaction): Recognition, career growth, responsibility, achievement.

Application in Mentoring and Coaching:

• A mentor should ensure that hygiene factors (such as a positive environment) are in place to avoid demotivation.
• Coaches should focus on motivators like skill development and recognition to enhance mentee engagement.

3. Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985)

Self-determination theory (SDT) states that individuals are motivated when their basic psychological needs are met. These needs are:

1. Autonomy: The need to feel in control of one’s actions.
2. Competence: The need to feel skilled and capable.
3. Relatedness: The need for social connection and relationships.

Application in Mentoring and Coaching:

• A coach should empower mentees by giving them autonomy over their learning and decisions.
• Mentees should be given opportunities to develop their competence through skill-building.
• Establishing a strong mentor-mentee relationship fulfills the need for relatedness and emotional support.

4. Expectancy Theory (Vroom, 1964)

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory suggests that motivation is influenced by three key factors:

1. Expectancy: Belief that effort leads to performance.
2. Instrumentality: Belief that performance leads to rewards.
3. Valence: Value placed on the rewards.

Application in Mentoring and Coaching:

• A mentor should help mentees see the connection between their efforts and the results they want to achieve.
• Setting clear goals and linking them to tangible rewards (e.g., career growth, skill development) enhances motivation.

Mentor–Mentee Motivation Mapping

Mentor Behaviour	Type of Motivation Created	Outcome
Constructive feedback	Intrinsic	Skill development
Recognition	Esteem-based	Confidence
Goal alignment	Achievement motivation	Commitment
Emotional support	Affective motivation	Trust

Case Study: Motivating Growth

1. Introduction

Mentoring is widely used by organizations to develop young employees and prepare them for future leadership roles. While mentoring often focuses on improving performance, it also plays a key role in shaping employee motivation, confidence, and long-term commitment. This case describes a mentoring situation at a healthcare organization where strong performance results coexist with growing employee stress and disengagement.

2. Organization Background

NexaCare Hospitals is a fast-growing multi-specialty hospital chain operating in six major Indian cities. Established in 2012, the organization has expanded rapidly and now employs over 2,500 staff members, including doctors, nurses, and administrative professionals.

In the last three years, NexaCare opened four new hospitals, increasing pressure on operational efficiency, cost control, and patient satisfaction. To support this growth, the hospital introduced a formal mentoring program for newly appointed department coordinators.

Each coordinator was assigned a senior doctor or administrator as a mentor. The main goals of the mentoring program were to:

• Improve department performance
• Reduce patient complaints
• Prepare young employees for leadership roles

There were no standard guidelines for mentoring sessions, and mentors were given full freedom to decide how mentoring should be conducted.

3. The Mentor

Dr. Prakash Rao is a senior consultant and department head at NexaCare Hospitals. He has over 20 years of clinical and administrative experience and manages a department with nearly 60 staff members.

Dr. Rao is known for:

• Strict discipline
• Clear rules and procedures
• Strong focus on efficiency and outcomes

Under his leadership, his department consistently ranked among the top three departments in terms of patient turnover and cost control. Dr. Rao strongly believes that:

“Healthcare is a high-pressure field. Only discipline and performance can ensure quality care.”

As a mentor, he focuses on:

• Setting clear performance standards
• Reviewing monthly performance reports
• Highlighting errors immediately
• Appreciating good results in department meetings

4. The Mentee

Ms. Kavya Nair is a 28-year-old department coordinator with three years of experience in hospital administration. She joined NexaCare two years ago after completing her postgraduate degree in healthcare management.

She was selected for the mentoring program based on:

• High performance appraisal scores
• Strong communication skills
• Positive feedback from peers

Ms. Kavya manages daily operations for a department that handles around 180–200 patients per day. She joined the mentoring program with expectations of:

• Learning leadership and people-management skills
• Understanding long-term career opportunities
• Receiving guidance on handling work pressure
• She values recognition, learning opportunities, and regular feedback on her development.

5. The Mentoring Process

The mentoring relationship began with monthly one-hour meetings. In the first few sessions, Dr. Rao clearly explained key expectations, including:

• Reducing patient waiting time by 15%
• Improving staff attendance from 88% to 95%
• Reducing overtime costs by 10%
• Ensuring full compliance with hospital procedures
• Each mentoring session followed a similar pattern:
• Review of performance dashboards
• Discussion of missed targets
• Instructions for corrective action

When targets were achieved, Dr. Rao offered brief verbal appreciation such as “Good job” during meetings. When performance fell short, mistakes were pointed out firmly, and immediate improvement was expected.

There was little discussion on:

• Ms. Kavya’s career goals
• Skill development needs
• Leadership challenges
• Emotional stress or workload

Most sessions were driven by the mentor, with limited opportunity for the mentee to express her concerns.

6. Mixed Outcomes

After six months, department performance showed clear improvement:

• Average patient waiting time reduced from 42 minutes to 31 minutes
• Staff attendance increased from 88% to 96%
• Monthly operational costs reduced by ₹3.5 lakhs

From a performance perspective, the mentoring appeared successful.

However, Ms. Kavya’s personal experience was different. She began working longer hours, often staying late to avoid mistakes. Although results improved, she felt that:

• Her effort was noticed only when numbers improved
• Mistakes received more attention than learning
•  Taking initiative involved personal risk

She stopped suggesting new ideas, even though she had earlier proposed process improvements. She also felt unsure about whether her hard work would lead to promotions or growth opportunities.

7. Emerging Tension

Over time, Ms. Kavya’s motivation began to change. Instead of focusing on learning or improvement, she focused mainly on avoiding errors. She started viewing mentoring sessions as performance audits rather than developmental discussions.

Her engagement survey score dropped from 4.2 to 3.1 (out of 5) within six months. She reported feeling “mentally tired” and “constantly under pressure.”

Dr. Rao, on the other hand, felt that Ms. Kavya was becoming less confident and less proactive. He believed she needed more discipline and closer monitoring to prepare for leadership roles.

Meanwhile, the HR department received feedback from seven out of twenty mentees indicating that mentoring sessions felt stressful and overly performance-focused.

8. Organizational Context

While NexaCare Hospitals achieved improved operational results, HR managers noticed warning signs:

• Increased stress complaints
• Lower engagement scores among young coordinators
• Decline in new ideas and process innovation

Senior management began reviewing whether the mentoring program was developing motivated future leaders or simply producing short-term performance outcomes.

10. Discussion Questions

What factors are influencing Ms. Kavya’s motivation and behavior?

Why did performance improve while engagement declined?

How might employees with different personalities respond to the same mentoring style?

What changes should Dr. Rao make to improve motivation and learning?

How should NexaCare design its mentoring program to support long-term motivation?