Syllabus: International Baccalaureate - Individuals and Societies - Business management (Higher Level)
Module: Unit 2: Human Resource Management
Lesson: 2.4 Motivation and Demotivation

Introduction

Motivation and demotivation are core themes in Unit 2 of the IB Business Management Higher Level syllabus, sitting within the Human Resource Management strand. These concepts influence not only individual performance but also organisational success. The IB programme positions this unit to help students critically analyse how motivation affects workforce dynamics, decision-making, and business performance in local and global contexts.

This article helps teachers, careers leads, and SLT deliver engaging, assessment-aligned learning that develops students’ commercial awareness, problem-solving, and workplace confidence.

Key Concepts

The IB HL specification for 2.4 “Motivation and Demotivation” includes:

• Motivation Theories:

  • Taylor’s scientific management

  • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

  • Herzberg’s two-factor theory

  • Pink’s theory of intrinsic motivation

• Financial Motivators:

  • Salary and wages

  • Performance-related pay

  • Bonuses and commission

  • Profit-sharing

• Non-Financial Motivators:

  • Job enrichment

  • Job rotation

  • Empowerment and delegation

  • Recognition and team working

• Consequences of Demotivation:

  • Low productivity

  • High absenteeism

  • Increased turnover

  • Workplace conflict and poor morale

• Strategies to Improve Motivation:

  • Understanding employee needs

  • Tailoring incentives to roles

  • Encouraging feedback and participation

Teachers should guide students to evaluate motivation tools in context—underlining that no single approach fits all workplaces.

Real-World Relevance

Real business case studies offer clear insight into the application of motivation strategies:

• Google is renowned for offering employees autonomy, flexible working, and purpose-driven projects, aligning with Pink’s intrinsic motivation theory.

• Amazon, by contrast, has been scrutinised for high-pressure targets and limited autonomy in warehouse roles—highlighting potential links to demotivation and high staff turnover.

• John Lewis Partnership provides a compelling example of profit-sharing as motivation, distributing annual bonuses to partners (employees) based on performance.

Using contemporary examples like these not only enhances engagement but strengthens students’ analytical and evaluative skills, especially when they’re asked to apply theories in case study-based assessments.

How It’s Assessed

In the IB HL Paper 1 and Paper 2, this topic appears as both:

• Short-answer questions: Define and explain motivation theories or key terms.

• Data-response questions: Apply motivation frameworks to real or fictional business contexts.

• Extended response questions (10/20 marks): Evaluate the effectiveness of motivation strategies in achieving organisational goals.

Command terms to emphasise:

• Explain – Requires detailed descriptions and connections.

• Evaluate – Requires balance, supported judgement, and understanding of context.

• Discuss – Demands multiple perspectives with conclusions.

Encourage students to pair theoretical depth with application to real-world scenarios, enhancing both AO2 (application) and AO3 (evaluation) skills.

Enterprise Skills Integration

This topic is a natural entry point for building key enterprise competencies:

• Decision-Making: Students assess which motivation strategies work best in various business settings.

• Problem-Solving: Analysing how to tackle demotivation or improve morale within workforce case studies.

• Commercial Awareness: Recognising the link between employee motivation and organisational performance.

• Stakeholder Awareness: Understanding how motivation affects managers, employees, unions, and shareholders.

Enterprise Skills simulations—especially those involving leadership and HR scenarios—immerse students in realistic dilemmas, strengthening higher-order thinking.

Careers Links

Teaching motivation connects directly to the Gatsby Benchmarks:

• Benchmark 4: Curriculum learning linked to careers

• Benchmark 5: Employer encounters during debriefs or case studies

• Benchmark 6: Simulated workplace scenarios mirror real HR decisions

Relevant career roles:

• Human Resource Manager

• Team Leader or Line Manager

• Organisational Psychologist

• Learning and Development Specialist

• Employee Engagement Consultant

Skills in analysing motivation strategies are applicable across all sectors—from retail and logistics to healthcare and education—making this unit universally valuable for student progression.

Teaching Notes

Tips for Delivery:

• Use group discussions or debates to compare the relevance of Maslow vs Herzberg in different workplace settings.

• Implement role-play activities (e.g. HR manager responding to demotivated team) to support active learning.

• Connect theory to students’ part-time work or family job experiences for contextual learning.

Common Pitfalls:

• Students often oversimplify theories (e.g. misrepresenting Maslow as strictly linear).

• Over-reliance on textbook examples without contextual evaluation in assessments.

Extension Activities:

• Introduce case studies from Enterprise Skills simulations where students must decide between performance pay or flexible working options.

• Create a mock staff survey and ask students to propose motivational improvements based on results.

• Use peer teaching: assign each student a theory to “pitch” as the most relevant to a specific case study.