Motivation in Forestry

In the forestry sector of India, the major player is Forest Department of the state. Forest departments comprise of workforce coming from various walks of life occupying different hierarchical levels performing multifarious activities under diverse situations. The attainment of the goals of Forest Department and hence that of the sector are accelerated if the provision of suitable incentives/ motivations to the members are put in place. In addition to capability, willingness to work need also be there. This willingness to work with enthusiasm can be created or worked upon by motivation. Motivation is the force that urges the individual to develop an attitude which would lead the person to put in the best. In Today's scenario where the pressures on all the resources are tremendous and the social setup is becoming increasingly competitive, a highly motivated workforce is vital for any organization seeking to achieve good results. The article underlines how the various Early Theories like Maslow's Theory of Hierarchy of Needs, Theory 'X' and 'Y', Two Factor theory and Contemporary theories like McClellend's Theory of Needs, Cognitive Evaluation Theory and Goal Setting theory etc. have direct relevance and application in the working of Forest Departments of the country Motivation Strategies like identifying the needs, giving appropriate work/ remunerations accordingly; Giving ample opportunity to the personnel to show worth; Providing an adequate support system to yield optimum output; Empowering the personnel by involving him or her in decision making, Institutionalization of reward system etc. and different combinations of the above could well be utilized for motivating the personnel of the Forest Departments for achieving the high set goals of Protection, Conservation and Sustainable Management of the Biodiversity, Forest Resource and Environment as a whole.