Work Motivation

With this book, I attempted to respond to a broadly echoed criticism that the modern paradigm of motivation rests on a relatively narrow theory, which must be further developed and enriched to meaningfully address the challenges of new economy–driven and sustained by knowledgeable, highly educated workforce. To contribute to that objective, I decided to take a comprehensive, multi-level approach by expanding the debate beyond the boundaries of a traditional, predominantly psychological view of work motivation. Important as this view may be to understanding human motivation in general, the psychological perspective alone fails to address the social and anthropological underpinnings of culturally diverse individuals, who are employed to achieve organizational goals–often collaboratively. Consequently, psychological approaches, although useful, are insufficient to detect patterns of how those dynamics shape the nature of motivation in modern organizations. The first three chapters of the book provide a conceptual outline of work motivation and the leadership roles that emerge on each level of the management hierarchy: Chapter 1 Motivation – the Role of a Supervisor Chapter 2 Teamwork – the Role of a Manager Chapter 3 Volatility – the Role of an Executive Of course, no effective manager can forgo the planning. Without a plan of action, even the most perfectly understood system will account for nothing. To achieve a high performing organization, management must devise a comprehensive plan accompanied by appropriate strategies that encompass each major system of organizational dynamics. For that purpose, chapters 4 through 6 include practical applications of studied theories: Chapter 4 Employee–Create an Effective Incentive Plan (The plan has to carefully navigate among different needs and perceptions of team members as determined by their personalities, age, gender, and other social dynamics–with a simultaneous objective of fostering common team goals). Chapter 5 Enterprise–Build a Team…not Group (The plan has to carefully navigate among different needs and perceptions of team members as determined by their personalities, age, gender and other social dynamics, with a simultaneous objective of fostering common team goals). Chapter 6 Environment–Think Globally (The plan has to carefully navigate among different needs and perceptions of individual team members determined by the cultural influences that shaped them. The early formative culture-driven experiences are powerful determinants of human behavior that have to be accounted for by managers who attempt to optimize employee performance).