Can you directly motivate employees? Exploding the myth

Abstract

Purpose

To guide managers on managing the “organizational environment” of their employees. To return motivation to the employee.

Design/methodology/approach

First by dissecting the psychological contract. Second by matching specific motivations to a maturity model of Human Resource Management.

Findings

The psychological contract is falsely offered as a management tool. Motivation is a function of the maturity level of the organization. The range of motivations available to employees is limited by this maturity level. Employee motivation is not a tool directly available to management. The environment within which employees operate is the maturity level of the organization.

Practical implications

Management should focus less on attempts to motivate employees directly and concentrate on developing the maturity level of the organization. It is argued that management should attend to managing the environment within which employees work.

Social implications

In the popular and the professional literature management in large organizations are encouraged to motivate their people. This is a false cry. By understanding and mastering maturity levels, management can make the environment within which employees operate a more fulfilling place to work. Workers can then “draw out” the satisfaction they seek from their own work. “Motivation” is thus returned to its true owner – the employees themselves.

Originality/value

The paper proves that motivation is a function of the maturity level of the organization and not a management tool. It points management to the elements in their organizational environment that indirectly influence employee motivation. The paper will be of interest to business managers, HR managers and academics teaching and researching in related subjects.

Citation

Flynn, S. (2011), "Can you directly motivate employees? Exploding the myth", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 11-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777281111096771