Managing motivation among health care professionals

Abstract

Human resources management (HRM) has evolved from primarily focusing on monetary incentives toward incorporating other nonmonetary aspects for managing professionals’ motivation. However, in health care organizations, paying professionals for performance persists although evidence for its return on investment is scant. This raises the question whether monetary incentives are, in fact, the (only) motivator for health care professionals or whether other incentives could substitute or complement them in the future. This chapter reviews the basic ideas of pay for performance (P4P) and its current challenges. Taking into account HRM's experience (and evolution) in other industries, I discuss the interdependence and the impact of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators in health care. On the basis of the health care market's standing as a knowledge-intensive industry in which multiple actors contribute their knowledge to multiple tasks, I will offer suggestions how to manage motivation based on individuals’ intrinsic needs instead of relying solely on extrinsic motivators.

Citation

Janus, K. (2010), "Managing motivation among health care professionals", Fottler, M.D., Khatri, N. and Savage, G.T. (Ed.) Strategic Human Resource Management in Health Care (Advances in Health Care Management, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 47-77. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-8231(2010)0000009007