Eugene Taurman wrote:
>
> I do not understand the relevance of the debate about motivation being
> internal or external. I do not see the relevant to a team leader or
> manager. What mangers need to know is how to obtain the behavior in the
> best interest of the organization. People will always behave in their own
> best interest. The will intuitively seek the behavior that best fills
> their own needs. That is they will minimize grief and maximize reward.
> Almost always. One exception when they have decided to seek revenge, i.e.
> putting coke bottles in the door of new cars.
>
> With that in mind it becomes management's job to be certain of the
> behavior required and help people understand how they can meet their own
> needs while behaving in the best interest of the organization. Align the
> interest of the person and the organization.
>
> People all want or need something different to maximize reward and
> minimize grief. Some want to take it easy, some want to plan dinner, some
> want to plan for retirement , others want enough cash to take a week
> vacation, some want time to be with their kids, some want promotions, some
> want recognition, some want to be left alone. Are these motivations?
> These needs can all be met in the process of carrying out the needs of the
> organization. It is managements job to help people understand how to best
> meet personal needs while meeting the needs of the organization.
>
> Can I be motivated. i do not know. But I do know my behavior can be
> changed according to how I understand the behavior required to meet my
> needs.
Gene--I used something very similar to your model, above, for many years.
Indeed, I was a masterful behavior changer and trained a number of others
to be the same way. Somewhere along the way, though, I changed my mind.
I developed a different mental model (still a work in progress). Over a
year ago, I began experimenting with learning organization concepts--using
the Fifth Discipline Fieldbook as the basis of much of my effort. I am
amazed. Last week I left my employment with that agency to start my own
business. The self-directing team that has developed and matured over the
last year thinks they'll miss me (and perhaps as a coach and friend, they
will). Frankly, they simply don't need a manager anymore. What I learned
is that they didn't need anyone to change their behavior. They simply
needed someone to create a dialog with them about personal mastery, mental
models, team learning, systems thinking, shared vision and coach them
through their own learning objectives. They have personal lives--but they
really don't work for rewards (beyond a reasonable compensation). They
enjoy their work. And they enjoy it much more, now that they've
discovered the power that they have to manage their own work in a
collaborative way with others. Without seeming too arrogant, because I'm
really not, I admit to feeling a little sorry that you feel the way you
do. Life and work can be so much more than people make of them, by just
working towards developing organizational skills.
oh yes--one other thing. I found the truth in the philosophy (I can't
remember who I stole it from--perhaps Ron Short): The only person who I
can truly manage is myself. If I manage myself well, then those around me
will do just fine.
-- Richard C. "Doc" Holloway Thresholds--Human Development and Networking for Learning Organizations LearnShop(tm) Creator and Facilitator P.O. Box 2361, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 786-0925 Fax: (360) 709-4361 mailto:olypolys@nwrain.com"The familiar life horizon has been outgrown, the old concepts, ideals and emotional patterns no longer fit, the time for the passing of a threshold is at hand."
-Joseph Campbell
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>