Vana Prewitt wrote
> My question to the group is this: is anyone aware of research that has
> been conducted in this area of measuring individual and/or group self
> efficacy and locus of control on predicting or influencing the outcome
> of an organization's ability to achieve its goals? More to our
> discussion, has anyone conducted this research for the goal of becoming
> a learning organizaion?
Hello, Vana
It is always nice to hear from you, and as usual I find your comments
thought-provoking. I am currently writing a paper on intrinsic motivation
in performance improvement which may be of interest to you. Right now, I
have just completed my research and outline and would be glad to share
some of this with you and fellow LOers, too.
Mihaly Cxikszentmihaly, University of Chicago, book entitled "Flow: The
Psychology of Ultimate Experience"
challenge + sense of control = flow
Haasen, Adolf, and Gordon F. Shea. A Better Place to Work: A New Sense
of Motivation Leading to High Productivity. AMA Management Briefing,
American Management Association, New York, 1997.
This great short book includes case studies that illustrate the new theory
of motivation, which is based upon:
1. Job control/autonomy
2. Learning
3. Teamwork
I have included some exerpts from the book for your information:
Case Study: The Apex Group, Inc. (Columbia, MD)
Senior VP John Shetrone, Jr., "Our job in management is to create an
environment that allows the talents of our people to flow" (Haasen, 1997,
p. 23).
"The company indeed has built an environment in which motivation is
palpable" (Haasen, 1997, p. 23).
What motivates computer professionals: "opportunities to be on the
frontier of technology, build their skills, and solve new and important
problems" (Haasen, 1997, p. 23).
"Learning a new programming language, integrating technology to solve a
complex engineering problem--these are the challenges that boost
adrenaline. A company that does a superior job of tapping this innate
motivation by offering learning opportunity will emerge with superior
employees--and superior service" (Haasen, 1997, p. 23).
Apex's three-pronged Technology Advancement Program (Haasen, 1997, p. 24):
1. mentors - experts in a specific technology area
2. comprehensive, guided development plan for each employee
3. a system of testing/exams that allows employees to demonstrate
competence and become certified in each technical area
"Intrinsic motivation arises from a strong emotional interest in an
activity and a sense of freedom and autonomy related to it" (Haasen, 1997,
p. 39).
"People experience flow when their involvement with a task is fun, when
they enjoy a particular challenge, and when they feel a sense of control
in being able to cope with that challenge. Learning new skills bolsters
people's self-confidence and leads to personal growth" (Haasen, 1997, p.
41).
"Motivation is at its highest level when people have full responsibility
over an activity or task. This means that they must be able to make
job-related decisions, to dictate the speed at which they are operating,
to change procedures and make improvements, to innovate and be creative"
(Haasen, 1997, p. 45).
"Experiences tend to be the most positive when skills and challenges are
in balance" (Haasen, 1997, p. 46).
"A positive learning experience helps us understand the broader context of
our business and the interrelationship of its operations. We see our role
in relation to our co-workers' roles. We care about their efforts and try
to support them. This orientation clearly supports a company that is
striving for continuous improvement" (Haasen, 1997, p. 46).
Case Study:Opel Eisenbach
"A 1993 public relations brochure on the Opel production system makes a
surprising statement: "Employee motivation represents one of our largest
productivity reserves and is therefore a key element for increasing the
international competitiveness of German automobile manufacturers" "
(Haasen, 1997, p. 62).
"Continuous improvement at Open Eisenach is part of the team concept.
People on the job understand their immediate work environment and are
expected to optimize the process, to change details of the assembly, or to
develop new procedures" " (Haasen, 1997, p. 66).
"Three important elements must be in place to assure that people can be at
the peak of their productivity:
People need full control and autonomy at work.
People need opportunities to learn and to master new knowledge and skills.
People need to be part of a work team that gives them a base of support
and allows them to find their own level of challenge. " (Haasen, 1997, p.
93).
"The implications are profound. If we accept the notion of intrinsic
motivation, it implies that there is a powerful potential for
self-actualization within each of us. This potential, as we have said,
draws its power from our creativity, curiosity, and desire for mastery, as
well as from our need for being responsible, having a positive self-image,
and enjoying teamwork. Though this potential has often been stifled and
crushed, it awaits ways or reasons to be released" " (Haasen, 1997, p.
94).
I think what you may be getting at, Vana, is that people need a sense of
self-efficacy and control in order to be able to perform. This may be
hard to achieve in a company in which people have traditionally been
dependent on managers and others to take the lead in making decisions.
They need to unlearn dependence and relearn empowerment. In systems
thinking, we learn that managers may even have an unconscious or unspoken
limitation on just how much power employees are to exercise.
I hesitate to make recommendations to someone of your experience, but most
of what I have read, and it makes sense to me, suggests that one starts
small. Allow employees to take the initiative in a risk-free context, and
reinforce this.
And then, there is the very sound advice give to me by a teenager on the
subject of influencing other young people, "If you want someone to listen
to you, you first have to prove you are listening to them."
--koebelin <koebelin@cwix.com>
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Flow : The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060920432/learningorg
...Rick]
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