8/8/2019 Why Negative Management Motivation Strategies Dont Work

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Why Negative Management Motivation Strategies Don’t Work

By

Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif

©Copyright 2010 by Anthony J. Fejfar

Noted Management Theorist, Abraham Maslow, applying principles of Industrial

Psychology, has published research which desribes a sublated, hierarchy of motivational

needs. Maslow tells us that persons (employees) are motivated according to the

following needs:

First. Survival Needs Food Clothing Home, Medical treatment, Dental

Treatment, etc.

Second. Safety Needs. The Need to be protected from harm, both physical and

psychological. The Need not to be raped, murdered, tortured,

assaulted, etc.

Third. Social Needs. The Need to affiliate with and identify with a Group and

have friends and colleagues..

Fourth. Self Esteem Needs. The Need for positive emotional reinforcement and

recognition, as well as the need affirmation by high monetary

compensation.

Fifth. Self-Actualization. The Need for flow, satisfaction affective feelings

which come from working on a Meaningful Project. In other words, the

need for fulfilling work.

Sixth. Self-Transcendence. The Need for Self-Transcendence which flows

from acting in accordance with the Transcendental Precepts.

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The Transcendental Precepts are as follows:

1. Be Attentive.

2. Be Intelligent.

3. Be Reasonable.

4. Be Responsible.

5. Be Loving.

6. Be Intuitive.

7. Be Wise.

Given, the foregoing, it is clear that negative motivational strategies do not work. Negative motivation strategies, such as cutting wages, increasing hours, decreasing

benefits, giving mundane work assignments, and threatening a person or employee with

physical coercive force, simply force the person or employee into a psychologically

depressed state, resulting in decreased work performance, with the result that the person

or employee quits or is terminated. Thus, negative motivational strategies, such as those

listed above, do not work. Once the employee is gone, management will have to spend

extra money and time training a replacement employee, who will only last a relatively

short time, because that person will soon quit or be terminated. If the person or

employee manages to stay at work, subtle sabotage of the organization will likely take

place. Finally, the studies show that intuitive, creative persons or employees work best

in a financially secure, positively motivated work environment, and, that negative

motivational strategies will probably cause work disfunction and depression, with the

person or employee going on long term disability leave.