Motivation at Work

I found this article to be pretty interesting, and I’d have to agree that being paid more money does not necessarily increase motivation or satisfaction in certain jobs. In Social Psychology, I remember hearing about a study that suggested that getting paid more does not necessarily mean greater satisfaction at work. In the study, some participants were paid $.50 for a task and others were paid $2.50 for the same task. Those who were paid less actually reported higher levels of satisfaction. This was thought to have happened because the participants needed to reduce their feelings of cognitive dissonance – those were paid less did not feel they had sufficient financial compensation to justify the amount of effort they put into the work, they had to either change their attitudes or their behavior to reduce the dissonance. Since they already performed the task, those participants tended to view the task more favorably.

I think some of Daniel Pink’s ideas may have some merit. Looking back on my own past work experience, I have to agree that different types of work may be better suited to different styles of management. When I’ve worked in the factory setting, I think the work has generally been physically demanding, but has also taken fewer cognitive resources. I feel that I often work better when I have imminent deadlines and am more careful when I know others are watching what I do.

I think it’s also true that such stringent deadlines are counterproductive in many other work environments. Although there is undoubtedly individual variation, in my experience I have not worked as well with higher level cognitive tasks when there is a rushed deadline and excessive pressure. Some students say they work best under pressure, but at least in my case I can get a lot more accomplished when I feel I have plenty of time to complete the task and am able to fully concentrate on the task at hand. I think it would be interesting to take a closer look at the research to which Daniel Pink was referring. This is not the first time I have heard these arguments though. I remember hearing a news segment about a company that let their employees play online games and chat because they believed it would actually increase the quality of work.

Daniel Pink’s comments also reminded me of research studies comparing transactional and transformational leadership. Once a person has enough money to meet their basic needs, I think financial rewards often are not enough to keep a person interested in their work. People want to be inspired and feel like they are part of something that is working towards the greater good.