Motivation in the Workplace: An Exploration of Stuart Pritchard's Article

This essay explores the article 'Moving beyond Maslow: An exploration of Motivation' by Stuart Pritchard and discusses the importance of motivation in the workplace. It examines various theories and models, including the Knight and Willmott framework, and highlights the benefits and challenges of different management methods. The essay emphasizes the role of motivation in keeping employees encouraged and satisfied in their work.

Running Head: APPLIED CORPORATE STRATEGY
Applied Corporate Strategy
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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This essay is mainly demonstrated on the article ‘Moving beyond Maslow: An
exploration of Motivation’ by Stuart Pritchard. 1 Motivation can be defined as motivating
incentive force and a stimulation of will, a reflection or emotion that is excited to action.
Therefore, a motive involves transforming will into action, and motivation is the force that
helps to achieve this. Motivation is the process of motivating people to achieve the goals2. In
the workplace, the psychological factors motivating the behavior of the employees can be
wanting for money or other non-financial factors. Maslow recommended that humans are
motivated to please many human requirements. These needs may vary from the basic needs
like food, shelter, clothing or love, self-esteem. The article deals with a certain number of
provocative and challenging ideas. This essay implies on various theories, models, and use of
the Knight and Willmott framework to understand the benefits and challenges of the methods
of management. The essay argues that motivation is an important factor to play in a
workplace or an individual’s life to keep them encouraged and satisfy their needs.
Knight and Willmott framework suggests that by using the concept of Foucault, it is
possible to examine the process of subjectification, a task that has been far overlooked in the
labor process.3 According to the framework, it is the relative social separation which subject
endure because of the individualizing collision of the modern power that provides individuals
susceptible to accurately the demands or potential that the power makes them to be. The
Foucauldian approach recommended that it could be useful in grasping the precautionary side
of control. The Foucauldian view helps to make it easier to realize the widespread power or
1 Stone, Tyria A. Motivation and success strategies: A phenomenological study of African American
entrepreneurial business owners in Dayton, Ohio. Diss. Capella University, 2012.
2 Kanfer, Ruth. "Work motivation: New directions in theory and research." International review of industrial
and organizational psychology 7 (1992): 1-53.
3 Coombs, Rod, David Knights, and Hugh C. Willmott. "Culture, control and competition; towards a conceptual
framework for the study of information technology in organizations." Organization studies 13.1 (1992): 051-72.

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knowledge directions and techniques, which in turn enables to distinguish the current system
and capitalism as a specific mode of construction in the history. The Foucauldian ideas of
power are frequently used to study subject matter formation or technology of self. However,
individual project of the subjects are rarely connected with the aims, objectives, structures,
and control system in order to regulate and show the whole of the dynamics of the control
system of the organization. Acknowledging that the relationship between workplace and self
respect is traditionally and culturally specific and something in which people are taught to
believe. As Knights and Willmott puts forward the Foucauldian concept of thoughtful of
power helps to evaluate how work under free enterprise is not unsurprisingly intrinsic to the
self-esteem and how discursive and corrective practice have been functional to make the
people believe. Moreover, the idea of govern mentality suggest that the prejudiced
individuality work takes place inside regime of control. This concept also enables an
individual to observe the more unseen structures of authority, as well as leaving possibility
for a new type of considerate of subjectivity that allows expansion of the common sense of
self.
Self-esteem in the workplace as a manager, employee or a student is significant
because it greatly influences choices and decisions of the people. 4In further words, self-
esteem or self respect serve a motivational purpose by creation of more or less probable that
people can take care of themselves and discover their potential. Individuals with high self-
esteem are encouraged to take care of them and to determinedly struggle towards the
execution of ones goals and aspirations. However, people with low self-esteem do not be
likely to view themselves as happy or competent of achieving the goals. Employees with self-
respect at the workplace tend to manage stress and work pressure easily. The person can
express himself or herself more clearly in front of his peers or his bosses. The relationship
4 Pierce, Jon L., and Donald G. Gardner. "Self-esteem within the work and organizational context: A
review of the organization-based self-esteem literature." Journal of management 30.5 (2004): 591-
622.

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with supervisors or colleagues are healthier which tends to increase in productivity and
overall business. The setbacks and criticisms does not influence o brings that person down.
He or she is always motivated and devoted to work.
Low self-esteem in a workplace and its complementary distorted perception also can
serve as an opposing anxiety policy that can bring comfort. People feel the need to be perfect
always around others even though asserting the limitations and being able to communicate
effectively with others are necessary tools for healthy and happy relationships. Therefore, by
taking a precise look at the limitations and strengths can be even sobering. As self-acceptance
does not mean a happy harmony and feeling huge always. Some of the people may be
doubtful to assess their attribute.5 A low self-esteem can decrease the value of a person’s life
in different ways, such as negative feelings can lead to constant feelings of sadness,
gloominess, worry, anger, shame and guilt. Relationship problems as if they can tolerate all
kinds of unreasonable behavior from partners because they believe they must earn love and
friendship, cannot be loved or not loveable. On the other hand, a person with stumpy self-
esteem may suffer angriness and torment other people. The fear of trying out the person may
distrust their ability or worth and evade challenges. Exactness is where a person may push
himself or herself and turn out to be an successful person to ‘atone’ for what they would see
as their weakness. Fear of judgement involves that they may avoid actions that involve other
people such as social events, since they are afraid they will be negatively judged for that. The
individual feels self-conscious, stressed, and frequently looks for signs that other people do
not like them. Low flexibility of a person with low confidence finds it hard to manage with a
difficult life because they already consider themselves hopeless and bleak. Lacks of self-care
is that where the individual may perhaps care so little that they ignore or abuse themselves,
such as drinking too much alcohol. Self-harming behavior includes little self-esteem that puts
5 Carson, Kerry D., et al. "The effects of organization-based self-esteem on workplace outcomes: An
examination of emergency medical technicians." Public Personnel Management 26.1 (1997): 139-
155.

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the person in a situation at enlarged risk of harming self as eating disorder, suicide or drug
abuse.
Managers at the workplaces face many issues that have been discussed further.
Dealing with problems of performance has been the most important foundation of a
manager's sleepless nights.6 Many performance troubles can be prohibited with better
collection practice and then by creating clear performance opportunity. There is no sleep
support for terminating employees. No manager or boss should ever get excessively
comfortable with this kind of responsibility. One should get proper and suitable training on
how to perform the discussion reverentially and provide a well-mannered separation and
outplacement wrap up. If one of the employees in a workplace crosses over the limit of moral
behavior or ethics and does something dishonest, the issue has to be confronted immediately
and get help from the human resources or the compliance team.
Bureaucratic control implies on unfriendly and formal system of rules, roles and
events to demeanor worker behavior although some of the rules can also be unofficial. For
instance, systems can say out loud the kinds of public chosen for a task, the manner by which
the tasks are assumed to be completed, the types of behavior that are satisfactory, and how
the management is evaluated, fulfilled and punished.7 Often organizational control is
achieved by unambiguously connecting between worker behaviors to endorse rewards,
targeting external and internal motivators of these individuals.8 Extrinsic motivation induces
collaboration through the promise of involved benefits, as money, status, or standing. On the
contrary, intrinsic motivation consequences from individuals cooperate due to the task being
6 Sekerka, Leslie E., Richard P. Bagozzi, and Richard Charnigo. "Facing ethical challenges in the workplace:
Conceptualizing and measuring professional moral courage." Journal of Business Ethics 89.4 (2009): 565.
7 Bidwell, Charles E., and Pamela A. Quiroz. "Organizational control in the high school workplace: A
theoretical argument." Journal of Research on Adolescence 1.3 (1991): 211-229.
8 Hodgson, Damian E. "Project work: the legacy of bureaucratic control in the post-bureaucratic
organization." Organization11.1 (2004): 81-100

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individually rewarding, such as enjoyment, fun, and humanity. This study reveals an
significant, yet understudied, method in which official rules are used to limit the kind of
substance that is produced in a crowd-based platform. Possibly the most interesting thing is
that some of the users chose to self-police the review to make sure that others were
maintaining the rules. Therefore, this reveals that not only did the workers have knowledge
about the rules but also point that they would self-police content in spite of having no clear
incentive. A deeply fruitless clarification of this kind of behavior is that some of the members
tend to take on additional responsibilities for no obvious reason. They are expected to be
driven by dedication to the organization and its goal through socio-ideological power or
possibly the type of conceptive control originated in self-management teams. Therefore, the
association of two unusual control mechanisms works collectively to manufacture a control
system that deject and eliminate certain kinds of assistance.9
Direct control is generally planned through an official hierarchical supervisor and
subordinate relationship where the supervisor has the legal authority to coach the workers on
what to do, to supervise their behavior, and punish and reward them as needed.10 This
explanation suggests that it is not to be expected that such straight command exist in crowd
sourcing. Positively, the scholars position that crowd sourcing imply that controlled input of
individuals, with no chain of command or bond related constraint organization by chain of
command does not take place. Other concepts of crowd sourcing and combined intelligence
stress that be deficient in of hierarchy is a situation of crowd sourcing and that crowd lack
straight administration.
The implications of Stuart Pritchard’s articles on practices of management work
suggest giving more focus on the relational aspect of the management of an organization.
9 Bidwell, Charles E., and Pamela A. Quiroz. "Organizational control in the high school workplace: A
theoretical argument." Journal of Research on Adolescence 1.3 (1991): 211-229.
10 Swain, Adam. "Governing the workplace: The workplace and regional development implications of
automotive foreign direct investment in Hungary." Regional Studies 32.7 (1998): 653-671.

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According to Stuart Pritchard, this becomes a challenge to the managers. I believe this is one
of the reasons behind the failure of proper management of any organization. According to my
opinion, Stuart Pritchard has vividly described the impact of complex as well as dynamic
human power. I believe this power of the organization’s power relationship can enable an
organization to bring drastic changes in its management. Being a manager of a reputed
organization, if I attempt to address the relational aspects offered by the human resources of
our company, the changes in the efforts of managing the human resources will be more
effective. Again the difference between ‘doing change to people’ and creation of the change
with the people will be vivid. I know that this process of managing the human resource will
be time consuming. This will also involve a lot of efforts as well as sincere devotion from my
end. Again, this will need the engagement of a broader perspectives, but I belive that, this
method may help my organization to remove all the obstacles that may come in the way of
changing its treatment to human resources. Following the theories of Stuart Pritchard, I can
comment that, as a manager if I want my subordinates to follow my instructions, I need to be
friendly with them. I need to encourage them to perform better. For this reason, I need to
arrange motivation programs, which will acknowledge the performance of the industrious
employees by giving them gifts, certificates as a token of appreciation.
After reading the articles of Stuart Pritchard, I can mention that my learning as a student will
include-importance of motivation in organizational management. I learnt that motivation
enhances the confidence of the employees. I come to know that motivation refers to the
techniques to boost the employees of an organization and transform their disappointment as
well as disagreement to do things into their positive attitude to take up challenges. All this
help the human resource manager of an organization to make the employees listen to him or
her without any compulsion. I have also learned the other ways through which the employees
can be managed. These involve- control, commitment, threat, compliance, insecurities,

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performance management, explicit reward mechanism, self-regulation as well as self-
motivation and so on. These articles have expanded my mind to different dimensions. These
articles have made me realize that the best way to manage employees of an organization is to
evoking positivity within them, by making them feel good. The articles of Stuart Pritchard,
have also educated me about the tricks of motivating employees, the tricks to bring changes
in the motivation program, the tricks to make them work hard without putting any pressure on
them. Hence, these articles, has helped me a lot, to inculcate all the necessary qualities
required for being a proficient human resource manager in future.
References
Bidwell, Charles E., and Pamela A. Quiroz. "Organizational control in the high school
workplace: A theoretical argument." Journal of Research on Adolescence 1.3 (1991): 211-
229.

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Carson, Kerry D., et al. "The effects of organization-based self-esteem on workplace
outcomes: An examination of emergency medical technicians." Public Personnel
Management 26.1 (1997): 139-155.
Coombs, Rod, David Knights, and Hugh C. Willmott. "Culture, control and competition;
towards a conceptual framework for the study of information technology in
organizations." Organization studies 13.1 (1992): 051-72.
Cottrill, Kenna, Patricia Denise Lopez, and Calvin C. Hoffman. "How authentic leadership
and inclusion benefit organizations." Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International
Journal 33.3 (2014): 275-292.
Hodgson, Damian E. "Project work: the legacy of bureaucratic control in the post-
bureaucratic organization." Organization11.1 (2004): 81-100.
Kanfer, Ruth. "Work motivation: New directions in theory and research." International
review of industrial and organizational psychology 7 (1992): 1-53.
Pierce, Jon L., and Donald G. Gardner. "Self-esteem within the work and organizational
context: A review of the organization-based self-esteem literature." Journal of
management 30.5 (2004): 591-622.
Sekerka, Leslie E., Richard P. Bagozzi, and Richard Charnigo. "Facing ethical challenges in
the workplace: Conceptualizing and measuring professional moral courage." Journal of
Business Ethics 89.4 (2009): 565.
Stone, Tyria A. Motivation and success strategies: A phenomenological study of African
American entrepreneurial business owners in Dayton, Ohio. Diss. Capella University, 2012.

9APPLIED CORPORATE STRATEGY
Swain, Adam. "Governing the workplace: The workplace and regional development
implications of automotive foreign direct investment in Hungary." Regional Studies 32.7
(1998): 653-671.