WHY PEOPLE WORK

Early management thinkers were keen on discovering the main sources of

motivating work, which finally proved to be two: one was the job as an end in
itself and the other was the end towards which the means provided by the job
were directed.
The satisfaction offered by a job was, according to them, either intrinsic or
extrinsic:
a Intrinsic satisfaction - implies deriving the satisfaction of your needs, and
therefore your motivation, from the work itself. A considerable amount of
behavioural research has been devoted to this particular concept. Abraham
Maslow was one of the theorizers sustaining this point of view. He imagined a
pyramid of needs and supported the idea that while an urge or need remains
unsatisfied, it acts as a motivator, but once it has been satisfied, it ceases to
motivate and the next higher need in the pyramid comes into play. The needs
described by Maslow look as follows:
Physiological needs (food, water, the essentials of life)
Safety needs (an environment free from threat)
Social needs (belonging to a group, acceptance by others)
Esteem needs, self respect
Self actualization needs.
b) Extrinsic satisfaction - implies deriving the satisfaction of needs using work
as a means to an end. Work provides us with money and money enables us to
obtain satisfaction. Therefore money, not the intrinsic satisfaction of the job, is
the main motivator considered by this school of thought, also known as
instrumental. (Whose main representative is F.W. Taylor.)
However, people are not always motivated by the same needs. Moreover, at
different stages in their careers, different needs become paramount. Recent
research is now looking at the process of motivation itself and is stressing the
importance of the individual's own assessment of and influence over the
situation.