Does Money Motivate People - Essay Example

? Does Money Motivate People? Introductions Money has been a means rewarding workers for a very long time. There are many other incentives given to workers, such as free gifts, promotions and holiday leaves. Among those offered, money is considered to be the most important, because everything that a man needs for survival has the value of money attached to it. This includes all the basic needs for human survival. Food, shelter and clothing all have money value attached to them. It is with this regard that many organizations consider that money is the most important motivator to their employees. This has been explained in details by sociologists, like Philip Slater. The question if money matters has been posed by many people. Many reputable scientists have argued that it actually depends on which society one is referring to. In other words, which historical period one is talking about. They refer to how people used to live some time ago. During the Stone Age period, there was no money. People used to exchange goods as a means of trade. This means that workers were paid by being given goods, such as food, jewelry and pieces of cloth to wear. They, thus, argue that there was no money and yet workers were motivated. Money is, thus, not considered a motivator by scientists, because even presently such agreements do exist. In some cases, they have referred to the African traditional way of paying bride price. Dowry is paid in form of domestic animals and not money (Blass, 2009). Wealth can be measured in many ways and the amount of money one has is one them. Every person does his best to gain wealth, but people perceive wealth differently. Some people regard material wealth more highly than money. These are the people who might not consider money as a motivator. Just like the traditional African society, some people in the modern would still prefer material wealth as a motivator rather than money. There are cases where employers have bought houses and vehicles for their employees as a means of appreciating their good work. The employees have ended up working even harder, because they have been motivated by goods. In other different cases motivation can be something much different from money. When a student is praised for doing well, that’s enough motivation and can make him to perform even better. Thus, money can be a motivator to some people , but not everyone. Does Money Motivate? Employers pay their employees money as a major means of motivation. This is the most common means compared to others and reminds one about Shaw and Gruptas article. It stated with the idea that everybody wanted money was just propaganda. It went on to say that it was circulated by wealth addicts who wanted to feel better about themselves. Other means used in organization to motivate employees include praises, promotions and giving employee’s gifts and presents. In the present world, people need money to carry their day to day activities (Collins and Moore, 1970). It is for this reason that Trade Unions are fighting tirelessly for workers to be paid a good salary. They fight for pay rise and good working conditions. Few organizations provide their employees with food at their work places. It is for this reason that employees must be paid well, so that they could buy food, because they cannot work on an empty stomach. The employees may also have other dependants, like families and friends. This implies that even if they are given enough food at work, it is not convincing for them not to be paid. Money is also used by employees to meet other basic needs that they may have. They need clothing to wear. Studies show that employees spend a large amount of their income to buy clothing in order to look smart. Other firms provide uniforms to their employees which they wear during working hours. Generally, they are supposed to be presentable in their places of work, thus, they need money to buy clothing. Shelter is another basic need that employees should have. They should, therefore, be paid money that will enable them to rent or buy their own houses. This adds motivation at work place, because employees will work well if they could not afford housing. Servant quarters are provided by some organizations to employees who want to live near the company. Skinnerian’s definition of motivation is classified into two. He was renowned sociologist who distinguished them between intrinsic and extrinsic. He defines intrinsic motivation as whereby the task is qualified as appealing (Cooper, 2000). It should be appealing in a way that the employees should feel motivated when they are given the gift. He goes on to give examples of what he thinks the best motivation for such employees is. He gives an example of an employee who urgently needs a house. Such an employee will be highly motivated if he is given a house as a gift other than giving him something else. He ends his statement by suggesting that employees should be given a chance to choose what will motivate them. If this is implemented, then the organization should give limits, because some employee’s could be so extravagant. Extrinsic motivation is whereby the organization gives motivation in a manner which is conditional. This means that an employee is given something to motivate him, but is also given certain targets to meet. In this case, the promise given or the gift given can be withdrawn if the target is not met. He has given examples of such cases. An employee is given a house to live in on condition that if he meets a given target the house will be his. Skinnerian in his article does not support extrinsic motivation. He gives possibilities of some employees blackmailing their employees by setting unachievable targets. Research conducted showed that most employees would prefer intrinsic kind of motivation compared to extrinsic. It also showed that many companies use intrinsic kind of motivation in their policies. What Does Money Mean To Motivation? Numerous studies have shown that when employees are asked what is most important to them, money has been ranked as the most important. Other factors, like good working conditions, type of work to be done and of type of administration, come later. This implies that with good payment, many employees are willing to work under any given conditions. It, thus, gives us the reason to question, why, generally, many people can even risk their entire lives for the sake of money. This relates to the study of human nature which states that human desires cannot be satisfied. Some employees have been known to work even on holidays so that they could earn more. Others don’t even take a leave just to work for money. Managers who have been asked what their employees prefer most have also ranked money as the most important motivator. This assumption has, however, led to many employees being mistreated at their place of work. Some managers take this advantage to sexually harass their juniors Such cases are more witnessed at the time workers are being recruited. Employees who are promised a lot of money to the extent of bribing the managers to get the position they want. It can be noted from this that money is a source of all evils. Unqualified people are employed through bribery. This may make the company not perform at certain points, because the employees are incompetent. Some employees are victims of sexual harassment just because they have been promised money by the managers. This proves the relevancy of the study which showed that many marriages were being broken because of sexual relationships at work places. It was also noted that HIV and AIDS spread through the same means (Drucker, 1985). The question of how to note when employees are motivated or not has been posed by many scholars. There are many signs of employees who are not motivated. Underperformance and low morale are the most common of the signs. One of the reasons for underperformance is when one is not given the right job to do. As Frederick Herzberg (year) puts it “people should be given good job to do if the manager expects the job to be done well” (page). Employees should, therefore, be employed in places where they are professionals. He gives an example of a person who is a marketer by profession being employed as an accountant. Some employees get demotivated because of personal issues. These include family and relationship complications that one may be facing. In such cases, the employees should be given some time off to compose themselves. This is because the chances of making mistakes are very high when one is in such condition. Highly motivated employees produce maximum output. They work very hard and tirelessly. Such employees are always in their best moods, they great each other and at least smile. Psychologists believe that employees have a basic need to feel appreciated. It is, therefore, important to appreciate what employees do and to put them in the right mood. Psychologists have also stated that most employees hate managers who shout at them. Good leadership skills are, therefore, very important in motivating employees. Managers should be democratic as good leaders. This will motivate the workers, because democracy means employee participation in decision making. This will make the employees to feel a part of organization, which enhances their morale at work. To improve this relationship, the office of the manager should be free at all times to all employees who want to air there views. Managers should also not victimize employees for their views, even if they are against policies of the company (Gatner and Shaver, 1994). There are also other ways of motivating employees apart from giving them money. Many organizations give promotion to their employees as a way of motivating them. Several factors are considered while giving promotions. The most common factor considered is the number of years one has worked with the organization. Others are based on performance and discipline of the employee at work. Improving working conditions is another way of motivating employees. This includes reducing hours of work and making the rules and regulations bearable. Employers can also motivate their workers by making working environment better. They can do this by purchasing new machines and by installing new technologies in their firms. When the machines are efficient and fast, employees will enjoy working on them. This is a motivation factor, because the output is increased which makes the employee more happy. Organizations can also give their employees some time off to relax their minds. This includes weekend offs and leaves. They should also be given some time off during public holidays (Kiezner, 2010). This will motivate the employees, because they get some time to spend with their families. It also gives the employees time to do their personal duties. Workers who go on duty on such holidays should also be paid bonus as onetime. This is a good motivation as the bonus is normally double the normal pay. Giving praises and commending employees for a well done work is also a motivation. This will encourage them to work even harder and better. It is human nature to feel motivated if they feel they are appreciated. What Does Money Mean in Life? Money brings the hope and satisfaction that one is in a position to have a roof to shelter his or her head, the capability of one to stay warm and the confidence of having the next meal on the table. Having a home means that one has to incur costs every minute and to do so one has to have money. The cost of maintaining a home is a part of everyone’s life and that is not going to change in any time in future. When people go shopping, money motivates them to try and save through buying the best commodities using the little money we can. There exist many luxuries sold for a big price which promise people the ease and comfort of satisfying the day today responsibilities. For one to make life easier, the ordinary man is always motivated to spare the little money and let go the luxuries in their life. The idea to have cash kept away for future tasks, such as retirement, motivates people to have savings and make investments. It is the nature of man to expect money to earn more money, while they sit and do nothing about that. People do invest because they are motivated to have more money, it is not safe because of the current recession in every part of the world, but people take risks with the hope of gaining better returns. Some people believe that having liquid cash with them is a risk, thus, they are motivated to invest as a way of saving it. Most people during their lives as workers are motivated to open saving accounts so as to ensure that they have financial security in future. Thus, the need of having money in future motivates people to engage in many income oriented activities in an effort to achieve current and future financial security. There is no individual who wishes to have fixed income everyday that would force them to cut down the daily needs and pleasures due to the absence of enough money. The cost incurred to meet the basic needs in life, such as education, motivates people to spare money to meet the children fees in future. Money always motivates people to make the most of the available resources, including the money they have. No matter how comfortable most people may get, they never get satisfied of what they have, they are always motivated with the pleasures they earn out of having money to work even harder to earn more money so that they could continue enjoying the pleasure and get even more. Money motivates people to make future plans and meet the never ending efforts to have better budgets in future. It is the demand of money to satisfy almost everything that motivates people to engage in different activities. The deepest desires of a person are normally brought to the surface by money. It motivates every individual as it is a means of bringing their dreams to fulfillment. Money always inspires people to try to move to the next possible level that comes on their way (Kobia and Sikalieh, 2010). As money can be considered to be a blessing to many, it is also a curse to some people. Just the way it brings success to some people, it results in a great failure to others. It inspires people from different backgrounds and race to engage in both, bad and good things. It has proved to be one of the most basic needs in the life of people and due to this position it has come out as being a cause of controversy. Money is a product that is tangible and brings out the worst and the best in people from different spheres of life. Both, women and men, are in love with money so much that they can do or sacrifice anything to gain it. This can go to the extent of hurting or killing others. Money is a desirable product when it is put in proper use. However, when an individual’s desire to gain the money supercedes every other important thing, it ends up being dangerous. Money should be considered as a consequent of a positive action. It has to be regarded as a bonus in life of people. People can engage in any type of work if they are not specialized in that filed or even if they don’t like it just to gain money. When one has money, he or she can have most of things done in life. This motivates every person to work even harder so as to assume such position. Money makes life smoother, but this should not compromise the morality of an individual. Some people are willing to go to the extent of selling their souls for the sake of money. Money Motivates People to Gain Wealth Everyone wants good health, wealth and happiness in abundance. Money is the basic motivator for people to have good health, wealth and happiness. Though money cannot buy happiness, it meets the material needs that are responsible for making people happy. Money is the only means of purchasing anything an individual believes will be a source of happiness. Peoples’ desires to have material things, like homes, cars and boats, are basically motivated by cash. People strive to have bank accounts that are large and engage in whatever it will take them to gain more money rewards in their business or at work. Individuals who seek money by the desire of pursuing their passion are motivated to make more money to ensure that their desires come to pass. The passion of being whatever one wants motivates them to work harder than usual in order to have the desires come to pass. This does not mean the person is motivated by greed, rather the passion to meet his or her desire. It can be argued that money is the root of evil as it is believed by many, because it is through money that people gain the basic needs in life like shelter, medicine, clothes and insurance. These are not evil things but necessities. The current lifestyle demands that most of the things people need to have were purchased with some currency. With the demands of the necessities in most people’s lives, they have to be motivated to earn the money so that they could access the basic needs in life. The love people have for money is what motivates them as that is their source of happiness. The motivation to have more money can be considered to be a secondary motivation to the primary needs of having other things, like food, clothes and decent homes. Money in life means that an individual has the means of accessing the services and goods that are necessary in achieving their goals. Money also steps in as a pay for the items that are necessary in meeting personal basic needs. Every person is motivated to have more income so as to turn their dreams to reality. Motivation and money are related inversely, thus, one cannot do without the other (Mintzberg, 2000). How Money Motivates Employees The performances and motivation are complex issues in any life context and are affected by a number of factors. The role money plays in motivation cannot efficiently take the place of the role of management in ensuring that the employees meet the organization’s performance expectations. Other people believe that money cannot step in to motivate employees and that is true regarding some employees, but the truth is that a large percentage of employees in most of the work places are motivated by their income. Statistics carried out on the same issue show that employees are motivated by money; many to a degree that can be said to be moderate, while the most fall under the great degree. Money does not necessarily change the behavior of the employees at the work place in relation to motivation, but directs their behavior to tending towards being motivated. Jobs that fetch more money, compared to the others, attract more applicants and more qualified personnel. Pay rises are also seen to motivate the employees to work harder as compared to workers who have been receiving the same amount of salary for a long period of time. Employees tend to perform better on overtimes as they earn them extra cash to the basic salary. Workers are also seen to be active on activities such as work field trips and meetings which earn them allowances. Thus, the employees tend to be motivated by the extra activities they do in the work places that earn them extra money (Conklin, 2000). Conclusion Thus, the paper confirms that money can be a motivator to some people, but not to everyone. Money can arguably be considered as one of the basic needs in life. It is through money that people gain access to the basic needs and even the luxuries. It is the desire of life satisfaction that motivates people to work to have more money, as the more money a person has the more satisfaction comes their way. Thus, money motivates most of the activities done by many people, as it determines what an individual has or what he or she cannot access. However, such motivation should be in such a way that it made an individual’s morality better; still, in some cases, people are motivated to engage in evil activities in an effort to gain money, thus, supporting the saying that money is the source of evil. References Blass, R. (2009). Tough Love: How Communal Schemas and Contracting Practices Build Relational Capital in Entrepreneurial Teams. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 34, No. 3, 533-551 Collins, O & Moore, G. (1970). The Organization Makers. A Behavioral Study Independent Entrepreneurs. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Conklin, J. (2000). Problems and Social Complexity. Retrieved from http://www.cognexus.org Cooper, C. (2000). Technical Entrepreneurship: What do we Know? R & D Management. Vol 9, Iss. 2, 354-359 Drucker, T. (1985). Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Oxford and Burlington: Elsevier Gatner, W. & Shaver, K. et al. (1994). Finding the Entrepreneur from Organizational Behavior. 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