How to Motivate Employees without Using a “Carrot and Stick”
By Jennifer Smolzer, MBA Candidate
Elmhurst College
The success of a business is largely dependent upon the ability of mangers to motivate workers to achieve the highest results. The oldest technique used to motivate others is known today as the Carrot and Stick method. The name evolved from the stubbornness of donkeys that could only be moved by taunting them with a carrot. Early managers regularly offered economic "carrots" to entice people to work harder. This theory believes that money always motivated a person to work harder. Studies have found that pay will lead to greater performance provided certain conditions exist. The first is that the person must place a high value on pay. The second is that the person must expect that pay and performance are related, meaning if they work harder they will get pay raises. In general, money is a proven motivator in most cases, but is certainly not the only motivator. The question then becomes, what other ways can individuals be motivated without money being a factor. To further explain this we must first determine what makes a person “tick”, this can be better evaluated by looking into Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
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