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Money Motivates People

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Submitted By 1Canadien1
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In attempting to examine the positions of whether money motivates or money does not motivate employees I will be examining both viewpoints and then providing my own personal observation and opinion of the topic at hand. When I think of the subject and the importance of “Money” in a working environment I am reminded of the scene in the movie Jerry McGuire where actor Cuba Gooding Jr. who plays “Rod Tidwell” a professional football player is on the phone with his sports agent Jerry McGuire played by Tom Cruise and Rod is looking for a new professional contract. McGuire asks Rod
“What can I do for you Rod, what can I do for you?” and Rod tell him it’s “a personal and very important thing, are you ready?” McGuire says “I’m ready”. Rod says “Here it is” and tells McGuire to “Show Me The Money”, “Show Me The Money Jerry” and starts dancing in his kitchen. He then spells out the word M O N E Y and has Jerry screaming the phrase “Show Me the Money” back to him with passion like he really means it over the phone. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaiSHcHM0PA). Now this may be a simplistic way of illustrating how money can be important to some individuals but it nonetheless shows that for some individuals it can be the only thing.
Let us briefly examine that point of view first.

Money Motivates

There is no question that money motivates people. We are all looking to be paid a fair wage in whatever working profession that we are earning a living and according to studies money is a motivator in getting people to work towards a goal be it personal or for an employer that has that ultimate payoff at the end that can be either a better wage, a bonus or some other type of monetary incentive. According to Ian Larkin a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School, “Money is highly motivational for people.” (Nadia Goodman/November 26, 2012, business blogger). Others like writer A.W. Berry (a financial writer for Helium’s Inc.) believes that no one does things simply for recognition purposes. He believes that anyone who seeks other things besides a monetary reward like other aspects tied to recognition, self-fulfillment and other secondary non-monetary factors are in the minority. His views rally around the argument that we live in a capitalist society where the culture of the individualism is one where social recognition plays second fiddle to one’s own personal achievement of a financial reward. He believes that, “money is the primary motivator behind employment and is more appreciated than recognition in the workplace”. Others believe that when it comes to motivating employees that money is far more persuasive than just about anything else in the workplace.

Money does not Motivate

According to Cynthia K.S. Reed, Ph.D. with the National Business Research Institute (nbrii.com) there is a Ying and Yang approach when trying to explain and verify the effects of money as a motivator. Her answer is “Yes…and No”. She states that research studies sometimes have conflicting results and the reason behind it all is the basic and simple fact known as human behaviour. She states that, “Money is a crucial incentive to work motivation. It is a medium of exchange and the means by which employees can purchase things to satisfy their needs and desires. It also serves as a scorecard by which employees assess the value that the organization places on their services. Employees can also compare their value to others based on their pay and the money has a symbolic value”. However, Ms. Reed goes on to explain that the relationship between money and motivation is not a simple one but rather a complex one where monetary rewards do not satisfy all workers. She references research done by psychologists Ed Eiener, Martin Seligman and Daniel Kahneman that show that “after people have the basic necessities of life, having more money does not increase happiness much at all”. She believes that money can be a motivator but it cannot meet all the necessary conditions to be used as such in a working environment. Ilya Pozin (writer, entrepreneur and investor, (www.ilyapozin.com) believes that there are nine things that motivate employees more than money. He says “Don’t show’em the money, (even if you have it). He lists the following: (1) be generous with praise. (2) Get rid of the managers (3) make your ideas their ideas (4) never criticize or correct. (5) Make everyone a leader. (6) Take an employee to lunch once a week (7) gives recognition and small rewards. (8) Throw company parties and (9) share the rewards and the pain – be honest and transparent. These are some interesting points and while I agree with some of them I do not agree with all of them. Others like (www.helium.com/users/227986/show_articles) Mona Lisa Safai; (writer for Helium) believes that recognizing individuals for their efforts is the ultimate reward because you are building up their character that will carry them throughout their careers. There are so many articles and opinions out there that support with one side or the other in reference to money as a motivator or not. One that I found rather enjoyable was the RSA video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y64ms-htffE) by Dan Pink author of “A Whole New Mind, which has changed the way we view the modern workplace.” (http://www.ted.com/speakers/daniel_pink.html). Mr. Pink believes that money is only a motivator up to a certain point and only when dealing with rudimentary physical tasks. He claims that it has been proven time and time again that money only motivates up to a certain point and only with certain jobs. He believes that once you get past that rudimentary point then monetary rewards just don’t work anymore and people (workers) stop responding to money as a motivator. People are looking for more than just money at work after the monetary part is no longer a factor. He asks in the video, “What gets people up in the morning to go to work? He argues that it is having a purpose and being self-directed. That according to Daniel Pink is the great motivating factor!

My Personal View

I have had several employment positions where this very same issue of money being a motivator surfaced. As all workers we want to be paid at a fair going rate. At a rate that is commensurate with the job and within the scope of the organization. I had a mid-level manager’s position and I was compensated at a fair rate. I was well within the norm of what my provincial counterparts were making monetarily. Even though I was making a bit less and was responsible for a bit more work, I had some other benefits (flexible hours, time off, self-directed) which compensated for that particular issue. Then senior management wanted to promote me to a Corporate Management position, and I accepted. They were extremely pleased with my work and work ethic and trusted me to tackle the important projects. I enjoyed the work that I was doing and my working environment. With my new title and responsibilities I was expecting an increase in pay with the new portfolio. They informed me that a review of my salary would be going before the Board and that they would be getting back to me shortly. In the meantime they continued to pay me at my current salary. I was fine with that, knowing that it would shortly change. During monthly meetings I sat around the round table with all other senior management (there were six of us in total) and discussed and reviewed the operational aspects of the institution. A year then passes and there was still no monetary increase for the position. I waited patiently and then approached them again and was informed that the new position paid the same as my old position. That was unacceptable to me. They informed me that I could appeal the decision. So I did. Unfortunately it went before the very same people who had made the first decision and my appeal was rejected. My monetary issue then suddenly became front and center. The issue was that they promoted me, had me responsible for a tremendous amount of work, were satisfied with my work, but refused to compensate me accordingly. It became a difficult situation where it now became a matter of principle to continue with the organization. Money became a motivating factor. If they would have paid me accordingly then the issue of compensation would have been off the table and it would not have been a concern at all. I believe that if you pay someone accordingly then money is not a motivator. Then other things become a motivating factor (working environment, flexibility, self-direction, time off). Money is a motivator if it is made a motivating factor within the scope of your job and your organization. If that issue is satisfied then other job aspects become the reason and purpose of why you go to work.

References

Jerry McGuire, 1996, Gracie Films and Tri-Star Pictures.
Nadia Goodman, (November 26, 2012, business blogger).
A.W. Berry - financial writer for Helium’s Inc.
Cynthia K.S. Reed, Ph.D. with the National Business Research Institute (nbrii.com)
Ilya Pozin, (writer, entrepreneur and investor, (www.ilyapozin.com).
Mona Lisa Safai, (writer for Helium Inc.).
Dan Pink author of “A Whole New Mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y64ms-htffE

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