Pay is NOT a motivator!

According to Herzberg's Two-Factor theory of job satisfaction there are hygiene factors and motivator factors. Hygiene factors are things an employee needs NOT to be dissatisfied with their job. These HF include pay and benefits, job security and status. The motivation factors are something different. They are growth, promotion, the job itself, recognition, and achievement. Don't confuse the two when you are trying to motivate your employees! Giving them a raise won't do it. Now, if the pay and benefits they currently receive are not meeting their basic needs then they will be dissatisfied and start looking for another job!

Opportunities

Well, the economy is very volatile right now and conditions don't look very good for the next few quarters. However, I'm going to spend the next year looking at some ways to diversify your income stream, reduce your cost of living, and prepare yourself for future growth and opportunities. Stay tuned and hopeful! I suggest you start with a good book like, Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion by Robert Caildini. Easy to read and scientifically sound this book is full of power. God Bless.

The Seven Practices Of Sucessful Organizations by Jeffery Pfeffer

I think these practices are of critical importance to us as employee's, students, and leaders of organizations. This is an overview of the seven principals in Pfeffer's excellent article so I can memorize them and firmly embed the concepts into my memory and lexicon. Here are the seven principles:

1. Employment security

2. Selective hiring of new personnel

3. Self-managed teams and decentralization of decision making as the basic principles of organizational design

4. Comparatively high compensation contingent on organizational performance

5. Extensive training

6. Reduced status distinctions and barriers, including dress, language, office arrangements, and wage differences across levels

7. Extensive sharing of financial and performance information throughout the organization

R educed status distinctions and barriers, including dress, language, office arrangements, and wage differences across levels
E mployment security
C omparatively high compensation contingent on organizational performance
E xtensive trainingS elective hiring of new personnel
S elf-managed teams and decentralization of decision making as the basic principles of organizational design
E xtensive sharing of financial and performance information throughout the organization


I made up an acronym to help remember them; RECESSE, pronounced "recess". I think most organizations practice some of these, but very few all, which is unfortunate because they all need to be implemented to work together.