Organizational Behaviour & Work - Msc 11

Pre-Course Assignment "Employee Motivation"

1. Introduction
In Harvard Business Review, Nohria et al (2002) stated about A Powerful New Model of
Employee Motivation, to get people to do their optimum working attainment is one of
managers most difficult challenges. There are four drive which manage the organizational
success, they are the drive to acquire (obtain scarce goods, including intangibles such as
social status); bond (form connections with individuals and groups); comprehend (satisfy
our curiousity and master the world around us); and defend (protect against external
threats and promote justice). These drives underlie everything we do.

2. Summary
Nohria et al (2002) conclude that four-drive theory is a employee motivation theory that
is based on the innate drives to acquire, bond, learn, and defend and that combines
emotions and rationality.
1. The drive to acquire.
This is the drive to control and retain objects and personal experiences, it applies to
physical goods (clothing, housing, and money) and experiences (travel and
entertainment). Primary organizational lever to use is reward system such as
differentiate good performers and poor performer and tie rewards to performance.
2. The drive to bond
This is the drive to form social connections and develop mutual commitments with
society. Feel proud of belonging to the company will boost employees motivation.
Primary organizational lever to use is culture such as foster mutual reliance among
coworkers and value teamwork.
3. The drive to learn
This is the drive to satisfy our curiosity, to understand ourselves and the society.
Employees are motivated by tasks that challenge them and enable them to learn.
Primary organizational lever to use is job design such as design jobs that are useful for
coworkers and foster a form of contribution to the company.

Bobby Boris - 10202579

 Organizational Behaviour & Work - Msc 11
Pre-Course Assignment "Employee Motivation"

4. The drive to defend

This is the drive to protect ourselves, our family, our property, our beliefs against
external danger. It's about feeling of security, confidence, and people's resistance to
change. Primary organizational lever to use is performance-management and
resources-allocation processes such as enhance the transparency of all processes and
emphasize their fairness.

These four drives are thought to work relatively independently, and this independence has
both positive and negative consequences. On the one hand, the independence allows
individuals and groups more flexibility in behavioral repertoires, affording us the ability to
adapt in complex environments and situations and improving mental efficiency by simplifying
some categories of processes. (Harris, 2002)
Exhibit 1

Drive to Social Personal Past

Acquire Norms Values Experience

Drive to
Bond
Mental skill set resolves competing
drive demands Goal
Drive to
Learn

Drive to
Defend

(Lawrence & Nohria, 2002)

Nohria et al (2002) explain how drives convert into 'goal-directed' effort. Emotional
experiences do become conscious experiences when they are hefty (conflicting
emotions). Our mental skill set relies on social norms or rules, past work experience, and
personal values to aim our emotions to a form of useful goals (see exhibit 1). These
emotions actuate us to act and chooses pathway of action that are acceptable to society
and ourselves.

Bobby Boris - 10202579

 Organizational Behaviour & Work - Msc 11
Pre-Course Assignment "Employee Motivation"

3. Review and Evaluate

Four-drive theory stated that social norms, personal values, and past experience direct
our effort, but it doesn't offer any more further detail, rational logic to predict level and
persistence of motivation, and how to converts these drives into specific effort and
behavior like expectancy theory does. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010).

Many experts argue that other drives exist that should be included. Social norms,
personal values, and past experience don't totally represent the individual characteristics
that convert emotions into goal-directed exertion. Other elements of self-concept
beyond personal values, such as personality and social identity also contribute a
significant role in converting drives into needs and needs into decision and behavior.
(McShane & Von Glinow, 2010).

Disadvantages of focusing on the individual reward in a team environment include the

fostering of competition and a reduction in information sharing between team members.
It can also prove extremely challenging to divide out an individual's contribution within a
team environment (Zobal, 1999). This could lead to difficulty in gaining accurate
measurement of individual effort and might result in inaccurate assessments that could
de-motivate team members. The reward system should not have an individual
component to it.

Reward system should be reflective of the team nature of the whole process. While
qualitative measures are often designed to foster teamwork from a motivational
standpoint, the representatives from this survey felt that qualitative was too arbitrary
and dependent upon a manager's whim. Therefore, it is recommended that most of the
incentive reward for a team be structured around the quantitative aspect of revenue that
is team or territory based. Any incentive reward structure should take into account the
motivational aspect of the plan's outcome utility, informative content, and regulatory
mechanism (Stajkovic & Luthans, 2001).

Bobby Boris - 10202579

 Organizational Behaviour & Work - Msc 11
Pre-Course Assignment "Employee Motivation"

An organization that focuses the drive to acquire without the drive to bond may suffer
from organizational politics and dysfunctional behavior (those that detract from, rather
than contribute to organizational performance). Change in the workplace will aid the
drive to learn, but too much of it will effected the drive to defend to such an extent that
employees become resistant to change and territorial (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010).

Job Design, a primary lever in drive to comprehend, that aimed through job specialization
can undermine the motivational potential of jobs. Job specialization splits work into
separate job for different people. As work becomes specialized, it tends to become easier
to perform but less interesting. As jobs become more complex, work motivation increases
but the ability to master the job decreases. So, job specialization may decrease work
motivation, contribute to mental health problems, and lower service quality (McShane &
Von Glinow, 2010).

4. Conclusion

I agree with four-drive theory if it does explain further details, rational logic to predict
level and persistence of motivation, how to converts these drives into specific effort and
behavior, and specify its job design and reward system.

Bobby Boris - 10202579

 Organizational Behaviour & Work - Msc 11
Pre-Course Assignment "Employee Motivation"

Bibliography

McShane & Glinow, Von (2010) : Organizational Behavior, 5th edition, New York: McGraw-
Hill/Irwin, pp. 143

Stajovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (2001). Differential effects of incentive motivators on work
performance. Academy of Management Journal, 11, 580-591.

Zobal, C. (1999). The "ideal" team compensation system - an overview, part II. Team
Performance Management, 5, 23 - 36.

Keith S., Harris (2003): 'Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices', Human Nature
Review, Vol. 3, 265

Bobby Boris - 10202579