In search of self-actualised motivation
"In Search of Excellence" was made popular by Tom Peter more than 10 years ago. Ever since, a momentum was built up in the direction of Excellence resulting in proliferation of new management concepts, theories, models and tools, flooding the business community.
The pursuit of excellence is expressed in many different fashions, with the followings as characteristics:
Customers Satisfaction
During the old industrial era, mass production was No. 1 and only agenda until Japan, through their TQM effort, shifted the focus to "Customers Satisfaction". Hence the pursuit of Excellence focuses on Customer, which also resulted in many copycats in QCC, 5S, Kaizen, etc. In "Search of Excellence", somehow concentrates on new types of activities, participated mostly by shopfloor staff, (if there are participation). Excellence, then, equals, Shopfloor New Activities.
Management Models / System
Then came, management models and systems, the most popular being ISO 9000. The models become more and more sophisticated and elaborate : Benchmarking, ReEngineering, Learning Organisation etc. This is the merry-go-round time for management consultants. It becomes the management conviction that a real saviour was born : a full-proof management recipe to a successful organisation. Excellence, then, equals, a New Management Model or System.
Top Management Commitment - Leadership
The person with soul and intelligence to make things happened is not forgotten. Any management literature invariably points this person (s) to the CEO, or top management. Stories, slogan and rhetoric abound : "Top Management is committed, or Top Management Must be committed", and effective and quality leadership becomes the absolute ingredient in the whole spectrum of management recipe. Excellence equals Top Management commitment with quality leadership, implying a singular hero / captain to save or move the whole organisation. (Refer There is no Single Superman Leaderhip).
What is Missing?
In spite of the above we continue to hear the resounding bell of problems : no teamwork, no motivation, no serving attitudes, no appropriate organisation behaviour or culture. The management recipe (system and model) is there, with shopfloor participating in "customer satisfaction activities", and the knightly CEO with his white horse, leading, charging forward. What goes wrong? The tree pillars of Excellence become questionable foundations. Each pillar is then being refined, modified, supposedly improved, but still to no avail.
Motivation Perspectives
Human Resource personnel or consultant has an answer. The problem is in motivation. Organisation members are not motivated enough to do and contribute their very best. New and innovative management recipe is devised to tackle motivation problem. Examination of types and approaches in motivation program reveals the followings :
a) Material and / or monetary incentives
This is the most common approach, (in a way, very damaging also, motivation is greatly mixed up with incentives. Separate discussion will deal on this un-intended negative consequences). Such as: higher salary, bonus, employee share options, benefits, allowances, gifts, prizes, holiday package etc. There is no doubt a serious limitation, when reached, becomes another backfired problem.
b) Hierarchical Status
This is commonly called promotion. Again this has serious limitation also due to limited positions in an organisation. Theoretically, this type of motivation will bring the person towards Self - Actualisation with respect to CEO, or President where there is practically no higher position to aspire for. If that is true, it is not so for the lower management group, as they are motivated more towards the next higher position, and less towards self-actualisation. For the rest of the organisation population, majority is pragmatic enough not to have too much wishful thinking in continuous promotion ladder.
c) Management Talk
Next common technique used is using Management Talk to motivate staff. A lot of logic and theories are used. But most people have observed and experienced how hollow and meaningless these can be. Even "Walk the Talk" by some management members can't inspire too many in a large organisation. In many cases the "Management Talk" does not tally with the Principles and Discipline required for the Customer Satisfaction activities, nor the Management Model / System, installed by in-house or external consultants. This could lead to "Walk the Wrong Talk" as perceived by the entire organisation. (Refer Where are the Practising Fields in Organisation? , and Organisation Blueprint . )
Where is Self-Actualised Motivation?
The ultimate Maslow's law of hierarchical need : Self - Actualisation of members at various levels is really the secret that can produce lasting and profound change to people and organisation. But the emphasis and reliance of the conventional motivation approaches on a) Material and / or monetary incentives b) Hierarchical Status c) Management Talk have not only not acting as a step towards Self - Actualisation for most people, more often than not, they are counter-productive to self-actualisation goal.
Personal Coach and Organisation Coach
The core or nucleus of Self-Actualisation is SELF. It is a domain which is very private, very personal, very delicate and very defensively protected. It cannot be easily penetrated by a) Material and / or monetary incentives b) Hierarchical Status c) Management Talk. As far as external parties are concerned, the domain of SELF could be influenced, not ordered; inspired, not directed. And as far as materials and / or monetary incentives and hierarchical status are concerned, it can be tempted but not necessary committed full heartedly.
When the core or nucleus of individual SELF is so alienated, hidden or buried in black hole, it is mere shadow play in the scenes of above mentioned #Customers Satisfaction, #Management Models / System, and #Top Management Commitment - leadership.
The exploration of Self-Actualisation could be made possible by coaching process. It involves a Coach and the other person being coached. Hence the concept of Personal Coach. It is a relationship that is very personal. Such relationship should be free from organisation interference or intervension. The main difference between the coach and the recipient is that the coach has extra competence and skills in coaching, with a larger personal vision than the other. Both persons are in search of Self - Actualisation. In this sense the coach need not be more superior, and heroic but a deeply humble person with great appetite to learn more about life and being. A model coach, of historical significance is Gandhi, a person who was not motivated by material gains, status and conventional power. And Dr. Deming. (Refer: Personal Coach and Organisation Coach,). Where are Who are these Personal Coach, little Gandhi or Deming, in an organisation?
End.
| Inspired to read some more books? Buy from Amazon .... | Want to search for title, author, or random search starting from a concept ..? |
By Andrew Wong, 14th Feb. 1998
COPYRIGHT @ 1998
Go to
