Posts: 755
Threads: 467
Joined: Oct 2010
How can a leader coordinate positive and negative motivation?
Posts: 755
Threads: 467
Joined: Oct 2010
Motivation is concerned with inspiring the man to work to get the best results motivation may be of two types :
(i) Positive (ii) Negative
(i) Positive Motivation—In real sense, motivation means positive motivation. Positive motivation makes the people induced to do work in the best possible manner and to improve their performance. Under this better facilities and rewards are provided for their better performance. Such rewards and facilities may be financial and non-financial. Financial motivation may include different incentives, wage plans, productive bonus schemes etc. Non-financial motivation includes promotion, praise for the work, participation in management, social recognition etc. Monetary incentives provide the worker a belter standard of life while non-financial motivation satisfies the "ego" of the man. Positive motivation seeks to create a brighter, more cheerful and optimistic atmosphere in the enterprise.
(ii) Negative Motivation-Negative motivation aims at controlling the negative efforts of the work and seeks to create a sense of fear for the worker where he has to suffer for lack of good performance. It is based on the concept that if the man fails in achieving the desired results, he should be punished. Punishments, fear of loss of job, reprimands etc. are usually taken to direct the man in the desired direction. Thus a man works in fear and tend to produce enough to get safety. Negative motivation may be monetary or nonmonetary wages may be cut in case he produces below the standard fixed. The non-monetary negative motivation may include reprimands, cut in facilities and greater control on the activities.
Both positive and negative motivation aim at inspiring the will of the people to work but they differ in their approaches. Whereas one approaches the people to work in the best possible manner providing better monetary and non-monetary incentives, the other tries to induce the man by cutting their wages and other facilities and amenities on the belief that man works out of the fear. Positive approach has no place for punishment whereas the negative approach does not provide for rewards. In this sense both arc opposed to each other and may be regarded as two ends of a rod.
How can a leader co-ordinate both +ve and -ve motivation
We have discussed above the two approaches of motivation—positive and negative—quite opposed to each other. Both are extreme approaches and should be reconciled by the management. It may be in the interest of the organisation not to support any of the two methods in full. Motivation is the psychological aspect of human behaviour and relates to the attitude and self-actualization of the man. As the nature of man differs from one another and therefore, they all cannot be motivated by the same methods of motivation. A successful leader must be cautious enough in implementing the policies regarding motivation. He should, on the one hand, provide for rewards for the better performance of work and make, on the other hand, sufficient penal provisions to control the negative approach of the aspect. If people do not work, they must be penalised, with a view to improve their behaviour toward the attainment of the organisation objectives. If the organisation does not include penal provision in its motivational policies, the people who fall reach the fixed standards will try to minimise their efforts to the lowest level possible to the extent which guarantees the security of jobs because they know that they will lose nothing, if they do not work, although they may get more, if work hard. On the other hand, if the organisation supports the penal provisions only without any positive approach, the people will not work beyond the standard fixed for the purpose because they will get no more and in this way organisation will lose something. Thus the manager a leader—should not only induce the people through rewards but must take the other view to promote a sense of loyalty and discipline in them by controlling their anti-organisation activities. In other words, he must support both positive and the negative approaches, at different times, in different context and for different persons taking in view the overall behaviour of the person. But care must be taken that all people should be given equal treatment in similar circumstances.
