UGANDA MARTYRS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Organisational Behaviour

Individual Assignment

With Supporting References Discuss Whether Money Is a Motivator

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements of Masters of Information Systems (PT), Year of Study II Uganda Martyrs University

For Bwegyeme Jacinta

By

Mwase Maria 2010 M132 20021

8th June, 2012

WITH SUPPORTING REFERENCES, DISCUSS WHETHER MONEY IS A MOTIVATOR Motivation is considered to be the reason or driving force behind someones actions or behaviour according to Oxford (2011); while money is an acceptable means of payment for goods provided or services rendered. According to Bennett (1997), F.W. Taylor argued that managers and employers see money offered inform of high wages is a primary motivator or reward for employee effort. As a dominant motivator, money has the ability to purchase a wide variety of goods and services; it indicates occupational competence; while offering a yardstick for evaluating individual success and providing a simple way to reward workers However theorists such as Hawthorne indicate that people have other needs especially those related to personal relationships. So while money is still important it is by no means the overriding one, Cole (1996). Writers like Herzberg, do not see money as the sole motivator of employees, he identified group and social pressures as some of the factors that are known to influence workplace behaviour; stating that many people who already possess far more money than they objectively need still work extremely hard. Also, the concept of a high wage is itself subjectively determined. A certain wage may be seen as excellent b y one person but average or poor by others, Bennett (1997). Furthermore, Cole (1996) offers strong evidence from the work of social scientists such as Herzberg and Likert, stating that people seek self-actualisation at work with hopes of realising their full potential. This implies that people seek more than financial returns from work; they are looking for opportunities to exercise responsibility, obtain a sense of achievement and develop new ways of doing things. Whats more, according to Writefix (2012), money trivialises work. Employees should view reaping the end results of their efforts as the reward; as such money can be seen as making light of work done particularly if the amount offered does not tally with the effort or work the employee has put in. In conclusion, although money is considered to be an important motivating factor to some employees, to a greater extent it is not the dominant motivator. Especially with recent studies having identified several other motivators that influence behaviour more effectively than money; ranging from need for status, selfactualization to a host of other group and social influences.

REFERENCES Bennett, R. 1997. Framework: Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Press. 3rd Edition, ISBN 0273634089 Cole, G.A., 1996. Management Theory and Practice. Continuum Books: London. 5th Edition, ISBN 0826453910 Oxford Dictionary, 2011. Oxford Dictionaries. [Online] Available at: http://oxforddictionaries.com/ [Accessed 24 May 2012] Writefix. 2012. Ideas: Money as a Motivator. [Online] Available at: http://writefix.com/?page_id=1799 [Accessed 24 May 2012]