有意义的工作激励理论的动机外文翻译.docx

1、有意义的工作激励理论的动机外文翻译有意义的工作激励理论的动机外文翻译 外 文 翻 译原文:Meaningful Motivation for Work Motivation Theory The July 2004 AMR Special Topic Forum on the Future of Work Motivation Theory opens up new research directions to help us understand what motivates wor- kers to work, but it says comparatively little about

2、why we should motivate workers to work. That is, what is the motivation for work motivation theory? Perhaps the lack of emphasis on this question results from a perception that the answer is quite obvious: we need to motivate workers in order to boost productivity. Indeed, the special issue editors?

3、Steers, Mowday, and Shapiro 2004?briefly address the question as a des- cryiptive matter. They suggest that the motivation for managers to answer it is to enhance individual and group performance, while the motivation for researchers is to support theories of effective management. The lack of attent

4、ion to the question as a normative matter, however, is remarkable, especially since the guest editors make a direct connection between early developments in motivation theory and the history of philosophical and psychological ethics. The ethics of work motivation theory are important because motivat

5、ional efforts can exert control over individual moral autonomy. Among other things, motivation usually involves the manipulation of values that motivate individuals to work for organizational ends. In other words, factors that individual workers regard as valuable need to be channeled or redirected

6、to augment organizational productivity Manipulation of values does not necessarily mean subverting or disregarding moral autonomy; to the contrary, one common theme in work motivation theory is that effective motivational strategies often seek to satiate workers in order to support their productivit

7、y. For example, Fried and Slowik 2004 discuss the role of time in goal-setting theory, supporting the conception that workers individual goals are relevant motivational values but also showing that subjective time considerations may influence the power and prioritization of goals. Similarly, Kanfer

8、and Ackerman 2004 argue that the effectiveness of motivational strategies would benefit from accounting for workers age-related changes. Among other things, these examples imply that effective work motivation includes ascertaining what is valued by the individual worker so that motivational strategi

9、es can leverage it, where possible. This approach to work motivation may be characterized as “pulling,” in that proponents recognize values that motivate parti- cular individuals and seek to align them with organizational performance. As the guest editors imply, it would be highly unusual nowadays t

10、o encounter a work motivation theory that advocated “pushing” as an effective long-term strategy. Pushi- ng?compelling productivity by force with little or no regard for employee autono- my?will, at best, have a temporary positive influence on the direction of action while draining it of vigor and p

11、ersistence. Still, the guest editors reminder that “motivation derives from the Latin word for movement movere” 2004: 379 brings to mind actual managers whose conception of their role seems limited to the task of getting employees off of their “lazy duffs” to be productive. One can easily form the i

12、mpression from the forums discussion of work motivation that the preference for pulling over pushing is more practical than moral. Locke and Lathams 2004 discussion of historical interest in work motivation sug- gests that individual values e.g., work satisfaction, cognitive growth have been positio

13、ned as means to productive ends e.g., economic growth, job performance. If pushing were likely to result in greater productivity gains than pulling, one might conclude that researchers would be debating how hard to push and when to crack the whip, rather than which strings to pull?mechanistic metaph

14、ors evoked by the auth- ors statement that “the concept of motivation refers to internal factors that impel action and to external factors that can act as inducements to action” Locke & Latham, 2004: 388; emphasis added. The ethical issue regarding the motivation for work motivation theory concerns

15、the moral status of the worker. Is he or she an instrument for organizational ends and/or an end in himself or herself? On the former view, the workers values are important to management only insofar as they can be channeled in productive ways. For example, an individual who is driven by material we

16、alth can be motivated to produce more of what the organization wants him or her to produce with pay-for- performance incentives, whereas another individual to whom recognition is important may be enticed when he or she is offered an impressive title and opportunities for greater managerial responsibility. On this view, the workers values are not important because they are individually valuable; they are important because they are organizationally valuable. Taken to