Motivation...
 
Dan Ariely outlined what motivates us to work is a sense of purpose. Reflect on what motivates you at work and what gives you a sense of purpose. Why do you do what you do? What do you hope to achieve through your work? In considering how you are motivated, how can you discover not only your own personal fulfillment but that of your followers?

Based upon my feelings of the TED video in Discussion 5.2, which was less than enthusiastic, I must say that this was one of the more though provoking presentations I’ve seen. 

Mr. Ariely, through various experiments of Lego construction and deconstruction, was able to show the connection people have to their work and their perceived value of that work relative to an objective observer or Lego connoisseur.  Although seemingly common sense, Mr. Ariely relates how this fact can be lost on senior managers or executives when making program decisions that can impact employee motivation and interest (Ariely, 2013). 

While reflecting on job motivation, one cannot help but to think of the movie Office Space, where by the main character, Peter is asked rhetorically, “Looks like you’ve been missing a lot of work lately, Peter”, whereby his response is, “I wouldn’t say that I’ve been ‘missing it’, Bob.“ 

 

Personally, I love airplanes and flying.  I can talk about it all day long and listen even longer.  I feel very fortunate to work for who I do, because I’ve worked at not such good places and know how difficult it can be.  That said, my prior jobs have been actually flying airplanes, which was a big thrill and very personally satisfying but very challenging to raise a young family, as either commuting across the country or shaky company finances seem to always influence the career outlook and family stability.

 

Currently, I don’t fly but still am connected to the profession through contributions in different ways.  Through various innovation projects and interactions with national aviation regulators, the motivation is now aimed at improving and refining aviation safety systems and student learning methods.  I do miss flying and would love “swing gear” once in a while, but the stability and financial reward has enabled me to raise a family in the manner I want to. 

 

I guess it comes down to choices of what motivation is more important – intrinsic motivation (individualization) or extrinsic motivation (perceived usefulness - socialization).  While one may be more personally satisfying (flying), contribution to industry wide issues may provide more professional visibility (flying a desk). 

What makes a person willing to give up flying?  Stage in life may be a significant factor, employment opportunities and timing also contribute.  Personalities are significant as well.  My neighbor, a Southwest Airlines captain, recently said he doesn’t know how I can stand sitting in front of a computer 8 hours a day.  “Neither do I” I responded jokingly, sort of. 

 

What I did realize is that my interest and motivation in my current role is greatly assisted by the workplace’s encouragement of improving and exploring new areas of interest.  Guo, Wang, and Feng (2014) posits that a an employee’s heightened motivation is possible if the organization’s learning culture can assist by inspiring individuals to devote more time and effort to explore and learn additional relevant tasks.  

People value being valued.  No matter how mundane a task may be, encouraging employees to think about ways to do things better or making work easier and efficient provides better buy-in or “skin in the game”.  

Ariely, D. (2013, April 10). What makes us feel good about our work? | Dan Ariely. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from https://youtu.be/5aH2Ppjpcho

Guo, Y., Wang, C., & Feng, Y. (2014). The moderating effect of organizational learning culture on individual motivation and ERP system assimilation at individual level. Journal of Software, 9(2), 365+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=embry&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA365687970&sid=summon&asid=90a3d2467a5dcd0f177558612f342a97