Does everyone work for something slightly different, in which case there is nothing useful to be said?
Does everyone work for something different but there are some patterns that can be seen and usefully discussed - either a series of distinct viewpoints that can be modelled differently, or a series of underpinning themes, or a set of axes along which people vary?
I would be inclined to agree with Michael. I think that what he's talking about is a social phenomenon rather than a matter of individual motivation. Most people are required to work by the set-up of the system. Most people don't have a great deal of choice about what work they do. Most people, therefore, show up for work primarily because it enables them to lead a sustainable life. There will be high degrees of variance along the axes of individual tolerance for difficult work and individual willingness to opt out of the system and individual ability and motivation to find compatible work. There may also be periods where work is tremendously rewarding for reasons that have nothing to do with money - for example, the ability to serve customers or form strong collaborative relationships with colleagues or engage with interesting problems. This does not necessarily affect the fact that the primary reason for doing the job is still to earn money. I don't think that's a meaningless statement in the way that I think I'm reading from the above comment that you do?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-06-07 12:28 pm (UTC)Does everyone work for something slightly different, in which case there is nothing useful to be said?
Does everyone work for something different but there are some patterns that can be seen and usefully discussed - either a series of distinct viewpoints that can be modelled differently, or a series of underpinning themes, or a set of axes along which people vary?
I would be inclined to agree with Michael. I think that what he's talking about is a social phenomenon rather than a matter of individual motivation. Most people are required to work by the set-up of the system. Most people don't have a great deal of choice about what work they do. Most people, therefore, show up for work primarily because it enables them to lead a sustainable life. There will be high degrees of variance along the axes of individual tolerance for difficult work and individual willingness to opt out of the system and individual ability and motivation to find compatible work. There may also be periods where work is tremendously rewarding for reasons that have nothing to do with money - for example, the ability to serve customers or form strong collaborative relationships with colleagues or engage with interesting problems. This does not necessarily affect the fact that the primary reason for doing the job is still to earn money. I don't think that's a meaningless statement in the way that I think I'm reading from the above comment that you do?