Money

by A.W. Berry

Created on: February 17, 2008   Last Updated: August 29, 2009

Motivating employees is first achieved through money because a higher economic demand and appreciation exists for money. If employers relied on the passion and reinforced self-identity of employees alone, the economy would be quite different and quite realistically a fantasy scenario. Since we don't live in a fantasy world, the socio-economic nexus in which we live mandates it is non-capitalistic, codependent, and/or insecure behavior to work primarily for recognition. This is evident in the employment objectives, nature of capitalism and the culture of individualism. The primary goal and intention of employment is not to receive social recognition, therefore money is the more accurate indicator of employee motivation. This is not to say psychological rewards such as recognition don't have value because they do. However, to make this the chief motivator for employees is simply not in conformity with the principles of capitalism, individual economic objectives and cultural ethos.

I: EMPLOYMENT OBJECTIVES:

To illustrate further, work is where people go to perform duties and tasks that support an economy, and add value to the standard of living for self and community. For example, athletes compete in races because they love sport, fitness and competition, poets write poetry because creative expression has value, business person pursue business because it is in their nature. In none of the above examples, is recognition a main concern.

While it is neither outside the realm of possibility nor a non-existent reality many individuals seek recognition ahead of monetary reward it is quite possible such approaches to employment are A) In a minority economically speaking and B) objectively disorganized in terms of practicality and socio-cultural norms. In other words, the employment market is less designed for social recognition as it is designed for monetary reward and individual satisfaction.

II: THE NATURE OF CAPITALISM:

There is also a reason capitalism works, and communism has been demonstrated to fail in today's World. Human nature is such that motivation is tied to achievement, greater standard of living and success. While recognition is very much a part of some individuals model of success it is not the leading social and economic motivator behind the success of today's capitalism which is driven largely by the profit motive.

To explain further, capitalism is a system of economic thought and reality that taps into individual human nature. Human nature is driven by personal satisfaction and personal satisfaction is divided into a matrix of goals, needs, expectations and desires. Since money is so important to life and since money is obtained through employment, it logically follows individuals would first seek money from employment then recognition, especially when one can achieve recognition from personal relationships which fulfill individuals emotional and psychological objectives.

III: THE CULTURE OF INDIVIDUALISM:

Western cultural dynamics also indicate social recognition is also less significant than individual achievement. Personal happiness cannot be obtained if one is motivated principally by recognition, nor is it logical to be motivated principally my recognition as to be an individual one should find reward from one's own achievements be they relationships, career success, spiritual happiness or otherwise. In other words, culture is currently structured to favor individual pursuits rather than social pursuits, therefore social recognition is secondary in importance to the individual and culture.

While it is true, individualism is the dominant ethos of our time, monetary reward and social recognition are not mutually exclusive aspects of human life. The two do often operate side by side both in terms of motivating factors and human dynamics. However, it simply not the case recognition is the number one motivator for employment given the cultural ethos of individualism i.e. it would be illogical and contradictory to state otherwise.

SUMMARY:

To reiterate, money is the primary motivator behind employment, and is more appreciated than recognition in the work place. This has been demonstrated to be the case through an investigation of the nature of employment, capitalistic principles and cultural ethos. Social recognition is a factor in employment, sometimes more of a factor than others, but according to the principles, concepts and facts described in this article, is not the best way to motivate the majority of employees in a work environment. If employers relied on the passion, good will and appreciation of employees alone, it would make operating a business more challenging in terms of motivating productivity in employees. Moreover, we live in a world that is designed around motivating individuals to be productive to achieve economic goals, these economic goals are closely regulated through the use of money via economic, monetary and business policies.

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