I was super interested in today’s class because not only did we talk about different motivational approaches, instead it reminded me of my work experiences. During the summer I took on two totally different jobs; they weren’t just different in the aspect of the work environment but more so the interaction between coworkers and employers. I worked at Hollister Co. as a Brand Representative and also a UPS Store.
At times I felt unworthy and not valued at Hollister. I wouldn’t exactly blame this on my manager, but she was the main source to my unhappiness. I felt targeted in that environment because while I’d been receiving positive feedback from other managers and even customers, she gave me an impression that I was never good enough. I felt a force of pressure as if she thought I didn’t know what to do/ how to do things/ didn’t like my job. There were times where I was even blamed for not knowing regulations that were never relayed to me.
After reading on Chapter 4, I felt that I understood how employers take different approaches. There is a section that talked about Theory X, which is a theory of human motivation and management. It defines it as “The assumption that employees dislike work, will attempt to avoid it, and must be coerced, controlled, or threatened with punishments to achieve goals.” I think this section did not mention the correct use of these motivational theories, and exactly who to use it on.
I don’t know if this is how my manager approached everyone -through the use of Theory X, but what I understand from reading the textbook and our in-class discussions is that these ways of motivation should only be used due to a certain reason, especially after a long period of observation. I am an intrinsic motivator, and I consider my accomplishments as a reward within itself.
Thinking about it now, the job itself wasn’t bad because I had the opportunity to expand my network and also interact with customers to enhance my communication skills. It was the way I was treated which made me reconsider why I’d still gone to work.
- Langton, Robbins, Judge, Organizational Behaviour, 7th edition, p. 128.