Extract of an interview of Professor Clayton Christensen (1) by George Mannes on CNN Money :
« You want to be in a job where you’re motivated.
There’s a theory that was articulated by the late psychologist Frederick Herzberg. He makes a strong point that there’s a big difference between motivation and incentives. An incentive is, « I will pay you to want what I want. » Motivation means that you’ve got an engine inside of you that drives you to keep working in order to feel successful and to help the organization be successful. It causes you to keep at it through thick and thin.
Motivators are things like, « I have the opportunity to achieve important things, » « I get recognized for my achievements, » « I learn ways to be better, » and « I’m an important part of a team. » If you have those kinds of experiences every day, you’re motivated, and you’ll be satisfied.
Many of the factors that we think will cause motivation, such as fair pay and a good manager, won’t make you love your job. Even if you eliminate what makes you dissatisfied, that doesn’t make you motivated. It doesn’t make your work rewarding. You just are less bothered by things. » «
Didier – Citizen of the World
(1) Professor Clayton Christensen, Management guru and Harvard Business School professor, has co-written « How Will You Measure Your Life?, » in which he applies business-school theories not to organizational management, but to finding happiness and integrity in life.