Out of the Crisis.Org

[Louis Altazan]

Fallacy six: Man by nature is self-centered, even greedy. Man by nature is intrinsically motivated by what's in it for him, and him alone.

This is perhaps one of the least productive fallacies in business. Worse, it is widely held and even taught by some management consultants. The thought seems to be, without management establishing and withholding some type of reward, people cannot be trusted to perform their work to a high standard.

Man by nature may be concerned with his own welfare, and there is nothing wrong with that. Mankind is also far above that being their only motivation. Examples abound:

• People risk/give their lives to rescue others.
  
• People give money to charities and to others in need.
  
• People volunteer and donate time.
  
• Parents struggle to provide their children a better life.
  
• People suffer ridicule to defend another they feel is wrongly attacked.
  
• People allow others to go before them in a long line.

This short list ranges from extreme to very common examples, there are a multitude of others. The fact is people often act out of compassion, kindness, the greater good, joy in their work and so on.

People also often resist that which they feel is wrong, regardless of self interest. A commissioned salesman may turn down a large sale, because he feels it is wrong for the client. A technician may refuse to push services he feels are ineffective, even though he is paid more to do so. Good people often do poorly in a system they see as wrong.

While certainly not a person's only motivator, there is nothing wrong with looking out for our own self interest. There is also no reason our self interest cannot also be in the interest of the public as a whole. I may study to become a better manager. This is in my best interest as I can earn more profit. It is also in the interest of my employees who [should] earn more money as well. My product or service gets better as a result and this is in the interest of the clients that use it, as well as my own.

I feel people always do best, that which they are intrinsically motivated to do. Intrinsic motivation may come from any number of factors; Doing a job well because it pleases them to do so; Joy in work; Adding to the common good and so on. I think a manager needs to understand this and work to remove obstacles that prevent intrinsic motivation. This starts with realizing, people are not motivated only by greed or what’s in it for them alone.

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Louis Altazan
Owner/Manager AGCO Automotive Corporation
Baton Rouge, LA