Page 34 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

5
The Workplace “Carrot-on-a-Stick”

A Brief History of Human Motivation

For nearly all of human history, people have been motivated
using “sticks,” not “carrots.” Why? Before the Industrial Revolu-
tion, there were few employees; most work that wasn’t accom-
plished by the self-employed was done by slaves, criminals,
and military personnel, and those who did not work hard were
physically punished or killed, which are quite effective motiva-
tional techniques. It was not until the Industrial Revolution and
the building of factories that there was a need to employ large
numbers of free citizens. Thus, the roots of today’s workforce
are less than two hundred years old. (Pharaohs did not have to
worry about the principles of operant conditioning!) In fact, it
has been in only the past one hundred years that researchers,
scientists, and business leaders have systematically approached
the study of employee motivation and productivity. Let’s take a
look at some of the most important and influential work during
this time.

Frederick Taylor—Father of
Scientific Management
As factories and assembly lines grew, a new discipline emerged:
scientific management. Often considered the father of this move-
ment, Frederick Taylor published The Principles of Scientific
Management in 1911. Taylor had worked for Bethlehem Steel
and was interested in maximizing productivity. He undertook
careful study of the tools, processes, and methods used in the
manufacturing process. Coupled with the pioneering work of
psychologists Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, time and motion stud-
ies became, and still are, a cornerstone of efficient manufactur-
ing processes. Obvious but important, the work involved entirely