Motivation at work: a historical view
The topic of employee motivation has become increasingly popular in companies. If the subject seems to be in vogue in today’s working world, it turns out that motivation and work have been intimately linked for a long time! Let's take a look at the history of this unavoidable relationship...
Here are some definitions
Motivation is the reason that leads a person to act. Behind every action there are one or more causes, motives or objectives to be achieved. These drivers can be personal or influenced by external factors. In the context ofthe professional sphere, motivation therefore drives the employee to do his or her job.
And the opposite is also true! Indeed, work is “the activity of Man applied to the production, creation, maintenance of something[1]”. Thus, work is carried out with a specific goal in mind. And remember, the achievement of a goal corresponds to a motivation. So work is motivated, by definition.
Man was born to work, like a bird to fly
Let’s start at the beginning
As early as prehistoric times, our ancestors were already working to provide for themselves and to protect their offspring. If we take Maslow’s famous pyramid, it above all illustrates a question of providing for primary needs (physiological and security). Over the centuries, these have evolved, giving way to new, less material needs (belonging, self-esteem and personal fulfilment).
During antiquity, differences between the populations became more pronounced, and more varied occupational activities began to coexist. On the one hand, physical labour was reserved for slaves. Their motivation was simply to work so as not to be punished and therefore to stay alive. At the same time, theirmasters held political functions, for which the notions of motivation and consideration were fundamental. The same aspirations for recognition and honour also motivated soldiers who served their country and wanted to rise in rank.
Later, in the Middle Ages, the craft industry was booming. Traders made a living from creating and selling their own products. In this context, the two main motivations were profit and gaining recognition for the work carried out. Knights, on the other hand, dedicated their existence to the cause of the kingdom, and recognition was paramount. Finally, in a society dominated by the Church, people worked in the hope of eternal salvation and found this a divine motivation.
The first glimmerings of management techniques
During the Renaissance, workshops employing several craftsmen became widespread. They were no longer working for themselves, but for their bosses, but these craftsmen slowly lost their motivation. Indeed, seeing their earnings and the recognition of their work diminish, they had less reason to put their hearts into their work.
Over the decades, managers sought to increase the performance of their factories. This is how the scientific organisation of work was born at the end of the 19th century! The model certainly led to many productivity gains, but it also led to other problems… Indeed, feeling little recognition and dehumanised by assembly-line work, workers saw their motivation decline.
It was therefore with this change in organisation that managers began to look for ways to motivate their employees. They then laid the foundations of management as we know it!
Thus, by the end of the 1930s, the development of management techniques and thinking about motivation at work had become central issues in business theories. Although not all organisations put employee motivation at the forefront, they nevertheless acted on it, resolving to many levers: remuneration, recognition, working conditions, atmosphere, etc.
The link between work and motivation has always existed. Whatever his/her reasons, an employee needs motivation, a reason, to carry out an action. Without motivation, the work will not be carried out properly, or perhaps not even completed. The current challenge is therefore to identify the most relevant motivational levers to guarantee the best results.
Expert in Human Capital Management @ MindForest
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