Motivation is an attribute of the individual, of the personality, rooted in the subject's unconscious (Michel, 1989). Seeking to manage motivation means recognizing that the employee is an adult individual with desires that do not necessarily match the company's.[1]
Motivation is not a simple subject. Its mechanics are complex and depend on the individual and the context. What's more, it is inaccessible outside the individual himself, without the latter being able to control it, or even know its consistency.
In other words, everybody talks about motivation, but nobody has ever seen it.
What's more, this motivation is individual. It's even individualizing because it sees us all as different in this respect. Our life, our past, our culture - all these and many other things interfere with the effectiveness of the means deployed by the organization.
Well-being is an individual consideration. Happiness is even more so. How can a company define the happiness to which its employees are entitled?
Is it possible to develop motivation by looking at each employee individually? Does the manager have the time and resources to deal with each individual? Is he or she capable of knowing and adapting to the temperaments of all team members? In the final analysis, is he still a manager, or must he become a sociologist and psychologist? What is his mission, and what are his priorities?
So, it's not at the level of theories that we'll find the axes of transformation and stimulation that will develop motivation. On the other hand, we can find them in social influences.
This is the idea that the organization, the system, and even the systems to which the individual belongs will influence his or her behavior.
The manager's role will not be that of a personal coach but rather a facilitator. An important part of their mission will be to set up a work environment that meets the needs of their teams' challenges and stimulates their creativity.
We will now discover this in the third part of this book, which develops the systemic axes of motivation.
[1] Maugeri, Salvatore. Théories de la motivation au travail - 2ème édition (Les Topos) (French Edition) . Dunod. Édition du Kindle.