preview

Human Potential Untangled

Better Essays

Human Potential Untangled
Achieving successful engagement means removing several obstacles that keep good people from doing great work.
Three generations of management theory have defined how organizations develop human potential. First, under the functional management approach, development was aimed at getting people to follow the standard processes established for each function. The assumption was that employees just needed to be trained to follow the correct processes to be engaged and successful. The second approach to development was founded on the hierarchical model of organizations, whereby developing potential was viewed as taking people up through the ranks. The third model emphasized organizational systems. People were trained …show more content…

Instill in them a belief in themselves and the confidence to use past successes as a stepping stone to future opportunities.

Obstacle 4
Not knowing why they should do it. At times, people know what to do,

how to do it, and believe they can do it, but don’t understand why the task is important for them, their supervisors, or the organization. Consequently, they procrastinate and assign the task a low priority.

liSten to thiS feature at www.astd.org/TD/TDpodcasts.htm

aPril 2009 | T+D | 55

A system for bringing out the best in people
The traditional forms of motivation are compensation and benefits. The problem with these tangible rewards is that they are short-term motivators. The more people get, the more they develop an entitlement mindset. For example, give an employee an extra day off this month for excellent performance, and he or she will expect two extra days next month to feel connected. Adding more and more tangible rewards does not necessarily increase motivation or engagement. However, taking away tangible benefits or entitlements really de-motivates or disengages people. For example, employees who always had their health benefits paid for and are now being asked to chip in become very dissatisfied and often lose motivation. On the other hand, intangible rewards, such as a “thank you,” “good job,” or effective coaching let people know their managers care about them and value their contributions. The more intangible forms of motivation

Get Access