A study of the motivation of managers in manufacturing organisations in conditions of contraction

Abstract

The study examines the motivation, values and work reactions of mana- gerial job holders in manufacturing companies in a state of contrac- tion. The empirical investigation is in two parts. The first part, or pilot study, examines, through interviews, middle and junior managers in 3 manufacturing organisations in a state of contraction. The second part, or main study, again looks at middle and junior managers, in this case in 2 manufacturing organisations, but using repertory grid technique in addition to interviews. Despite the amount of research that has been done on motivation at work, the thesis is seen as an exploratory study of the work motiva- tion of managers. Because of the inadequacies of the literature, the study has taken a relook at motivation and broadly investigates the possible reasons for managers working hard or not, in contracting organisations. The study emphasises the notion of work values. Work values are seen as a way of combining the broader explanations of work behaviour, par- ticularly those of the Work Orientation school, with narrower psycho- logical explanations, especially cognitive process theories. Particularly emphasised in the study are those values that may be tied in with an individual's self concept, and repertory grid is used to investigate these work values. The main conclusion of the research is that a major factor which helps explain managerial motivation in a contracting environment is a manager's self image or self concept. Although self image is acknowledged in many motivation models, this study indicates that the notion is of central importance and should play a more dominant role in explanations of motivation.