"How Should Who Lead Whom to do What?"

by Dr. Clare Graves

YMCA
Management Forum 1971-1972

From the Historical Collection of the work of Dr. Clare W. Graves
- presentations, papers, recorded transcripts, notes-
William R. Lee                                                                                                                      August 2003

But what does all this mean to the thesis presented in this paper? It means that there is an important point to be made in regard to the propositions I have laid down, the examples I have presented and the issues I have raised. It is that organizational administrators and managers are very reluctant dragons when it comes to facing the facts of managing for effective performance. Though I will agree that most managers and administrators ware well intentioned people, I must assert that many are indeed very reluctant dragons, at least when it seems to doing what is necessary to organize for effective performance.

As I see it, the reluctance is shown whenever and wherever the problem of organizing for human productivity and motivation arises. For some very interesting reason, the vast majority of today’s managers simply cannot or will not accept what is the evidence about how to organize the human for productive effort.

Their reluctance has been shown to me no matter where I go, no mater what the occasion. It is demonstrated when ultimately they direct a certain question to me – a question that in one form or another is:  How do you motivate people? How can we motivate our people toward improved productivity? How can we motivate for more effective performance?

This question I submit is irrelevant. Any manager would be better off if never he did ask it. In fact, this question when asked tends not only to lead one away from the heart of the effective performance problem, but more seriously, tends to create productivity problems where previously they did not exist.

This is a rather strong assertion, this statement that I make. But, before you get your hackles up, let me say the following: I see the question to be irrelevant because it is patently ridiculous. It is ridiculous because as one thinks a little about the question he cannot help but come to a certain insight – namely that the question is ridiculous because any living person is always motivated. He may not be motivated in the direction one wants him to be motivated, or he may not have the motives one desires, but motivated he is. To be alive is to be motivated. Keep this in mind as you begin to attack the problem of human productivity. People are motivated and will be motivated as long as they are alive. And keep in mind that asking the motivational question leads us to the problem I shall now portray.

When we ask the question, “how do you motivate people?” we create a problem for ourselves. Immediately, from the question, we set out in search for that motivational methodology which will get people to do what we, or the manager, want them to do. We see, and I want to emphasize this – we seek that motivational methodology, or, if I man, that motivational gimmick which when found, and then applied, will somehow, perhaps almost magically, get people to improve their productivity as we desire. This question has led us to chase a motivational will-of-the-wisp – a wisp veiled seven times and more in such terminology as incentive systems, participative management, management by objectives, Theory Y management, and now sensitivity training and job enlargement. And this question will continue to lead us to search beyond the last found veil only to find another and another and another. And no matter how long we search, I submit we will never find a lasting answer to this question. We will not find it for it is not there to be found. To ask the question how do you motivate people is, truly, to chase the will-of-the-wisp.

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