Psychological Side

Introduction Word manipulation has somewhat negative connotation. Typically, it is perceived as a word used for describing unethical conduct, even though its two definitions in the Merriam-Webster dictionary carry a positive meaning. A definition of relevance to Positive Manipulation Theory is “skilful handling or operation, artful management or control”. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is presented as old fashioned and less efficient. It is also said that high levels of some extrinsic motivators, monetary rewards particularly, are considered to be in contrary to job motivation (Herzberg, Mausner, Snyderman, 1993, p.116). Herzberg also classifies monetary rewards not a motivator, but a hygiene factor, a factor which if not present causes dissatisfaction. Job security is placed in the group of hygiene factors as well. If managers conclude that they want to motivate people by helping them to satisfy their needs and they dive into the literature searching for the advi...

Leaving one job to pursue another can be a bittersweet time in your career. On one hand, you’re glad that you have this new, promising opportunity lying ahead, but it’s also scary and unfamiliar. You may even struggle with feelings of guilt and sadness as you leave your current employer and co-workers behind. However, making the switch from one job to another doesn’t have to be an emotional roller coaster, if you know what to expect. Here are six emotions you’re probably going to experience during this transitional phase in your career. Evolving in your career is natural, but change isn’t always easy. For instance, if “evolving” is the result of being fired or laid off from your job, then you will probably experience some negative emotions from the upheaval. Even if your departure from your current job is amicable and a positive boost for your career, you’ll have some feelings as a result of leaving the familiar behind. To    prevent your emotions from blindsiding ...

Money is not always the main cause of job satisfaction. When employees spend a majority of their waking hours in the workplace, they need more than a paycheck to satisfy them. Using their talents, engaging them in challenging projects, offering incentives, and creating a friendly and respectful environment with low stress are among the reasons your staff will be glad to show up each day to contribute to the company's ultimate success. Culture When employees like their co-workers and find commonalities among their peers and supervisors, they tend to be more satisfied at work, according to Richard Harmer at the Australian Catholic University School of Psychology. When employees connect with co-workers and develop personal relationships they usually are happier at work. Overall job satisfaction also correlates with how well employees get along with their direct supervisors. Hiring managers and small business owners should look for employees with similar backgrounds and taste...

How many personality traits are there? How do we even know? In every language, there are many words describing a person’s personality. In fact, in the English language, more than 15,000 words describing personality have been identified. When researchers analyzed the terms describing personality characteristics, they realized that there were many words that were pointing to each dimension of personality. When these words were grouped, five dimensions seemed to emerge that explain a lot of the variation in our personalities.  Keep in mind that these five are not necessarily the only traits out there. There are other, specific traits that represent dimensions not captured by the Big Five. Still, understanding the main five traits gives us a good start for describing personality . A summary of the Big Five traits is presented in  Figure 3.4 .           Figure: 3.4:  Big Five Personality Traits Openness  is the degree to which a pers...

       The impact of emotions, whether positive or negative, is well researched on. Studies suggest that negative feelings have adverse effects on job performances. Anger often leads to aggressions towards colleagues while sadness leads to dissatisfaction with the job. Envy or conflict with peers also leads to frequent fights and in turn results absenteeism. It is not always that only bad emotions lead to bad results. Officeromance, despite being a positive feeling, can have negativeeffect on others. However, emotions can have positive effects as well. Positive emotions increase creativity, encourage helping behavior and cooperation and reduce aggression both against the organization and against people. Research suggests that positive people have better cognitive abilities and tend to do better in the workplace and with accuracy.Emotions influence the task on which an employee is working,the efforts he puts and how he influences other employees around him. ...

       Employee motivation and performance are key factors in moving a small business forward. Owners, managers and supervisors know positive motivation leads to better performance and higher productivity but may rely on the wrong tools. Microsoft Business states the conundrum as "using monetary and other rewards to improve motivation is a simple idea, but doing it fairly and effectively can be challenging."    Reinforcement    Essentially the two types of reinforcement are positive and negative. Positive reinforcement is using beneficial incentives to boost morale and productivity, such as performance based bonuses, sales commissions, achievement rewards, pay raises and promotions. Negative reinforcement is using unfavorable tools to achieve desired results, such as bad performance reviews, verbal and written warnings, suspension, pay reduction or dismissal warnings.    Benefits     Benefits as mot...