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Work Motivation
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Work Motivation
History, Theory, Research, and Practice

Second Edition


June 2013 | 456 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice provides unique behavioural science frameworks for motivating employees in organizational settings. Drawing upon his experiences as a staff psychologist and consultant to organizations, author Gary Latham has written this book in a "mentor voice" that is highly personal and rich in examples, including enduring influences of mentors on researchers in the field.

Key Features

- includes anecdotes about and from the major thought leaders in the field of motivation: Personal insights from and about leading personalities in the field of motivation such as Bandura, Frese, Hough, Judge, Kanfer, Lawler, Locke, Pinder, Rousseau, and Vroom make the material come alive. Behind-the-scenes accounts of research and the researchers who conducted studies in North America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe are addressed.

- offers a chronological review of the research on and theories of motivation in the workplace: Written in a meaningful and memorable style, a comprehensive treatment of work motivation is given from the end of the 19th century to the present.

- provides a taxonomy for the study and practice of motivation: The book explains how and why to take into account a person's needs, values, work setting, goals, moods, and emotions. Controversies of theoretical and practical significance such as the importance of money, the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance, and the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are captured and resolved.

 
Preface and Acknowledgments: Person-Environment Fit
 
Introduction: Thirteen Critical Incidents in the Life of a Scientist-Practitioner
 
PART I: THE 20TH CENTURY: UNDERSTANDING THE PAST
 
Chapter 1: 1900–1925: Biology, Behavior, and Money
 
Chapter 2: 1925–1950: Dust Bowl Empiricism
 
Chapter 3: 1950–1975: The Emergence of Theory
 
Chapter 4: 1975–2000: The Employee Is Immersed in Thought
 
Chapter 5: 20th-Century Controversies
 
PART II: THE 21ST CENTURY: EXAMINING THE PRESENT: 2000–2010
 
Chapter 6: Needs: The Starting Point of Motivation
 
Chapter 7: Personality Traits: Distal Predictors of Motivation
 
Chapter 8: Values: Trans-Situational Goals
 
Chapter 9: Cognition: Goals, Feedback, and Self-Regulation
 
Chapter 10: Social Cognitive Theory
 
Chapter 11: Affect/Emotion: The Employee Has Feelings Too
 
PART III: FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND POTENTIAL MISDIRECTIONS
 
Chapter 12: Boundaryless Psychology
 
PART IV: EPILOGUE
 
Chapter 13: The Art of Practice

Very good book indeed. I really enjoyed reading it and told the new MSc intake that they would enjoy this if they wanted to buy something more in depth on work motivation for themselves. I loved the historical aspect to it.

Dr Christine Sprigg
Management School, Sheffield University
drupal

This is an excellent book on motivation but does not fit into my present modules.

Dr Chuma Osuchukwu
Postgraduate Faculty, London School of Business and Management
drupal

Very good overview of motivation theories. Appropriate for master's students.

Dr Isabel Dimas
Economics, University of Coimbra
drupal

This is a very good revision of the literature on work motivation. An essential book for students who want to deep their knowledge on this topic.

Dr Isabel Dimas
Economics, University of Coimbra
drupal

This was part of a development concept for an HR course that did not materialize.

Dr Lawrence Audler
Business Administration , Our Lady of Holy Cross College
drupal

It is a good overview of the topic, but does not translate well into course material. Perhaps this would serve as a good background text for a graduate course.

Dr Robert Klonoski
Business Administration Dept, Mary Baldwin College
drupal

I have recommended this book to several of my students. It provides an excellent overview of the theoretical underpinnings of employee motivation and job satisfaction.

Miss Moya Lerigo-Jones
Faculty of Social Science and Business, University of Plymouth
drupal

This is an interesting book, which has a wealth of detail and information. I would recommend it to a student who was doing a detailed study of work motivation.

Mr David Hanley
Health and Community Studies, University of Bolton
drupal

I originally looked at this for our ERM course but it finished in 2014. HOwever, I now recommend this to students on our Social Psychology of Work (undergraduate L5 option) who want to look at work motivation in more detail. It is a very thorough text

Mr Neill Thompson
School of Psychology and Sport Science, Northumbria University
drupal

A small reference book that is easy to follow and packed full of useful theories around motivation. Current and easy to find your way around the index.

Mrs Laura Castles
Management, Torfaen Training
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