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Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2014
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less likely to create new jobs, are more problem-solving( ). However, studies This is accomplished through managerial
likely to be reducing their workforce also show that such extrinsic motiva - practices such as normative control: ‘the
and are more likely to see employ- tors work when it comes to routine tasks. attempt to elicit and direct the required
ees leave. In other words it appears that it is the efforts of members by controlling the
worker’s intrinsic motivation, curiosity underlying experience, thoughts, and
The ‘not engaged’ are passive and less and emotional engagement that drive feelings that guide their actions’ (Kunda,
productive; they are, in Gallup’s words, performance when it comes to solving 1992). Employees then accept and adopt
‘sleepwalking through their workday, problems and carrying out non-routine as their own a corporate culture: the
putting time but not energy or passion tasks. The consequences for future work norms of behaviour preferred by the
in their work’. Actively disengaged organisation are potentially very signifi- corporate organisation.
employees ‘are not just unhappy at cant. If success in the future economy
work; they are busy acting out their relies on innovation and solving complex 5.7. Office and
unhappiness. Every day, actively dis- problems, then employers will need to workflow design for
engaged workers undermine what foster genuine personal interest in the optimum efficiency
their engaged co-workers accomplish’ work of their employees. Annex 5 pro-
(Gallup 2013) and are a liability to the vides examples that illustrate the positive Efficiency in a typical modern office is
company. They spread frustration and link between the mental state of knowl- prone to the risk of distraction, informa-
demotivate colleagues. Gallup argues edge workers and productivity. tion overload and lack of control over
that management typically responds to one’s personal space. Companies may
low engagement with extrinsic motiva- 5.6. Management overlook these risks as they strive to
tion, e.g. by offering fringe benefits. strategies for encourage team work through faster
However, these cannot address the organisational efficiency: work pace via heavy IT use, multitask-
fundamental needs of workers such as: supervision and control ing and office design, as well as greater
sense of purpose; perceived relevance versus common values control over employees.
of their work; opportunity to use one’s
skills and learn new skills. In the traditional bureaucratic indus- 5.7.1. The strain
trial model, management has typically of multitasking
Similarly, engagement tends to dimin- focused on designing and supervising in intellectual work
ish with educational attainment, with work processes to minimise the (intel-
a 6 percentage point difference found lectual) effort and skill necessary for Many contemporary employers require
between those with less than a high workers to carry out their work. Taylorism staff to engage in multitasking. Yet
school diploma (34 % feel engaged summarises this managerial ethos as the studies have demonstrated that this
at work) and college graduates (28 % focus on constructing work procedures may be counterproductive. Clifford
engaged). This may reflect graduates constrained to the point where work- Nass, who carried out seminal studies
having higher expectations that are ers can only do the correct thing in an on how people interact with communica -
harder to meet following their invest - economic way (McIntyre, 1984; Jackall, tion technology, concluded that modern
ment in education. 1988). It features vertical division of life is overloaded with information and
labour, hierarchy, and formalised and that this is not conducive to remaining
Workers’ engagement seems to be standardised work processes (Mintz - focused and analytical thinking (Ophir et
sensitive to the organisation’s size, berg, 1983; Wright, 1996). Traditional al., 2009). His studies have shown that
with Gallup’s research suggesting that management theorises that work can people who frequently engaged in multi -
there is something unique and benefi- be divided between those who work and tasking actually score worse in perform-
cial about working in a small, tightly- those who: plan; organise; coordinate; ing parallel tasks.
knit environment. and control work.
Since the brain has very specialised
Their research suggests that workers of However, management methods have modules for different tasks, like lan -
all generations are most engaged when evolved since changing patterns of guage processing and spatial recogni-
they have the opportunity to do what work organisation require other forms tion, it stands to reason that it is much
they do best every day. While those born of managerial intervention. Many mod- harder to perform two similar tasks
between 1981 and 2000 are particu- ern professional organisations operate simultaneously. Driving and talking
larly prone to job-hopping compared to in conditions where it would anyway be do not use the same bits of brain but
previous generations, this characteris- difficult or even counterproductive to answering an e-mail while talking on
tic is clearly dependent on engagement organise and control behaviour. Man - the phone does — creating information
levels. Nearly half of those who actively agement in modern organisations turn bottlenecks. Studies by Gloria Mark, pro-
disengage want to change jobs, while to targeting behaviour indirectly, through fessor of informatics at the University of
only 17 % of engaged ones do. norms and values (e.g. Etzioni, 1964). California, have found that when people
are continually distracted from one task,
92
Findings by experimental psychologists ( ) A classic psychological experiment from they work faster but produce (Mark et
1969 by Edward Deci (echoing pioneering
(Pink, 2010) offer surprising insights experiments on rhesus macaques by Harry al. 2008) less. New computer and media
into the mechanisms of motivation. F. Harrow from 1949) showed that extrinsic ‘advances’ can thus be seen as placing
motivators (gifts) are counter-productive
Laboratory experiments highlight the in puzzle-solving tasks. The gifts distract new demands on cognitive processing
limitations of external rewards (such as the subject from the task and undermine and particularly on attention alloca-
the intrinsic motivation and the pleasure of
gifts or money) as incentives for creative performing the task itself. tion. Experiments have demonstrated
164
92
less likely to create new jobs, are more problem-solving( ). However, studies This is accomplished through managerial
likely to be reducing their workforce also show that such extrinsic motiva - practices such as normative control: ‘the
and are more likely to see employ- tors work when it comes to routine tasks. attempt to elicit and direct the required
ees leave. In other words it appears that it is the efforts of members by controlling the
worker’s intrinsic motivation, curiosity underlying experience, thoughts, and
The ‘not engaged’ are passive and less and emotional engagement that drive feelings that guide their actions’ (Kunda,
productive; they are, in Gallup’s words, performance when it comes to solving 1992). Employees then accept and adopt
‘sleepwalking through their workday, problems and carrying out non-routine as their own a corporate culture: the
putting time but not energy or passion tasks. The consequences for future work norms of behaviour preferred by the
in their work’. Actively disengaged organisation are potentially very signifi- corporate organisation.
employees ‘are not just unhappy at cant. If success in the future economy
work; they are busy acting out their relies on innovation and solving complex 5.7. Office and
unhappiness. Every day, actively dis- problems, then employers will need to workflow design for
engaged workers undermine what foster genuine personal interest in the optimum efficiency
their engaged co-workers accomplish’ work of their employees. Annex 5 pro-
(Gallup 2013) and are a liability to the vides examples that illustrate the positive Efficiency in a typical modern office is
company. They spread frustration and link between the mental state of knowl- prone to the risk of distraction, informa-
demotivate colleagues. Gallup argues edge workers and productivity. tion overload and lack of control over
that management typically responds to one’s personal space. Companies may
low engagement with extrinsic motiva- 5.6. Management overlook these risks as they strive to
tion, e.g. by offering fringe benefits. strategies for encourage team work through faster
However, these cannot address the organisational efficiency: work pace via heavy IT use, multitask-
fundamental needs of workers such as: supervision and control ing and office design, as well as greater
sense of purpose; perceived relevance versus common values control over employees.
of their work; opportunity to use one’s
skills and learn new skills. In the traditional bureaucratic indus- 5.7.1. The strain
trial model, management has typically of multitasking
Similarly, engagement tends to dimin- focused on designing and supervising in intellectual work
ish with educational attainment, with work processes to minimise the (intel-
a 6 percentage point difference found lectual) effort and skill necessary for Many contemporary employers require
between those with less than a high workers to carry out their work. Taylorism staff to engage in multitasking. Yet
school diploma (34 % feel engaged summarises this managerial ethos as the studies have demonstrated that this
at work) and college graduates (28 % focus on constructing work procedures may be counterproductive. Clifford
engaged). This may reflect graduates constrained to the point where work- Nass, who carried out seminal studies
having higher expectations that are ers can only do the correct thing in an on how people interact with communica -
harder to meet following their invest - economic way (McIntyre, 1984; Jackall, tion technology, concluded that modern
ment in education. 1988). It features vertical division of life is overloaded with information and
labour, hierarchy, and formalised and that this is not conducive to remaining
Workers’ engagement seems to be standardised work processes (Mintz - focused and analytical thinking (Ophir et
sensitive to the organisation’s size, berg, 1983; Wright, 1996). Traditional al., 2009). His studies have shown that
with Gallup’s research suggesting that management theorises that work can people who frequently engaged in multi -
there is something unique and benefi- be divided between those who work and tasking actually score worse in perform-
cial about working in a small, tightly- those who: plan; organise; coordinate; ing parallel tasks.
knit environment. and control work.
Since the brain has very specialised
Their research suggests that workers of However, management methods have modules for different tasks, like lan -
all generations are most engaged when evolved since changing patterns of guage processing and spatial recogni-
they have the opportunity to do what work organisation require other forms tion, it stands to reason that it is much
they do best every day. While those born of managerial intervention. Many mod- harder to perform two similar tasks
between 1981 and 2000 are particu- ern professional organisations operate simultaneously. Driving and talking
larly prone to job-hopping compared to in conditions where it would anyway be do not use the same bits of brain but
previous generations, this characteris- difficult or even counterproductive to answering an e-mail while talking on
tic is clearly dependent on engagement organise and control behaviour. Man - the phone does — creating information
levels. Nearly half of those who actively agement in modern organisations turn bottlenecks. Studies by Gloria Mark, pro-
disengage want to change jobs, while to targeting behaviour indirectly, through fessor of informatics at the University of
only 17 % of engaged ones do. norms and values (e.g. Etzioni, 1964). California, have found that when people
are continually distracted from one task,
92
Findings by experimental psychologists ( ) A classic psychological experiment from they work faster but produce (Mark et
1969 by Edward Deci (echoing pioneering
(Pink, 2010) offer surprising insights experiments on rhesus macaques by Harry al. 2008) less. New computer and media
into the mechanisms of motivation. F. Harrow from 1949) showed that extrinsic ‘advances’ can thus be seen as placing
motivators (gifts) are counter-productive
Laboratory experiments highlight the in puzzle-solving tasks. The gifts distract new demands on cognitive processing
limitations of external rewards (such as the subject from the task and undermine and particularly on attention alloca-
the intrinsic motivation and the pleasure of
gifts or money) as incentives for creative performing the task itself. tion. Experiments have demonstrated
164
