One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?.

It's a manager's perennial question: 'How do I get an employee to do what I want?' The psychology of motivation is very complex, but the surest way of getting someone to do something is to deliver a kick in the pants - put bluntly, the KITA. Companies usually resort to positive KITAs, ranging from fringe benefits to employee counseling. But although a KITA might produce some change in behavior, it doesn't motivate. Frederick Herzberg, whose work influenced a generation of scholars and managers, likens motivation to an internal generator. An employee with an internal generator, he argues, needs no KITA. Achievement, recognition for achievement, the work itself, responsibility, and growth or advancement motivate people.