Disenchantment: Managing Motivation and Demotivation at Work

An essential guide to understanding the causes of disenchantment in the workplace, and how organisations can work to prevent it. Workplace disenchantment can cause major issues for organisations – productivity decreases, employees can turn actively destructive and individual health and well-being can deteriorate. Most people start a job happy enough and determined to do a good job – if they are lucky, they have found a job which suits their skills and values. They may be eager, hopeful and willing to be engaged. So when and why do they become disenchanted and demotivated? In this new book, Adrian Furnham and Luke Treglown look at several theories into job satisfaction and workplace motivation. They explore how much of a motivator money really is, and which personality profiles are more likely to lead to a disruptive, disenchanted employee. Disenchantment discusses the related and identifiable behaviours that very clearly lead to disenchantment, and how individuals and organisations can work to prevent this and boost motivation and engagement in a way that is practicable and sustainable. Keeping employees motivated takes more than just ensuring they’re not unhappy, and Disenchantment outlines some of the ways that organisations can manage this.

Table of Contents:
Dedication Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Nature of Work Motivation: Passion, energy, flow and enchantment Chapter 3: A Theory of Disenchantment Chapter 4: The Bad Apple & Bad Barrel Hypothesis Chapter 5: Organisational Honesty, Lying and Hypocrisy Chapter 6: A Sense of Fairness: Perceived Equity and Inequity Chapter 7: Bullying versus Respect Chapter 8: Trust and Distrust Chapter 9: A Kept Word versus a Broken Promise Chapter 10: Implications of Disenchantment and Case Studies References

About the Author :
Adrian Furnham is Professor of Psychology at UCL. He has written over 1200 scientific papers and 80 books, and is among the most well-known and productive psychologists in the world, noted for his motivational speaking. Adrian is a newspaper columnist, previously at the Financial Times and the Sunday Times and a regular blogger He has written regularly for the Daily Telegraph and is a regular contributor to national and international radio and television stations, including the BBC, CNN, and ITV. Luke Treglown is a postgraduate student at UCL and working on this topic for his PhD. Luke also works at JTIP analyzing and promoting CultureMetrics – a tool that identifies the root causes of disenchantment within organisations.

Review :
Superb insight into one of the most difficult areas of the workplace. This book should be required reading for C-suite and HR professionals alike. Adrian and Luke’s work is as timely as it is relevant, providing an analytical framework and practical advice to address disenchantment. Read this book to learn what motivates and what demotivates us at work. A great reference guide for leaders and organizations in understanding why people react the way they do, and breaks some popular assumptions about how to get the best and avoid the worst we often see around us or experience ourselves. In this briskly written and keenly observed book, Adrian and Luke toss aside the prevailing myths regarding the alleged power of Anglo-Saxon management techniques to explain why 70% of the modern workforce hate their jobs. This book thoroughly explains causes and effects … and by implication suggests what can be done to change malpractices. The book is inspiring and well written and is hereby recommended. Nails the key characteristics of poor managers, from arrogance and volatility through to habitual mistrust, and the consequence of this in the cultures and environments they create. This book gives a great insight into the shadow side of people, organizations and culture. It is a very engaging, challenging and important book that should read by everyeone interested in managing and caring for people at work … a must-read for HR professionals. If you want the kind of things that money can’t buy, then this book, another real page-turner from the Adrian Furnham stable, will come closest to buying you love and happiness. Adrian's and Luke’s work is challenging, practical, thoughtful and accessible. Reading this work stimulates thinking about the challenges and complexities of managing people. It goes way beyond the simplistic solutions posed by many of their contemporaries. A thought provoking read and good primer for being able to deal with reality as it unfolds.