The question of how to motivate people to do their best work has always been a challenge for executives and managers. The “carrot and stick” approach of rewards and punishment has been the traditional method for inspiring worker motivation.
South Dakota State University management and economics professor George Langelett believes that incentives and rewards aren’t what motivate today’s highly-skilled employees. He argues that since humans are emotional creatures, any management theory that doesn’t address the emotional side of human nature is inherently flawed. He says lasting and meaningful employee motivation comes from a manager’s ability to empathize. Langelett writes about this approach in the new book, “How Do I Keep My Employees Motivated? The Practice of Empathy-Based Management.” He joined Dakota Midday and discussed why an empathy-based approach is effective in today's workplace.