Viewpoint: The carrot or the stick? Available to Purchase

The influence of behavioural science on management and work practice has varied. Names such as Herzberg, McGregor and the like belong to the management museum. A number of factors have contributed to this. Partially, management became disillusioned; the promised results never materialised. For example, the number of successful job enrichment experiments could be counted in tens if not on the fingers of one hand. More detailed analysis reveals that even with those which could be rated as successful, there was more involved than work‐structuring per se. Invariably a greater element of feedback was built in to the new work method; additionally, more pay was involved.