Managing for Motivation as Public Performance Improvement Strategy in Education & Far Beyond

8 This is reminiscent of the Saturday Night Live sketch “More Cowbell.” In recording a song (Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper”), one band member in the sketch (Will Ferrell), supported by the band’s manager (Christopher Walken), decides to ignore the wishes of the rest of the band, and attempt to resolve any problem with the song with additional banging on a cowbell. [...] In the sections below I endeavor to provide a convincing answer as to “why”, and establish that it is indeed the case that management practice alters the motivation of existing employees who remain on the job, as well as influencing who chooses to exit, and who to enter, the agency. [...] I also find in empirical work in Thailand that the mission motivation and behavior of district-level public servants is strongly influenced by the management practice of district heads.41 The more employees feel they are trusted and supported in the exercise of their judgment the more mission motivated they are, and the more they in turn value citizens’ welfare over other concerns (e.g. [...] In their work in Nigeria, Imran Rasul and Dan Rogger find that the more Route Y the management approach, the more likely projects are to be completed across the Nigerian civil service; the more Route X the management approach, the less likely project completion. [...] The right question, however, is not “Is it possible discretion will be abused?” but rather “What is the net benefit of an increase in discretion – the benefits, as compared to the costs?” The answer depends on the nature of the task, the ability to monitor, and the people you can recruit.