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26 Emp. Resp. & Rts. J. 1 (2014)

handle is hein.journals/emprrj26 and id is 1 raw text is: Employ Respons Rights J (2014) 26:1-20
DOI 10.1007/s10672-013-9230-1
Evaluating Moral Issues in Motivation Theories: Lessons
from Marketing and Advertising Practices
Tamar Shultz
Published online: 22 August 2013
O Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
Abstract Motivation theories in the management and organizational behavior literature rep-
resent researchers' attempts to understand the processes that cause people to act productively in
the context of the employment relationship, for the benefit of their employers (Miner
Organizational behavior, performance and productivity New-York: Random-House 1988).
These theories attempt to develop tools that will enable managers to make their employees'
behavior cost-effective and directed toward the achievement of the organization's goals. From
this perspective, motivational and marketing practices are quite similar, especially if we
compare motivational and advertising practices. The goal of both is to propel people into
behaving in a way that will benefit the organization. This paper examines what the well-
developed criticism of advertising and marketing practices can teach us about the use of
motivational practices in work organizations. Following Bishop's (Business Ethics Quarterly
10: 371-398, 2000) framework of the moral issues raised by ads, this paper critically investi-
gates the moral meaning of classic motivational theories and practices and their implications for
both theoreticians and practitioners.
Keywords Motivation theories - Ethics
Introduction
Critical theories in organizational behavior studies aim at exposing the ideology behind the
theories used in the field (Alvesson and Willmott 1992). They offer a different perspective on
managerial functionalist theories that are widely used in organizations. Their main argument is
that prevailing theories in management and organizational behavior are oversimplified and
dominated by mechanical and managerial perspectives which are devoted to achieving organi-
zational effectiveness and efficiency, what Lyotard (1984) called performativity, assuming the
unity of goals between employers and employees (Willmott 1997), and giving precedence to
performance over social welfare (Walsh and Weber 2002).
Critical theorists view the mainstream management theories as an ideology reproduced by
organizational and management practices while inhibiting and distorting social development
T. Shultz (E)
Netanya Academic College, School of Behavioral Sciences, Netanya, Israel
e-mail: tamishu@gmail.com

4Z Springer

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