DOCTORAL
THESES

Understanding what motivates us, what properly captures and explains the full range of such motivations, is essential in making good personal decisions and managing people in organisations. This book summarises all the existing theories of motivation in a simple framework conceived as a “map”; a practical map that will help us diagnosis our own motivations and those of people working in our organisations. The author defends that we are all driven in live and work to seek those things we consider ‘good’, the things we love. We all need to be loved, to love ourselves, to love others and to return love to God (in the case of believers) and therein lies happiness in life and work.

Once the internal logic of the map of motivations is understood and its coordinates recognised, the map allows four meanings of work to be identified and displayed in a hierarchical order: work understood as a job, a career, a calling and a higher calling. The understanding of these four meanings provides a compass to give directions to move through the map of motivations. The final chapter then offers a roadmap and suggests searching for higher meaningful work in organisations by seeking higher and better truly human goods, with greater love for our work. As Dr Donna Hicks (Harvard Associate) claims in the foreword, in this remarkable book, Manuel Guillén has provided the tools to learn how to create meaning, purpose and a life of fulfilment, not only for ourselves, but also for the organisations that enable us to do what we love.

Reference

Parra, M. G. (2021). Motivación en las organizaciones y sentido del trabajo. Tirant lo Blanch. View

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This paper explores some of the ethical assumptions implicit in the theories of human motivation that are most widespread in the academic field of business administration. The study argues that most of the theories of motivation that are traditionally included in management manuals present a view of human motivation in which moral values are lacking and that focuses exclusively on the interests of the individual. In dialogue with existing theories, the authors of this paper emphasize the need to rise above these amoral and non-transitive postulates and propose an expanded taxonomy of human motivations with the greatest potential to contribute to the humanization of business administration.

Reference

GUILLÉN, M.; FERRERO, I. Y HOFFMAN, M. (2012). “Towards a wider conception of the human motivations”. IECO Working Paper, 12-02. Valencia: IECO.

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This paper explores some of the implicit ethical assumptions in theories of human motivation most widespread in the academic field of Management. The study argues that most of the theories of motivation traditionally included in the manuals of Management presented a conception of human motivation in which moral values are absent, and is focused exclusively on the interest of the individual. Speaking to existing theories, the authors of this study support the need to overcome these amoral and not transitive postulates, and propose an expanded taxonomy of human motivation with the greatest potential to contribute to the humanization of Management.

Reference

Guillén, Manuel y Bañón, Alexis. (2012). “Hacia una comprensión más ética de las motivaciones humanas”. IECO Working Paper, 12-01. Valencia: IECO.

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The term “sustainability” is a relatively new addition to the popular vernacular, but the concept has ancient and universal roots. In the earliest days of Chinese civilization, the Taoists and Confucians showed a deep respect for nature by advocating an approach to life that was understood to be in accord with an ordered and balanced world.

Reference

BAÑÓN, A.; GUILLÉN, M.; HOFFMAN, M. y MCNULTY, R. (2010). “Rethinking the concept of sustainability”. IECO Working Paper, 10-01. Valencia: IECO.

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