Underlying Philosophy of Self-determination Theory and Motivation. Importance of Understanding Motivation as Philosophical-anthropological Concept for Organisational Sciences

Disertacija promatra tri sadržajne teorije motivacije i uspoređuje ih s idejama o ljudskoj naravi kroz povijest filozofije. Tri promatrane teorije su teorija Abrahama Maslowa, Frederica Herzberga i Teorija samoodređenja. Propozicije o ljudskoj naravi iz tih teorija se uspoređuju sa propozicijama o ljudskoj naravi u Aristotelovoj, Humeovoj i Kantovoj filozofiji. Kroz tu usporedbu ocrtana je skica povijesti ideja o ljudskoj naravi. Ova tema je važna jer danas menadžment i sve njegove poddiscipline imaju snažan utjecaj na učinkovitost poslovanja i moguće je da, usprkos postavljenim ekstrinzičnim politikama motivacije, nema očekivanih boljih rezultata. Razlog leži u tome što ekstrinzični čimbenici motivacije ne utječu na „ljudskog“ zaposlenika nego samo na različite biološke čimbenike. Ako se ova razlika razumije tada slijede dvije pozitivne posljedice. Zaposlenicima je bolje jer se uzimaju kao cjelovita bića. Drugo, tvrtkama je bolje jer se postižu bolji rezultati. Zbog toga je cilj ove disertacije istražiti i verificirati zahtjev za podrobnim filozofskim razumijevanjem ljudske naravi i djelovanja u suvremenim organizacijskim znanostima. Uz to, dana je i skica filozofsko antropološkog nauka spomenutih autora.Thesis looks at three content theories of motivation and compares them with the ideas about human beings found in history of philosophy. Three theories discussed are Maslow’s, Herzberg, and Self-Determination theory and they are compared to Aristotle’s, Hume’s and Kant’s philosophy on human nature. The objective of this thesis is to research and verify the requirement of substantive philosophical understanding of human nature and action in modern organizational sciences. In addition, an outline of philosophical anthropological teachings of the authors in question is given. This matters because today management and all its sub disciplines have a large impact on the effective operations of any business enterprises. From an organizational perspective it also matters because without understanding what human beings are it is possible that despite extrinsic motivational policies being in place, there is no evidence of expected higher performance. Philosophical anthropology provides a framework for deeper conceptual understanding of the phenomena in question. The existence of such framework is evidenced by comparing themes discussed by theorists of motivation and philosophies of human nature. Same themes are present in both philosophy and motivation science. In addition, philosophical anthropology is important for management science because in the end management practice will be set in accordance to what one assumes about human nature. By not being familiar with the underlying principles of human nature it is possible that organizational policies are implemented for the wrong reasons. Even more, ignoring philosophical insights on human condition, and philosophy behind the theories can hurt people

A Bridge Too Far: Abraham Maslow’s Bridging the Is-Ought Gap

In this paper the authors argue for creation of management practices based on several facts about human beings. This is done by stating bridge propositions between what is found to be (facts), and what ought to be done (oughts). They attempt to justify that it is not too big of a gap. Contrarywise, not bridging it has serious consequences for any business enterprise. Concerning the Is-Ought Gap, Maslow implicitly claims something like “Don’t Mind the Gap”, because there is not one

Underlying Philosophy of Self-determination Theory and Motivation. Importance of Understanding Motivation as Philosophical-anthropological Concept for Organisational Sciences

Disertacija promatra tri sadržajne teorije motivacije i uspoređuje ih s idejama o ljudskoj naravi kroz povijest filozofije. Tri promatrane teorije su teorija Abrahama Maslowa, Frederica Herzberga i Teorija samoodređenja. Propozicije o ljudskoj naravi iz tih teorija se uspoređuju sa propozicijama o ljudskoj naravi u Aristotelovoj, Humeovoj i Kantovoj filozofiji. Kroz tu usporedbu ocrtana je skica povijesti ideja o ljudskoj naravi. Ova tema je važna jer danas menadžment i sve njegove poddiscipline imaju snažan utjecaj na učinkovitost poslovanja i moguće je da, usprkos postavljenim ekstrinzičnim politikama motivacije, nema očekivanih boljih rezultata. Razlog leži u tome što ekstrinzični čimbenici motivacije ne utječu na „ljudskog“ zaposlenika nego samo na različite biološke čimbenike. Ako se ova razlika razumije tada slijede dvije pozitivne posljedice. Zaposlenicima je bolje jer se uzimaju kao cjelovita bića. Drugo, tvrtkama je bolje jer se postižu bolji rezultati. Zbog toga je cilj ove disertacije istražiti i verificirati zahtjev za podrobnim filozofskim razumijevanjem ljudske naravi i djelovanja u suvremenim organizacijskim znanostima. Uz to, dana je i skica filozofsko antropološkog nauka spomenutih autora.Thesis looks at three content theories of motivation and compares them with the ideas about human beings found in history of philosophy. Three theories discussed are Maslow’s, Herzberg, and Self-Determination theory and they are compared to Aristotle’s, Hume’s and Kant’s philosophy on human nature. The objective of this thesis is to research and verify the requirement of substantive philosophical understanding of human nature and action in modern organizational sciences. In addition, an outline of philosophical anthropological teachings of the authors in question is given. This matters because today management and all its sub disciplines have a large impact on the effective operations of any business enterprises. From an organizational perspective it also matters because without understanding what human beings are it is possible that despite extrinsic motivational policies being in place, there is no evidence of expected higher performance. Philosophical anthropology provides a framework for deeper conceptual understanding of the phenomena in question. The existence of such framework is evidenced by comparing themes discussed by theorists of motivation and philosophies of human nature. Same themes are present in both philosophy and motivation science. In addition, philosophical anthropology is important for management science because in the end management practice will be set in accordance to what one assumes about human nature. By not being familiar with the underlying principles of human nature it is possible that organizational policies are implemented for the wrong reasons. Even more, ignoring philosophical insights on human condition, and philosophy behind the theories can hurt people

Underlying Philosophy of Self-determination Theory and Motivation. Importance of Understanding Motivation as Philosophical-anthropological Concept for Organisational Sciences

Disertacija promatra tri sadržajne teorije motivacije i uspoređuje ih s idejama o ljudskoj naravi kroz povijest filozofije. Tri promatrane teorije su teorija Abrahama Maslowa, Frederica Herzberga i Teorija samoodređenja. Propozicije o ljudskoj naravi iz tih teorija se uspoređuju sa propozicijama o ljudskoj naravi u Aristotelovoj, Humeovoj i Kantovoj filozofiji. Kroz tu usporedbu ocrtana je skica povijesti ideja o ljudskoj naravi. Ova tema je važna jer danas menadžment i sve njegove poddiscipline imaju snažan utjecaj na učinkovitost poslovanja i moguće je da, usprkos postavljenim ekstrinzičnim politikama motivacije, nema očekivanih boljih rezultata. Razlog leži u tome što ekstrinzični čimbenici motivacije ne utječu na „ljudskog“ zaposlenika nego samo na različite biološke čimbenike. Ako se ova razlika razumije tada slijede dvije pozitivne posljedice. Zaposlenicima je bolje jer se uzimaju kao cjelovita bića. Drugo, tvrtkama je bolje jer se postižu bolji rezultati. Zbog toga je cilj ove disertacije istražiti i verificirati zahtjev za podrobnim filozofskim razumijevanjem ljudske naravi i djelovanja u suvremenim organizacijskim znanostima. Uz to, dana je i skica filozofsko antropološkog nauka spomenutih autora.Thesis looks at three content theories of motivation and compares them with the ideas about human beings found in history of philosophy. Three theories discussed are Maslow’s, Herzberg, and Self-Determination theory and they are compared to Aristotle’s, Hume’s and Kant’s philosophy on human nature. The objective of this thesis is to research and verify the requirement of substantive philosophical understanding of human nature and action in modern organizational sciences. In addition, an outline of philosophical anthropological teachings of the authors in question is given. This matters because today management and all its sub disciplines have a large impact on the effective operations of any business enterprises. From an organizational perspective it also matters because without understanding what human beings are it is possible that despite extrinsic motivational policies being in place, there is no evidence of expected higher performance. Philosophical anthropology provides a framework for deeper conceptual understanding of the phenomena in question. The existence of such framework is evidenced by comparing themes discussed by theorists of motivation and philosophies of human nature. Same themes are present in both philosophy and motivation science. In addition, philosophical anthropology is important for management science because in the end management practice will be set in accordance to what one assumes about human nature. By not being familiar with the underlying principles of human nature it is possible that organizational policies are implemented for the wrong reasons. Even more, ignoring philosophical insights on human condition, and philosophy behind the theories can hurt people

A Fictitious Social Contract as the Basis of a Real Society

U tekstu autori izlažu teoriju društvenog ugovora kao prividnog i nasuprot njemu postavljaju kriterij hipotetičkoga državnog ugovora. Također zaključuju da je rasprava između zastupnika društvenog ugovora i prirodnog zakona promašena jer obje teorije imaju načelne nedostatke i njima se međusobno „nadopunjuju“. U posljednjem odjeljku nastoje prikazati ublaženu teoriju ugovora kao hipotetičkoga državnog ugovora primijenjenu na ekonomski ugovor među skupinama interesnih dionika (stakeholders) kao teoriju i skup načela koja su unatoč teorijskim poteškoćama solidna heuristička sredstva u rješavanju praktičnih situacija uravnoteženja zahtjeva interesnih skupina poslovnih subjekata ili pak u situacijama rješavanja sukoba među istim skupinama.In this paper the authors present the social contract theory as being fictitious and they propose, in contrast thereto, a hypothetical government contract. Also, they conclude that the debate between advocates of the social contract theory and natural law is a failed attempt at dialogue since both theories have fundamental flaws which «complement» each other. In the last section the authors endeavour to present a tempered version of a contract theory in the form of a hypothetical government contract applied to an economic contract between stakeholder groups, as a theory and a set of principles which can, theoretical difficulties put aside, be a solid heuristic tool in resolving the practical issue of balancing the demands of various interest groups within business enterprises and in resolving conflict situations between these groups

Dobrobiti poznavanja filozofije za organizacijske znanosti: Primjer Aristotelove filozofije i teorije samoodređenja

U članku autori opisuju utjecaj Aristotelove filozofije na razvitak teorije samo–određenja u motivacijskim znanostima te istražuju njezin današnji utjecaj za koji se tvrdi kako ga manjka, pogotovo približavajući se praksi. Na kraju se predlažu moguće dobrobiti ponovnoga povezivanja filozofije i organizacijskih znanosti kako za zaposlenike, tako i za organizacije.In the article the authors describe the effect of Aristotel’s philosophy on the development of the self–determination theory in the motivational sciences. They explore its impact today, which seems to be lacking especially in regard to praxis. The authors conclude the article by suggesting the possible benefits for employees as well as organizations of renewing links between philosophy and the organizational sciences

Kann man über Moral in niederen Arten sprechen? De Waals Theorie und die damit verbundenen Diskussionen

Moralnost je obilježje koje se pridjeva čovjekovu djelovanju na temelju njegova slaganja ili neslaganja sa standardima odnosno pravilima kojima se ono regulira. To, naravno, pretpostavlja da su čovjekova djelovanja, s jedne strane, slobodna i odgovorna, a da s druge strane, postoje standardi i pravila prema kojima ljudsko ponašanje treba biti usklađeno. Oko ovoga drugoga, kao što je poznato, postoje neslaganja, o kojima međutim ovdje nije riječ. Naprotiv, ovdje se postavlja pitanje je li moralnost isključivo kvaliteta ljudskoga djelovanja ili je se pak može naći ne samo kod najbližih primata nego i kod nižih vrsta? U tom se okviru neminovno postavlja pitanje o mogućem evolucijskom razvoju čovjekove moralnosti. Ovaj članak iznosi na vidjelo rezultate istraživanja nekih životinjskih ponašanja koja bi se na prvi pogled mogla okarakterizirati kao moralna. Tako se objašnjavaju pojave altruističkog ponašanja, empatije, osjećaja za reciprocitet, pravednost, socijalnu stabilnost. Ovakva istraživanja mogu nesumnjivo pripomoći u razumijevanju posebnosti čovjekove moralnosti, no puno toga ostaje neodgovoreno i otvoreno za daljnja istraživanja.Die Moral ist ein Merkmal, das dem menschlichen Handeln angehört aufgrund seiner Übereinstimmung oder Nichtübereinstimmung mit Standards u Regeln, die es regulieren. Dies setzt natürlich voraus, dass menschliche Handlungen auf der einen Seite frei und verantwortlich sind und dass es auf der anderen Seite Standards und Regeln gibt, mit denen das menschliche Handeln übereinstimmen soll. Über das letztere, wie es bekannt ist, gibt es Unterschiede, von denen jedoch hier nicht die Rede ist. Hier im Gegenteil ist die Frage, ob die Moral ausschließlich Qualität des menschlichen Handelns ist, oder kann sie, nicht nur bei nächstgelegenen Primaten, sondern auch bei niederen Spezies gefunden werden. In diesem Zusammenhang stellt sich zwangsläufig die Frage einer möglichen evolutionären Entwicklung der menschlichen Moral. Dieser Artikel zeigt die Forschungsergebnisse bestimmten tierischen Verhaltens auf, welche auf den ersten Blick als moralisch charakterisiert werden könnten. So werden Auftreten von altruistischem Verhalten, Empathie, Gefühl der Reziprozität, Fairness und sozialer Stabilität erklärt. Solche Forschung kann sicherlich die Einzigartigkeit der menschlichen Moral zu verstehen helfen, aber vieles bleibt noch ungeantwortet und offen für die weitere Forschung

Škvorc on Marxism

Pomoćni zagrebački biskup, isusovac Mijo Škvorc (1919.-1989.) bio je plodan na mnogim područjima duhovnoga stvaranja, o čemu ne svjedoče samo njegova objavljena djela nego i bogata ostavština koja još nije u potpunosti istražena. Budući da je Škvorc kao isusovac bio profesor filozofije na isusovačkom Filozofsko-teološkom institutu u Zagrebu, veoma je dobro poznavao povijest filozofije, osobito naravno klasičnu skolastičku filozofiju aristotelovske provenijencije, zatim filozofiju egzistencije, ali također i marksističku misao. Autori u svojem izravnom pristupu Škvorčevim tekstovima kao i njihovu tumačenju žele iznijeti na vidjelo Škvorčev stav prema marksizmu, toč- nije prema marksističkom shvaćanju religiozne, antropološke, etičke te socijalne problematike. Osim toga, pisci žele podsjetiti i na glavne teme povijesne rasprave koju je Škvorc vodio 1967. s hrvatskim praksisovcem profesorom Brankom Bošnjakom (1923.- 1996.). Ta se rasprava zacijelo može smatrati početkom dijaloga kršćana i marksistana ovim prostorima.The auxiliary Bishop of Zagreb, the Jesuit Mijo Škvorc (1919-1989), was prolific in many areas of spirituality, a fact supported not only by his published works, but also by a rich legacy that has not been fully explored yet. Since Škvorc was a professor of Philosophy at the Jesuit Philosophical-Theological Institute in Zagreb, he was wellversed in the history of philosophy, especially, of course, classical scholastic philosophy of Aristotelian provenance, and the philosophy of existence, but also Marxist thought. Through a direct approach to texts by Škvorc and their interpretation, the authors set out to reveal Škvorc’s attitude toward Marxism, specifically to the Marxist understanding of religious, anthropological, ethical and social issues. Furthermore, they seek to highlight the major themes of historical debate led by Škvorc in 1967, with Professor Branko Bošnjak (1923-1996), the Croatian praxis philosopher. This debate certainly can be considered as the beginning of a dialogue between Christians and Marxists in this region