Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice

A seminal work in the field of motivation by the leading author on the topic, this classic has been fully revised and updated to include and distill the most current research from top international scholars. Drawing upon his experiences as a staff psychologist and consultant, Gary P. Latham writes in a mentor voice that is highly personal and rich in examples, providing a unique behavioral science framework for motivating employees in organizational settings. The book offers a chronological review of the field, and a taxonomy for the study and practice of motivation, complete with anecdotes about the major thought leaders in the field of motivation and behind-the-scenes research accounts. Highlights of this updated edition include new findings in goal-setting research, including insight into the dark side of goal-setting; more on the self in motivation, including self-regulated learning, self-evaluation methods, and the significance of self-efficacy as a predictor of performance and satisfaction; and more trending in the area of positive psychology and prosocial behavior in organizations.

Author: Gary P. Latham
Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
Published: 12/05/2011
Pages: 456
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781412990936

About the Author

Gary Latham is the Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Effectiveness in the Rotman School School of Management at the University of Toronto. He is a Past President of the Canadian Psychological Association, a Fellow of the Academy of Management, the American Psychological Association, American Psychological Society, Canadian Psychological Association, and the Royal Society of Canada. He is the only person to receive both the awards for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology as a Profession and as a Science from the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology. He is also the recipient of the Scholarly Practitioner and the Heneman Career Achievement Award from the Academy of Management Human Resource Division. He is the co-author of A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance with Edwin A. Locke; and Increasing Productivity through Performance Appraisal, and Developing and Training Human Resources, both with K. N. Wexley.