Just for the Money? What really motivates us at work
Author: Adrian Furnham with Tom Booth
Price: £9.99
Publisher: Cyan Marshall Cavendish
Pages: 152
ISBN: 1-904879-50-0
This is a detailed exploration of money and the role it plays in our lives. It is divided into three sections: money at work; money and the individual; and money in society.
The title is misleading, however. I would be a little annoyed if I had bought this book as an HR professional thinking it would be an in-depth guide to motivation at work. In fact, there are really only four pages on what motivates people at work. These pages contain 17 points – none of which are particularly new – such as ‘provide regular feedback to all staff’.
The most useful concept explored by the author for HR professionals is how money can act as a demotivator – for instance, if high performance requires teamwork, how does that square with a group of workers chasing the same incentive and competing with each other? Apart from this example, the book fails to deliver much that is new.
It verges on the irresponsible to offer a test of how you approach money matters with the instructions ‘the more frequently you tick always [in answer to 20 statements], the less sane and healthy you are’, without follow-up advice.
Overall, if you are looking to read a book on money and its impact then this is probably for you. If you have the leisure time to engage with it, Just for the Money is a ‘nice to read’ rather than a ‘must read’ for the HR audience.
Useful? 1 star
Well-written? 4 stars
Practical? 1 star
Inspirational? 1 star
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Value for money? 1 star
Overall 2 stars
