We have seen from Chapter 6 that conclusions on motivation are difficult to reach. There is no doubt that money motivates in many ways for many people much of the time but certainly not everybody all of the time. Even more perplexing, money can motivate up to a certain level but this differs greatly between individuals. To add further confusion, much of the research basis of Herzburg and Maslow have been disputed in recent years with results leading to varying conclusions.

For this reason, the reward area remains, in practice, an area of conflicting policies. Much of the private sector has adopted the expectancy and goal-setting approach, and aims to motivate the majority of its employees through pay for performance schemes based on the achievement of goals. In the public and voluntary sectors, on the other hand, the picture is very mixed with needs theories mostly to the fore and much concentration on the intrinsic satisfaction related to the job.