The relation between achievement motivation and leisure motivation amongst middle production supervisors working at a South Africa gold mine

Abstract

The need to improve individual and team performance was identified by Anglogold, the biggest South African gold mining company. The challenge is to remain profitable and to develop an adequate supply of quality managerial and supervisory material. It was concluded that a relatively high level of achievement motivation is needed to succeed as a manager or supervisor. Murry (1938) defines achievement motivation as "the desire to do things as rapidly and well as possible to accomplish something difficult. To master, manipulate and organize physical objects, human beings or ideas, to overcome obstacles and attain a high standard. To excel oneself. To increase self-regard by the successful exercise of talent." Using the multi- factorial achievement motivation questionnaire of cassidy & Lynn (1989), the empirical investigation indicates that middle production managers working at a South African gold mine have average achievement motivation levels . The most dominant values driving achievement are dominance and excellence. The human element needs unconditional consideration almost regardless of what aspect of productivity is being researched. The human element therefore needs to be researched in a holistic manner. Following the statement made by Freud (1930), that to be human is to "work and to love", the relationship between achievement motivation and leisure motivation, the research also included the Beard and Ragheb (1983) leisure motivation questionnaire. A positive relationship was found between achievement motivation and leisure motivation. Due to the influence of culture, and specifically organisational culture, in the development of values, these achievement and leisure values can be developed through appropriate developmental inputs