The Truth About Managing People, Third Edition

Truth 49. Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job

Does everyone want a challenging job? In spite of all the attention focused by the media, academicians, and social scientists on human potential and the needs of individuals, there is no evidence to support that the vast majority of workers want challenging jobs. Some individuals prefer highly complex and challenging jobs; others prosper in simple, routine work.

The individual-difference variable that seems to gain the greatest support for explaining who prefers a challenging job and who doesn’t is the strength of an individual’s needs for personal growth and self-direction at work. Individuals with these higher-order growth needs are more responsive to challenging work. What percentage of rank-and-file ...