Each of the workers in the "Ancient Story" had very different views on the work they were doing, despite the fact that it was the same job. I believe this occurs rather frequently in a corporate environment because workers perception of their tasks and responsibilities can greatly differ. One employee, such as the first worker, may view their individual tasks as meaningless to the company and focus solely on the burden that is placed on them. As a result, they may complete the task at hand, but do so with a negative or disheartening attitude. Other employees, such as the last worker, can view their work as paramount to the success of the company and look at the "bigger picture" in terms of an end goal. These employees take pride in the work that they are doing and enjoy being apart of something potentially great.
If I were a manager, I would try to persuade my employees to act like the last worker by maximizing their valence, as well as enacting a system of positive reinforcement. I think one of the best techniques to use on subordinates would be to cater to their individualized needs. Some workers require different levels of reinforcement and I would try to be aware of what each worker needs in order to become successful, while maintaining a positive and reaffirming attitude. Each time a worker performed above expectation, I would reward them for their hard work, while emphasizing the value of that job well done. Hopefully this would improve morale and production at the same time.
I agree with your view that an employee might be doing his job to either meet the requirements or deadline but might find no satisfaction in doing it. Work like this will tend to be more mediocre compared to those employees who enjoy doing their job. Taking pride in your own work is essential and we must show it. Who knows what day top management might look at our work and get promoted for excelling at doing a great job for the company. That is a similar approach I took and believe is a tough but not impossible task.
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