Motivation: Soichiro Honda

Jul 17
19:17

2007

Olivia Hunt

Olivia Hunt

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

It is necessary to analyze the way Honda created it within his corporation. Soichiro Honda had the clear aim and created a trustworthy atmosphere in the company.

mediaimage

His employees soon came to understand that poor performance would not be tolerated. People recognized his total determination to succeed and to establish an engineering business. Honda was a true leader with vision and passion. He was sufficiently aware of his own managerial shortcomings.

The employees called Honda ‘Mr. Thunder’ for his bursts of anger in answer to their mistakes. His employees loved him but they were afraid of his anger. Honda was not a perfect man. He admitted his mistakes: ‘When I look back at my work I understand I have made mistakes – many blunders,Motivation: Soichiro Honda Articles serious omissions. However, I am proud of my achievements. Although I made one mistake after the other, these mistakes and failures did not happen in connection with one and the same thing.’ (Peters & Waterman 1982) As a transformational leader Honda tended to see the big picture, but not the details.

Motivation is one of the major concepts of the human resource management. The research of motivation and its necessity for organization is closely connected with the Behavioral Management that arouse at the end of the Scientific Management era. Human resource management views an employee not as a machine but as a personality with its own goals and aspirations. The objective of managers is to build relationships in which workers would see themselves working with the manager, rather than working for a manager. Motivation can be defined as the process of arousing, directing, and maintaining behavior toward a goal. He points out that people are motivated to fulfill their needs. Companies view workers as being interdependent, meaning, managers cannot do their job without workers, and workers depend on their managers. Consequently, instead of management treating employees like machines, organizations should take a genuine interest in the employee and help them reach their goals. Human resource management supposes that if employees are happier at work the production would increase.

Soichiro Honda placed human initiative and attention to all workers on the first place. He tried to create a better environment for his employees, attract specialists and motivate them to do their work in the best possible way. Honda paid much attention to experimental work and did not accept attempts to control him or his corporation via the traditional caste system. He was the innovator and was against the hierarchy management structure: ‘On the whole, people work better if they are not forced and controlled.’ (Peters & Waterman 1982) This thought is proven by psychologists and new styles of management are very effective and should be used by others.

Honda understood that encouraging his worker’s personal development, their wish for self-actualization will bring him success in business. He was a passionate person. Honda did not admit defeat and could risk everything he had achieved for the sake of his beliefs and ideas. He is the embodiment of persistence. Soichiro Honda was a man with modern mentality and readiness to risk in order to invent something new. He is the example of persistence, modesty, and the ability to see his own mistakes as the most valuable achievements.