alienation

alienation A feeling of detachment that causes employees to believe that their work is neither a relevant nor an important part of their life. Because conflicts and disputes, leading to underperformance, can be caused by alienation, managers need to be aware of its existence and its causes if they are to improve relationships within a workforce. Some of the principal causes of alienation are: • powerlessness – the inability to influence work conditions, quality, volume, etc.; • meaninglessness – an absence of recognition of the contribution made by the individual to the output of work; • isolation – the absence of human interaction during working hours; this may result from the nature of the location or a psychological gap between individuals and their supervisors and managers; • low self-esteem – a reflection of the lack of value placed on individuals by an organization and its managers; • loss of identity with the organization – the absence of pride in working for the organization, reinforced by the feeling that the individual's personal commitment is not recognized either financially or psychologically; • lack of prospects – a feeling of frustration at being trapped in a situation that offers little prospect of advancement; • lack of equality – a result of strict differentiation between the grades and levels in a hierarchical organization. Only by addressing these causes can managers achieve groups of people who feel pride in their work, supported in solving their problems, and rewarded for their skills and effort. See motivation; organizational commitment.