What Motivates Nigerian Craftsmen in a Task Force Situation: A Case Study of ASCON

Irked by the attitude of craftsmen which most Nigerian public service managers perceive as laziness, unenthusiasm, fraudulence, etc, managers adopt the carrot‐and‐stick approach in managing craftsmen, but without any success. By the introduction of task forces under a direct labour policy, craftsmen took up the challenge and performed beyond expectations. What motivated craftsmen in the two task forces studied include, inter alia , desire to demonstrate competence, freedom to operate, reverse negative rating by superiors and recognition of self‐worth.