Book

Address to the readers

You are holding in your hands a very special edition for us!

An edition that brings together the experience we have accumulated over 25 years in human resources management and in seeking solutions to enhance employee motivation.

Experience gained in classrooms and lecture halls, at conferences and roundtables, in thoughtful publications and research findings. Experience from dozens of trainings conducted over the years. And, of course, life experience.

When we developed the concept for this edition with Dr. Monika Icheva, as part of her doctoral research, the idea of the conceptual model “Motivation 4.0” gradually took shape and became a sustainable management tool, successfully implemented in numerous organizations and awarded prestigious prizes in competitions for best practices in Bulgaria. This encouraged us to further develop the model in several directions, aiming for continuous improvement in finding good practices that are suitable and applicable in the work of modern organizations, enhancing their effectiveness and efficiency.

“Motivation 4.0 – A Practical Model for Sustainable Organizational and Personal Development” is an enigma – besides its theoretical richness, it offers many practical ideas and tools aimed at developing sustainable practices and policies for employee motivation.

At the beginning of 2025, when we registered “Motivation 4.0” as a trademark, we did so with the clear understanding that we would develop a series of educational elements – in addition to the book, the full application of the model includes a board learning game, self-reflection cards, and other innovative products, which we continue to develop and update. They can be used together – complementing each other beautifully – or individually, providing excellent opportunities for personal and organizational development through active application in practice.

In this context, this edition summarizes the practical and research experience of its authors and represents an effort to bring together both current theoretical frameworks and a wide selection of proven practical tools for enhancing human resource management effectiveness through efficient motivation.

Accordingly, the book “Motivation 4.0 – A Practical Model for Sustainable Organizational and Personal Development”, besides being aimed at students and learners, is also intended for managers and change leaders seeking innovative and sustainable solutions for employee development.

The authors express their sincere gratitude to:

– The reviewers – Prof. Dr. Miroslava Peycheva, Prof. Dr. Yanitsa Dimitrova, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitrina Stefanova for their critical notes and creative ideas;
– Dr. Vesela Serafimova – scientific editor and proofreader of the edition, a full member of the team in developing and establishing the model in practice, for her patience and meticulous work;
– Those who provided opinions – Pavel Ivanov, Executive Director of the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) at the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria; Dr. Dusho Gavazov, Mayor of the Municipality of Mаglizh; Dr. Antonina Kardasheva, Executive Director and founder of the “Foundation for Developing Emotional Intelligence”; Silvia Daskalova, Executive Director of the “Association of Municipal Secretaries in Bulgaria” (NASO RB); and Diana Dimitrova, Chair of the Board of the “Association of Communications Specialists in Municipalities” (ASKO) – for their high professionalism and support;
– The municipal administrations and dozens of employees through whom we had the opportunity to develop, test, and turn the model into a real management tool;
– Our students, who served as a serious “proofreader” for some ideas in the book and were an essential part of its formation;
– The artist Atanas Donchev, for allowing us to use his painting “On Time and Space” for the cover design. The painting has an interesting story and is connected to the book. The Municipality of Mаglizh gifted it to Prof. Dr. Vasilev on 24.05.2024 as a symbol of high appreciation for the joint work, including the implementation of the model in administrative practice.

Thank you!

This is not just a book, nor just another model or theory. Through “Motivation 4.0”, we create a space where people can become more motivated, more connected, and more purposeful – through models, experiences, and community.

We will conclude this message with the words of the great writer George Bernard Shaw: “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.”

Let’s create them together – for a better future for those who come after us!

From the Authors

Table of Contents

1. Theories of motivation. Both contemporary and traditional theoretical frameworks for understanding motivation.
2. Motivation and organizational culture.
3. The „Motivation 4.0“ concept and methodology is a workable plan for long-term organizational and personal growth.

4. Motivation and Emotional Intelligence.
5. Relationships at work; establishing and growing; interacting with newly hired staff members. Motivation and Onboarding Initiatives.
6. Effective Communication Process and Emotional Intelligence.

7. Storytelling and Motivation.
8. Benchmarking as a Management Tool.
9. Change as an Element of Motivation.

10. Organizational Trust, Motivation, and Corporate Social Responsibility.
11. Controlling Motivation under Emergency Circumstances.
12. Motivation and Team Effectiveness.

13. Green Human Resource Management (GHRM).
14. From ideas to sustainable practices – „Well-Being“, „Mindfulness“ and „Resilience“ concepts. „Burnout“ and „Boreout“ effects.
15. Green leadership – from theory to practice in search of sustainable solutions for motivation. Motivation through values.