Motivating Employees

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Free E-journal

Motivating Employees

Motivating Employees

1. Motivation is an inside job

The three C’s of Intrinsic Motivation

Collaboration

People feel more motivated to work hard when they are inspired to cooperate, when they have an opportunity to succeed. If you eliminate obstacles that hold individuals responsible for the success or failure of a project you create an environment that encourages natural motivation and team spirit.

Content

People feel more motivated to work hard how their work adds value to the organization, when they can appreciate how and what they are doing contributes to the work community. If you help your employees take interest and pride in their work, you’ll find the investment to be worthwhile. It’s even better if you can match the job to the employee.

Choice

People feel more motivated to work hard when they feel empowered to make decisions about their work. Find ways to allow and encourage your employees to make decisions and provide them with support and tools they need to do their work.

2 .Intrinsic Motivation and creating a bond with the organization

People stay late at work and will voluntarily finish the job.

Are your team members not motivated and do you have to think of the reorganize the following points?:

• Organizational fear or intimidation
• Bureaucracy or red tape
• Deadline pressures and anxiety
• Conflicting goals within the organization
• Lack of training
• Conflicts between short-term and long term organizational goals
• Lack of direction
• Unclear objectives
• Lack of time and resources to do the job
• Management not valuing frontline staff and their contributions

It is a fact of human nature: people are always motivated. The question is: what are they motivated to do? The key is to create an environment where team members are motivated to do a great job and they will if even more do so if certain values are being put into place:

• Built self-esteem in others by complimenting them on good work
• Show patience and concern
• Ask for input, then do something with it
• Let employees share responsibility for improving work process and train them to do this
• Appreciate the quiet workers, as well as the extroverts
• Share your vision and ask for ideas from others
• Teach others how to do things themselves and encourage them to do so
• Tie raises to performance, not to seniority
• Allow and encourage lateral moves
• Encourage problem solving and support the solutions employee come up with
• Show how employees’ efforts are meaningful by showing them their work adds value for the organization
• Interact and communicate with people
• Give employees something to be excited about

3. Manager’s Checklist for this chapter

• People are motivated to do what they believe is in their best interest
• You can’t motivate another person. You can only influence what he or she is motivated to do. And, as a Manager, you’re going ton influence that motivation, whether positively or negatively.
• People talk about motivation as being intrinsic or But it’s really only intrinsic, within each of us. What we call extrinsic motivation is really just external factors that effect our intrinsic motivation.
• Remember the three C’s: motivation / collaboration, content and choice
• The three forms of motivation that managers use most often are: fear, incentives and the opportunity for personnel growth. The first two can undermine motivation to perform. The last can help you encourage your employees to feel motivated to perform at high levels.

2. Working with human nature

Why, What, When and How Things Happen

Sometime we just can’t understand some people! What they do may surprise us. What they don’t do may disappoint us. What they do in unexpected ways my frustrate us.

The following concept theories show analyze some possible reasons for certain behaviour:

Theory X

• Work is inherently distasteful
• The average person is lazy and not ambitious
• People prefer close supervision
• Typical workers avoid responsibility
• The principal worker incentive is money
• Workers must be coerced or bribed to achieve the organization’s goals

Theory Y

• People enjoy work
• Work is as natural as play
• Recognition and self-fulfilment are as important as money
• Employees are committed to their work
• Employees exercise self-direction and seek responsibility
• Workers at all levels will exhibit creativity and ingenuity when given the chance

Control-Oriented Manager ( Theory X Approach)

• Makes decisions without the input of others
• Maintains control
• Is confident in the validity of his or her views
• Is goal orientated and sometime demanding
• May use pressure to reach objectives
• May use discipline with those who don’t do the job correctly
• Acts decisively and can confront poor performance
• Expects no criticism from the team

Empowerment-Orientated Manager (Theory Y Approach)

• Makes decision by consensus and helps others feel “ownership”
• Encourages creativity and initiative
• Coaches others and effectively facilitates the work of others
• Leads by example
• Gives recognition for work done well
• Helps people grow in their work and gain more responsibility
• Values and encourages teamwork

Assume the best

• The assumptions you make about employees motivations to perform affect how you interact with them. Assume the best about people, act on that and they’ll usually respond in kind. Sometimes, of course employees will need you to give them detailed directions on a task. Offer them a positive, supportive attitude and you can expect that employees will listen and do what you ask – and do it right.

Know what people drives

• Watch people doing their jobs. What turns them on or off? How do they prefer doing things? Give them the opportunity to use their own methods as long as are compatible with effectively getting the job done.
• Set up employee focus groups to find out what they would like from their work. Have them brainstorm ways to make work more fulfilling. Then don’t forget to act on their suggestions.
• Acknowledge that everyone is unique. Inquire about a person’s special talents and skills. You might uncover a diamond in the rough.
• Send out an employee survey about attitudes in the workplace and their suggestions for improvements. Don’t ignore the results. Use the findings to make changes that will improve everyone’s working condition, including yours.
• Conduct exit interviews with employees who leave voluntarily. Use what you learn to create a work environment that people won’t want to leave.
• Assume that personal growth and recognition, creativity and meaningful work are as important to your workers as they are to you. Ask employees to describe their ideal job and what they like or don’t like about their work.

Consider the following suggestions

How to meet physiological needs at work:

• Create a comfortable, safe and pleasant environment for employees.
• Remember its team work and not the single person or execution: