Creating higher motivation

A group of leading business owners in Guam met for breakfast to brainstorm a list of topics that they felt would contribute to better customer service in their organizations. After a number of ideas were shared, the group was asked to prioritize the list. When the votes were tabulated, it was revealed that their number one concern was: “How to keep everyone’s motivation at a high level?”

It’s interesting to note that about a year earlier, a number of managers and business owners met on Saipan to discuss how the Northern Marianas College could better prepare students for employment. The second top expectation these business owners desired of a new hire is to be motivated. The reason it ranks so high for business owners in Guam and on Saipan is because it is an issue in almost every business, and it is rare to find a person who takes initiative to do something when it needs to be done.

In order to create more initiative in his students, Rik gives the students in his business class an assignment to turn in research on a business project they will work on as a group. Early in the semester, they are given a paper that explains the different things they can do for credit, and are given four deadlines. They are also told that the purpose behind this assignment is to test their initiative. When they get a job they may be given an assignment and a deadline to complete it, but their boss will probably not coddle them and remind them regularly about the work that needs to be done. Instead, it is expected that the assignment will be complete when the deadline arrives.

These students are even told that, from past experience, less than 25 percent will turn in work by the first deadline. Invariably, that percentage holds true when the first deadline arrives. Students will protest that they weren’t reminded and forgot about it. By the second deadline, though, about 50 percent will accomplish the work, and it steadily gets better until all are turning in research by the last deadline.

Frederick Herzberg surmised that the extrinsic factors that create job dissatisfaction, when they are perceived to be inadequate, are called hygiene factors. They include things like working conditions, status, relationship with peers and subordinates, job security, and pay. These factors do not motivate people to work harder when increased, they just provide contentment. To improve performance, Herzberg suggested certain factors, called motivators, which fosters intrinsic motivation and increased job satisfaction. Motivators include the work environment itself, giving greater responsibility, having a sense of achievement, receiving recognition, and providing opportunities for growth and enhancement.

There are a number of theories on motivation that contributes to create a better understanding of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation in individuals. The big mistake most managers make is to think that they can motivate anyone. The truth is, you as a manager can’t motivate anyone. You can only create an environment where motivated people can perform at the best, and encourages the rest to do better. In other words, your people are ultimately self-motivated; however, you can arrange the elements within your organization that will help them motivate themselves. You will only be effective if your people want to be self-motivated.

This may be a hard pill to swallow for supervisors who are frustrated with their employee’s lack of motivation. Some people are naturally motivated, while others need a more nurturing environment before they demonstrate motivation in their behavior and attitude.

What can you do to create an environment that encourages workers to take initiative and exhibit a high level of motivation? Although there is not a simple set of guidelines to follow, here are some ideas that may help you.

Be very selective and make sure the people you hire people are already motivated. It is easier to find a motivated person and keep them motivated on the job, than it is to take a person in your workforce who lacks motivation, and then try to light a fire under him. If you are looking for the “cheapest” employee to hire, you will usually get what you pay for.

Match people to the jobs they love to do. High achievers should have jobs that allow them to set challenging goals and provide feedback during implementation. Also ensure they have the resources for them to achieve their goals. This will create intrinsic motivation that will cause them to maintain a high performance level.

Set attainable goals with your staff. There is a lot of research that suggest that managers should ensure employees have challenging, specific goals, and feedback on how they are doing. Make sure your employees feel confident that their increased efforts can lead to achieving the goals.

Individualize rewards so they meet each person’s needs. Don’t expect everyone to be motivated by the same things. People have different needs, and you should understand those differences when rewards are awarded.

Base your rewards on performance. You can also ensure that the rewards are highly visible so that they encourage others to realize the rewards. Also, even though money is not considered a motivator itself, it can improve performance if it is linked to performance-based wage increases, piecework bonuses, and other pay incentives.

Recognize the power of recognition. This is a low-cost, but highly desirable way to motivate people to do their best. Most employees are starved for recognition, and a little can go a long way.

Good luck in your efforts to keep everyone’s self-motivation at a high level. Motivated employees are a rare breed, but if you are careful in your hiring practices, and foster a high-performance work environment, you will find great satisfaction among everyone and in the performance levels you will achieve.

(Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. They can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)