Did you know that if you're really motivated at work you could be up to fifty per cent more productive? Expert in motivational theory, Richard E Clark says, "Many of the gaps between performance and the levels required to achieve business goals are caused by a lack of motivation, not a lack of knowledge and skills." Given this you'd think that organisations would be clambering to set up motivational programmes. And yet so many companies instead focus on dubious process implementations that have little effect on productivity. It would be better if they could work out how to get their employees excited, stimulated and interested in their work.
How do you motivate people? One of the earliest studies was done in the 1920's at the Hawthorne Works, Chicago. The trial looked at the effect of lighting on factory workers. Firstly they tried turning the lights up and were pleased to see that productivity increased. Next they tried turning the lights down and were slightly perplexed to see that productivity went up again. Finally they tried keeping the lights constant; the resultproductivity improved once more. They concluded that workers respond to a change. The implication is that we should constantly look to freshen up the work environment: a new management approach, a new incentive scheme or maybe just a change of desks!
What other things motivate us? People are often surprised that research shows money is usually not a big motivator. More salary is good for a while, but most of us soon accommodate the extra money into our life styles. Before long we hardly notice the extra cash.
So what does stimulate us at work? Achievement, the work itself, recognition, responsibility and advancement are high on motivational study's lists. As a line manager this is good news. We can often have a direct effect on these factors with little effect on our budgets. To do so though we need to get to know our teams. What do they like to do, where do they see their careers going, what skills would they like to expand on? We can then try to delegate in a motivational way. Give people work they're interested and stimulated by. Give them work that will stretch them a little so they feel a sense of achievement when completed. And instead of delegating individual tasks, we can try to give areas of responsibility. All these things can have a dramatic effect on work-place morale.
What about recognition as a motivator? People often feel their good work goes unnoticed whereas mistakes are spotted immediately. So if you see someone in your team doing something good, why not congratulate him or her? It could be very uplifting for them. Recognition is something to be careful with though. People can spot insincerity, so mean it, if you say it. Some people don't like to be recognised. Giving them a hearty slap on the back in front of everyone could embarrass them. So once again, we need to understand our team, to know how they will respond to this approach.
There are a number of important motivational ideas in the Hierarchy of Human Needs written by psychologist Abraham Maslow. The theory says that there are different levels of human desires, we need to satisfy the lower levels, before we can move on to the higher ones. At the bottom we have biological wants; such as food, water and shelter. Then come psychological needs such as a group to belong to and a sense of status and self esteem within this group. Finally we search for a sense of personal growth. Many of these can be satisfied within the work environment. We can create a team spirit, so our people have a sense of belonging. We can give people status and self-esteem within the team. How we do this can vary considerably depending on the people and the environment. I once worked at a company where the size of your desk showed where you were in the pecking order. I remember one man getting quite upset that his new desk was six inches smaller than his last one!
The truly great companies take a lot deal of time thinking about how to motivate their staff. Google is a good example. They want to create the ultimate in motivational environments. Look at the Youtube video of their new office in Zurich. There are fireman's poles to move from one floor to the other, rooms within cable cars and relaxation sofas. They also let their workers spend 20% of their week on a personal project. Many great ideas have been spawned from this, such as Google Earth. Now I'm not suggesting you start ripping up your office to install a sliding pole, but trying some of the other ideas from this article could have a dramatic effect on your results.
David Hinde is a recognised expert in management and leadership development. He carries out Executive Coaching with Organisations such as Citi, the British Army and the BBC. He founded Orgtopia in 2003. This article can be reprinted royalty free without the author's permission - however please include this bio with the html links.
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