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Expert Advice from Today’s Top Professionals

Four Elements that Create a Motivational EnvironmentManagers often wonder why their employees seem to lack motivation. Ironically, it’s not because employees are apathetic or unwilling but because of well-intentioned managerial actions that—more often than not—de-motivate employees.

Here’s an example: to reward John for his superb handling of a complicated project, his manager gives him a new assignment that offers great opportunity. Later, walking past John’s cubicle, his manager overhears a coworker congratulating John for landing such a terrific project but is then taken aback by John’s response: “That’s all very flattering, but I’m the one who has to tell my family that it’s late nights and weekends in the office again! It seems the payback for doing great work here is to get more piled on.”

In another scenario, Pat is taking on a new role that will build her project management skills and committee experience. She suggests to her manager that it would be most effective to meet with the end users and do a needs assessment before beginning the project. Despite some private misgivings, the manager allows Pat to proceed. However, upon presenting the results of the assessment, her manager realizes that Pat contacted the wrong individuals and promised things she can’t possibly deliver. Fortunately, the mistakes are caught before any problems can arise, but her manager’s only choice is to tell her to start over. After a few weeks with no new results, her manager can only assume that—even given the opportunity to correct her mistakes—Pat isn’t motivated enough to go back and do a better job.

In these examples, the managers didn’t consider the needs of the individuals and align their actions accordingly. For John, his reward of “more work”—however great the career opportunity—was completely at odds with his family’s needs. In Pat’s case, had her manager provided clearer direction and communication regarding expectations at the start, or even better feedback at the end, it would have produced a better outcome.

Fortunately, there are four very clear elements managers can apply to set the right goals and establish an environment that will motivate staff at both an organizational and individual level. More importantly, taking these actions tells employees that you are accessible as a person—not just as a manager—when they need you.

Mimi BantaThis month, our Management Insights article focuses on how to motivate your employees from both an organizational perspective and an individual one as well. Author Mimi Banta, a consultant specializing in Human Performance Improvement (HPI), offers a clear methodology to achieve both.

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Productivity through Education

Learning TreeManagement InsightsExpert Advice from Today’s Top Professionals

Four Elements that Create a Motivational Environment

About the AuthorMimi Banta is a training and development consultant specializing in HPI (Human Performance Improvement) initiatives that maximize organizational and individual performance levels. Ms. Banta teaches Learning Tree Course 290, “Management Skills,” and Course 284, “Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving.”mbanta@cox.net

The most critical step a manager can take in trying to motivate employees is to gain clarity about what they need in terms of goals, feedback, incentives and growth. Once this information is firmly understood on an employee-by-employee basis, managers can focus on the key elements necessary to increase each individual’s “motivational environment.” When this is accomplished, benefits are maximized for both the individual and the organization. The four key elements are:

1. Motivational Goals Goals possess higher motivational value when they are meaningful to both the individual and the organization. All too often, when managers design goals without employee involvement, the goals are only meaningful to themselves but irrelevant—or even de-motivating—for the employee. The solution is to set goals that contribute to the needs of the organization but, at the same time, are tailored to the individual’s strengths and abilities, enabling them to achieve their own goals as well.

2. Effective Feedback Effective feedback is specific, timely and targets something within the employee’s control. The phrase, “When you see it, say it,” is worth remembering and frees you from providing input only in formal settings. Begin with the positive purpose of your feedback. Even if the feedback is negative, the goal is to help the employee succeed. It’s also best to be specific, offering facts and figures whenever possible. If the feedback indicates the individual’s performance is off track, help them find solutions, then conclude by offering your support.

3. Meaningful Incentives For good performance, it is important to provide more positive incentives than negative ones, with the most effective incentives being defined by the individual’s point of view—not the manager’s. Interestingly, when it comes to motivation, sincere thanks means the most. In fact, when employees were asked what rewards were important to them, four were types of praise—personal, written, electronic and public—typically generated by individuals the recipient held in high esteem and that were given in a timely, sincere and specific manner. The other top-ranked motivators were:

• Supportandinvolvement:Providingadditionalinformation,involving employees in decisions that affect them, asking employees for their opinions and ideas, supporting employees when they make a mistake

• Autonomyandauthority:Allowingemployeestodecidehow best to do their work, allowing them to pursue ideas they might have for improvements, giving them a choice of work assignments

• Flexibleworkinghours

• Learninganddevelopmentopportunities

• Availabilityandtimewiththeirmanager

4. Supportive Supervision Employees who believe their organizations care about them (and not just the work they do) have a stronger psychological contract with their employer. Put another way: employees won’t care what you think unless they believe you care about them. This means that supervisors must be aware of each individual’s aspirations. For example, when an employee is assigned tasks he or she sees as growth opportunities, they are motivated. Managers can further support this by communicating to the employee the value inherent in completing the tasks successfully. Managers should also learn to ask for—and provide support for—creative ideas regarding the way the group approaches tasks, then implement the best suggestions. Lastly, regularly scheduled forums can keep staff informed on any new developments in their fields. It’s these types of activities that serve to strengthen that psychological contract.

As a manager, it is important to remember that each person on your staff is unique and has different talents and needs. As you craft each employee’s motivational environment—by establishing motivational goals, effective feedback, meaningful incentives and supportive supervision—you’ll find they will respond with increased commitment and productivity, helping both themselves and the organization flourish.

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