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Motivation

Guest post by: Eric Garner

Article Overview: In this article, you'll discover 8 of the approaches to motivation that are used in every business round the world. The trouble is, only one can be guaranteed to work. Which one is it?

Motivation

Motivation is the holy grail of management. That's because, when you learn how to motivate people, particularly the stuck, or plateau-ed performer, you can reap the greatest returns in improved performance. Here are 8 ways to motivate people, along with some of their limitations. 1. Carrot and Stick The "carrot and stick" approach is the oldest and most basic form of motivation. It relies on force to get someone to do what you want. The stick is a "from behind" incentive prodding people on. It is often the same as a threat: do this or else. The carrot is an "up-front" incentive offering a reward or bribe for the same result: do this and I'll give you something in return. 2. Money Money is the most widely-used motivational device. It is the reason most people go to work. In its own way, it is the carrot that entices us to work harder. However, money is not a straightforward incentive. Its effects often wear off quickly and have to be replaced with other kinds of bribe. It is also complex, there being no universally-agreed correlation between money and performance. And, of course, if used repeatedly as a way of motivating people, they'll keep coming back for more at your expense. 3. Praise and Recognition Praise and its opposite, withdrawal of praise, are the pyschological equivalents of the carrot and the stick. You give praise as a reward for work to the desired standard and you withdraw praise as a punishment for work that is not up to the desired standard. Praise and recognition work because most of us want our efforts to be recognised and acknowledged. However, while it costs nothing to give, recognition only works if it is sincerely expressed and genuinely felt. 4. Needs Needs motivation is based on Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory. This theory says we are motivated to work in order to fulfil a need. Maslow suggested that needs are met in an order from basic to high. Our most basic needs are for survival, followed by a need for security, then for social contact, recognition, and, when these needs are met, for fulfilment of our higher order needs such as developing our potential. In Maslow's time around the mid-20th century, these needs were all able to be met by work. Today, there are other ways in which these needs can be met; (for example, in most advanced economies, people can survive by living on State benefits and not work.) 5. Expectation of Rewards Some motivational theorists suggest that we are motivated to work only as far as we believe that it will lead to some desired reward. The more we desire the reward, the harder we work. This theory does not necessarily work where there is no connection between work and reward as in many organisations where people have no control over what they do and what they earn. 6. Team Chemistry Belonging to a social unit is another of Maslow's needs and can be a strong motivational force. Most people miss the team when they finish work far more than they miss the work. However, team chemistry is complex and not easily predicted or managed. If it works, it can be a highly motivating experience. If not, there is often little you can do but leave the team. 7. Meaningfulness The idea of "meaningfulness" is that people are far more motivated when they see the meaning behind their work than when they don't see the purpose or end result. Research during World War II found that workers in parachute factories worked to a much higher level of quality when they came face to face with the air crews who relied on their parachutes for their survival. 8. Personal Motivators All the previous motivational techniques are extrinsic factors relying on action or stimulus from outside. But people also have their own intrinsic motivators, the things they want to do for themselves. These are more personal and relate to people's personality, needs, and circumstances. However, when you press the right buttons, there is no greater or longer-lasting form of motivation. Victor Vroom discovered that there was no single form of motivation that could be guaranteed to work for every person in every situation. The only kind of motivation that works is likely to be a variable and constantly changing mix of all of these techniques.

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Article Tags: management, motivation, people management



Related Forum Posts
Re: How To Stay Motivated In Your Business - Motivation spurs people into actions every time. When there is no motivation the reason to move forward seems lost. Thanks so much for this post Evan
Re: Finding AND Keeping Good People - Employee retention or as you mention “Keeping the Good People” is one of the biggest challenges for any growing business. It takes a huge effort from the entrepreneur’s end. I can come up with the following when it comes to KEEPing the good people- 1. Motivation of the employees 2. Recognition of the needs of the employees 3. Activities to make the employees feel valuable towards the organization 4. Make benefits more accessible 5. Offer profit sharing incentives 6. Create clear career paths at the company 7. Consider telecommuting, job sharing and other flexible working arrangements 8. Incentives are essential and they don't have to be huge 9. Have other managers praise an employee's work 10. Be sensitive to the balance between work and private life
Re: What Franchisors Want From Franchisees - Kevin - Here's a rough summary of your questions. Your credit score - below 600's and you're considered high risk. Best if you are in the high 600's and above... if you're in 700's you're golden. Franchisers want to see people who can relate to other people. If you are very shy or you dislike working with the public, then this can count against you. Even if you can fake it... why would you bother? Great customer service is a benchmark any business owner should strive for... Financing arrangements will vary - if you can show that you have 20% above all of your start-up costs, this would help. The more assets you own the better. Motivation can be expressed in HOW you plan the start-up. It's all in the details. Are you taking the opportunity seriously? Are you learning and studying business attributes like marketing, salesmanship, and customer service? Demonstrate that you are motivated. Subscribing to their system would be about following their rules. If you have a maverick mentality... then consider starting your own business where you make the rules... not a franchise. Franchisers have different ways in how they evaluate their prospects. Your professional background or history can play an important role in the final evaluation. This is really about common sense...


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