Topics—Leadership
Ask People What Motivates Them
If you want to create a workplace where people are
more motivated, ask your employees and managers what motivates them, and then
act on it.
I have asked hundreds of people, and dozens of
groups, this question. Interestingly, when I ask people to, "Think of
a work situation where you felt very motivated. What was it about the situation
that made you feel so motivated?"—they say similar things. For
example, these are the answers from the partners of a fast-track professional
service company:
- Where I felt included in the group.
- People valued what I brought, I felt, I helped them get where they wanted to go.
- Trust—it is safe to give feedback, you can say what you are thinking.
- Where I respected the people I worked for.
- Strong good relationships.
- Fun—people you enjoy associating with, relaxed and comfortable.
- Where you could look at other ways of doing things.
- Allowed to take a risk.
- Fair and "open" evaluation process.
- Rules—consistent and clear.
- Recognizing people or groups for success.
- Feeling of accomplishment
This is how a group of warehouse managers and supervisors responded:
- I am recognized.
- There is camaraderie. People help each other—teamwork.
- I get honest feedback.
- I get support from management.
- I am trusted—give and take on ideas.
- There is respect from the top down—not fear.
- Expectations are in line. We know the goal and what to do.
- I feel I am a part of something bigger.
- I receive mentoring and training.
- There is pride in accomplishments.
- Leaders take care of my needs.
Notice that No One Mentioned Incentives
Motivation comes from "motive" which means, "to move". Motivated people move themselves, from within—they don't need external incentives. Yet many companies continue to hand out money, T-shirts, trips, or other rewards, as if these will do the job. It is true that rewards—the carrot or stick—can produce short-term boosts in the quantity of production, by temporarily changing what people do. But the overwhelming data shows that, over time, such "incentives" have a neutral or negative affect on motivation.
In fact most people who are highly motivated feel insulted if management introduces a simple incentive program. They see it for what it is, a relatively crude attempt to make them behave in a certain way, devaluing the meaning they feel for their work. Real motivation comes from loving what you do, not from doing something to get a goody.
How to Start
Get your group together. Ask them
to, "Describe a situation where you felt involved and motivated."
Write down their responses on the flip chart. Then ask them to "Think
about changes we could make in the way we do things here to get more of these
qualities. Please bring your ideas to our next meeting."
At that meeting, after listing and discussing everyone's ideas, ask them,
"How would you like to start making these changes? What can I do to help?"
Begin with something small. (For more on this process see http://www.companyculture.com/change/formal.htm
)
A Motivating Workplace—Example
At one of my clients—a manufacturing plant—the tough, competitive, results-oriented management team was under pressure to improve plant performance. They decided to do this by getting people more involved, capitalizing on their energy and experience. To build a workplace that did this, they asked themselves this question, "When do we feel involved and motivated?" They also asked supervisors to discuss this question with employees. Based on what everyone said, the management team committed to develop an open plan to create the kind of workplace people described.
In response to the new openness, and the encouragement of their immediate supervisors, employees initiated changes in the production processes close to their own jobs. These changes made life simpler for the employees, removed annoying roadblocks, and correspondingly improved efficiencies. Initial successes led people to examine the processes that led to and from their workstations. Soon employees were tackling broad production process issues, including the quality control of material suppliers, and how to improve customer service. Productivity rose and employees reported a new level of enthusiasm about their work. They felt empowered.
The company president asked the Plant Manager for a report on these noticeable improvements. After some discussions, the plant decided to make the report a video, where employees and managers describing the overall process, what they did, and what it meant to them. Over two days, everyone at the plant was interviewed on video.
The interview process became a plant-wide celebration of all they had done. People saw that everyone felt the same way—the new workplace had all the qualities people originally said they wanted. They had arrived. With the myriad changes initiated by highly motivated people at all levels, productivity now far exceeded the plant's original design capacity. Looking ahead, people at all levels felt that there was no limit to the continuous improvement process they had begun.
A short video of select interviews went to corporate headquarters, with dramatic effect. Based on what employees said, and the stunning production numbers, top management invited all the other plants in the system to make similar changes.
The Bottom Line
If you want a motivated workforce that gets results, just ask—and you will receive.