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    The Secrets of Motivation
    The Secrets of Motivation
    The Secrets of Motivation
    Ebook108 pages1 hour

    The Secrets of Motivation

    By Adrian Furnham

    5/5

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    About this ebook

    Why do we need motivated employees? The answer is survival.
    All managers want to know the secret of how to motivate employees. They know this ensures not only survival in a changing world but also serious productivity and progress.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateJul 31, 2013
    ISBN9781483512501
    The Secrets of Motivation
    Author

    Adrian Furnham

    Adrian Furnham is professor of psychology at UCL, and adjunct professor of management at the Norwegian School of Management. He has written over 1,000 scientific papers and 70 books and is among the most well-known psychologists in the world.

    Read more from Adrian Furnham

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    Reviews for The Secrets of Motivation

    5/5

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    • 5/5
      After perusing this great book, the question should be: Why wouldn’t you buy this book? Anyone seeking to polish their motivational skills could benefit from reading this book. Maybe you think you are a Motivational Guru, but I bet that after you read this book you will be surprised at what you didn’t know.
    • 5/5
      It never really occurred to me that as a manager, I may be placing too much emphasis on the less important, sometimes seemingly trivial factors, while avoiding the more unpleasant ones. From this book, I learned how to recognize all of the factors that will lead to a better motivated sales force. I learned that it is not a "One size fits all" kind of thing. You must be willing to bend a little, and adjust your motivational techniques to produce a better outcome in your sales team. This book will teach you how to always be at your motivational best.
    • 5/5
      It would be wonderful if my staff could be as enthusiastic about their job as I am. I
      understand that it is my job to get them psyched and feeling good about themselves
      and their job. Sometimes this is very difficult given the varying personalities I must deal
      with. Sitting down with Adrian Furnham’s book has made me think about motivating my
      staff in a new light. I can see that my approach needed a little tweaking. All in all, I
      would tell everyone that this book is a worthwhile read.
    • 5/5
      As a Manager, if I can’t motivate my people, I am doomed. I had heard about
      Adrian Furnham from a friend, and decided to check him out. Glad I did. I
      bought this book and it was a great investment. I learned a lot about motivating people,
      and I intend to put his methodology to work. After I read this book, I even felt more
      motivated myself. This is “Motivational Magic."

    Book preview

    The Secrets of Motivation - Adrian Furnham

    Times'

    The Secret of Motivation

    The most frequently asked management question from supervisors to CEOs is how to increase the work motivation of their staff. What they all want is to have employees with the work ethic: conscientious, dedicated, dependable, dutiful; reliable, responsible and responsive. They want them to be good at and enjoy their jobs…as they themselves do.

    Through careful selection, good training and skilled management it is possible to have a happy, healthy and highly productive workforce. So what is the secret? Whence the magic bullet?

    Paradoxically there is very little new in motivation research. What we know to be important and efficacious we have known for years. That of course does not mean that people read the literature or follow the advice of researchers or wise managers. Whether you ask people what motivates them, or conduct careful case studies to compare organisations with especially high or low levels of motivation, or even talk to consultants, the story is much the same.

    Interestingly you can derive a list of things that demotivate people as easily as you can list things that motivate people. And, as you might expect, the lists mirror one another. That is, if a certain feature at work is non-existent or of poor quality and quantity, and is rated important the result is serious demotivation.

    First there are various factors that influence motivation. Around a dozen are frequently listed. Yet only a relatively small number have a powerful impact. Second, managers often place too much emphasis on less important, sometimes trivial factors while avoiding those they choose not to confront. In this sense there remain many myths of management. Third, it is true that there are some differences in motivational issues depending on the business.

    There may be corporate and national culture differences and even some effects of the sector and size of the organisation. But the biggest factor is usually associated with the workforce. There is evidence that the employees’ age, gender, education and management level does have an effect. Women place a somewhat different emphasis on certain factors than do men. Also, quite naturally the 25 and 55 year olds have rather different concerns and priorities for what they really want at work.

    Equally management grade or level makes some difference though this is related to other factors such as age, education, length of service. Senior staff have different expectations and experiences from junior staff.

    One size does not fit all. Hardly rocket science but an important fact frequently reflected in the different balance of the package people are offered for different types of jobs.

    However it is important not to overemphasise the differences. They are of magnitude not kind. There are universals. So what are they?

    First, working relationships. We are social animals. We spend 8 or so hours a day at work. We interact with colleagues who often become close friends. We have relationships up (with a boss), across (with peers, colleagues), down (with those who report to us) and out (with customers, shareholders and the like). They are different types of relationships but all are important.

    Ensure that the workgroup is open, supportive and trusting of each other and of management and you are halfway there. People at work are, at once, both a source of pleasure and pain. Relationships at work can both cause and ‘bust’ stress. They can lead people to go the extra mile or fall at the first hurdle.

    This is why we hear such a lot about teamwork and team building. We don’t have to bond together but we do have to pull together. Be part of a successful team that offers support, friendship and help and you are nearly there. All people at work need emotional, informational, technical and financial support. But remember this does not happen by accident. And it does not occur after a weekend of outdoor pursuits or seminars at a nice country hotel.

    Second, and related to this is that it is one’s direct boss who can make the most difference. What they want is perceptive, fair and helpful; Honest, competent and inspiring. People usually don’t resign from organisations: they leave individual bosses. The military have known this for years. Officers make all the difference. Management style and values, competencies and skills are some of the best predictors of staff motivation. A manager’s skill, personality and values are crucial predictors of worker motivation.

    Third, people need to be helped to, and recognised for, reaching their potential. Call it positive feedback or positive strokes. Call it recognition or reinforcement, call it praise or thanks. It is absolutely fundamental. And it’s cheap. And we don’t do it enough. There are dozens of ways of recognising people for their effort and dedication. Further, reward has the beneficial effect of increasing the desired behaviour. All parents, teachers and trainers know this. Odd that many managers do not.

    Fourth, people like interesting, varied, absorbing work. Not all jobs can provide this but they can all be enriched. Many like to solve problems. All want the feeling that they have some control: they have some say in how and where they do their job. The physical environment can play a part but don’t assume that it can compensate for any of the above factors. The idea is to make the job intrinsically interesting: that is interesting for its own sake. Fifth, and note it is fifth, not first – they want their salary and package to reflect their comparative skills, dedication and work. At times in one’s life, time is more valuable than money, but never underestimate the usefulness and symbolism of money.

    And, oh yes! You can’t compensate with nice offices or fancy job titles. It is not difficult and it’s not rocket science. Foster good working relationships, train managers in people and technical skills; always recognise and reward good work; try to make the job intrinsically satisfying and pay people what they are worth. It’ll be worth it.

    Motivation Theory

    Introduction

    The question that interests most investigators in about people’s motive. What drives them? Why do they do the silly, odd,

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