Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Motivation
in Todays
Workplace:
The Link to
Performance
SECOND QUARTER2010
Introduction
Employee Engagement
Employees are often motivated differently. To develop a work environment that promotes motivation,
organizations need to know what is
important to their employees and
then to emphasize these factors. In
Management Acknowledgment
and Appreciation
How employees are treated is a
strong determinant of employee
motivation and performance.
Edward E. Lawler III, author and
consultant for human resource
management, emphasizes that
treating people right is fundamental to creating organizational
effectiveness and success. It is also
easier said than done. According
to Lawler, this includes a highly
the energy for motivation necessary to achieve high performance and quality of service.
Motivational Theories
As HR professionals seek to support
their organizations in attracting
and retaining the best and brightest talent, motivational theories can
offer insight into how to motivate
employees, what is important and
what the rewards may bewith the
ultimate goal of improved and/or
sustained performance by individual
employees and the organization
as a whole. Motivation is at the
heart of performance, essential for
success for both the organization
and its workforce, as a group and
as individuals. Dr. Teresa A. Daniel
and Dr. Gary S. Metcalf, authors of
Expectancy Theory:Victor H.
Vrooms theory suggests that
motivation is high when employees believe that high levels of
effort lead to high performance
and high performance leads to
attainment of desired outcomes.
Maslows Hierarchy of
Needs:People seek to satisfy five
basic needs: physiological, safety,
belongingness, self-esteem and
self-actualization needs. Abraham
Maslow placed these needs in a
pyramid, with the most basic on
the bottom and self-actualization
at the top. When the lower-level
needs are met, the next higher
level begins to motivate behavior.
Herzbergs Motivator-Hygiene
Theory:This theory from Frederick Herzberg focuses on two
factors applicable to the work-
New Approaches
In addition to classic motivational
theories, a number of recent writings contribute new ideas to the
literature on workplace motivation:
1. Primal Leadership: Realizing the
Power of Emotional Intelligence. In
their 2002 book, authors Daniel
Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and
Annie McKee bring together
decades of research on leadership. They argue: The fundamental task of leaders is to prime
good feeling in those they lead,
and that occurs when a leader
creates resonancea reservoir
of positivity that frees the best
in people. At its root, the primal
job of leadership is emotional.
This theory has significance for
bringing forth motivation and
commitment in leadership and
employees for attainment of
organizational goals. In addition,
Golemans writing on emotional
intelligence includes a critical facet
applicable to motivation: relationship management/inspiration.
Leaders who inspire both create
resonance and move people with
a compelling vision or shared
mission. Such leaders embody
what they ask of others and are
able to articulate a shared mission
in a way that inspires others to
follow. They offer a sense of common purpose beyond day-to-day
tasks, making work exciting.18
A Study on Employee
Engagement and Motivation
The Ashridge Business School,
one of the worlds leading business
schools, conducted a study about
motivation from the employee viewpoint. While financial rewards were
often mentioned, the most common
were intrinsic motivators. The top
most important motivator was the
work itself, followed by the need for
work to be challenging and interesting as well as valued and recognized
by the organization. The key motivators were praise and recognition
from the manager and the organization, and celebration of success.
The study also found that a very
important theme is the employee
desire for autonomy and freedom to
do his or her job, the ability to make
decisions and the authority to deliver
the work in a way the employee considers the best. Another important
employee motivator is being trusted
to get the job donewithout being
micro-managed. Other key themes
are communication, objectives and
goals, and a shared vision. Ultimately, the quality of leadership
is paramount to good employee
morale. Poor leadership will result in
poor employee engagement and thus
in poor performance. In addition to
the critical function of the man-
Recognition and
Rewards Programs
As emphasized earlier, for employees
to remain motivated, recognition
is essential. Direct line managers
have one of the most important
roles regarding recognition. Their
communication styleor lack of
communicationstands out as
critical for successful recognition.
Recognizing good performance
is also a key factor in talent retention. Different types of reward and
incentive programs are effective at
motivating employees. Motivation
may be promoted through monetary and nonmonetary rewards.
10
11
Ibid.
12
13
Ibid.
14
15
16
17
Latham, G. P. (2007). Work motivation: History, theory, research, and practice. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
18
19
20
21
22
23
Ibid.
24
Ibid.
25
26
27
28
Conclusion
Organizational success cannot be
achieved without strong leadership
and a focused, thoughtful work
environment that promotes motivation. No matter the industry, HR
leaders need to be in touch with
what is important to employees
and to work with senior management to foster a motivated workplace based on trust, recognition
and acknowledgment, for optimal
engagement and performance.
Endnotes
1
Ibid.
Ibid.
PROJECT TEAM
Project leader:
Nancy R. Lockwood, M.A., SPHR, GPHR manager, HR Content Program, SHRM Research
Project contributors: Chana Anderson, CCP, SPHR-CA, SHRM Employee Relations Special Expertise Panel member
Margaret Fiester, SPHR, operations manager, SHRM HR Knowledge Center
Kenneth Somers, SHRM Global Special Expertise Panel member
External reviewers: SHRM Organization Development Special Expertise Panel:
Libby Anderson, MS, SPHR
Carol J. Cooley, SPHR
Charity Hughes, SPHR
Kim E. Ruyle, Ph.D., SPHR
Copy editing:
Graphic design:
Production:
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