| Getting people to do their best work and be productive | | | | motivation comes from wanting to do something of |
| even in difficult economic times, is one of a manager's | | | | one's own free will, and that motivation is simply |
| most enduring and slippery challenges. Motivation has | | | | leadership behavior--wanting to do what is right for |
| been a centuries old puzzle tackled by history's | | | | people and the organization. |
| greatest minds from Aristotle to Abraham Maslow. | | | | More recently, due to the expanding field of |
| When Frederick Herzberg researched the sources of | | | | neuroscience, we've acquired new insights into the |
| employee motivation during the 1950s and 1960s, he | | | | question of what motivates people at work. In the July, |
| discovered a dichotomy that stills intrigues (and baffles) | | | | 2008 issue of the Harvard Business Review, authors |
| managers: The things that make people satisfied and | | | | Nitin Nohria, Boris-Groysberg and Linda-Eling Lee |
| motivated on the job are different in kind from the | | | | describe a new model of employee motivation. They |
| things that make them dissatisfied. Ask workers what | | | | outline the four fundamental drives that underlie |
| makes them unhappy at work, and you'll hear about an | | | | motivation as: |
| annoying boss, a low salary, an uncomfortable work | | | | 1. The drive to acquire. We are all driven to acquire |
| space, or stupid rules. Managed badly, environmental | | | | scarce goods that make us feel better. This is why is |
| factors make people miserable, and they can certainly | | | | issue of compensation is partly in comparison with |
| be demotivating. But even if managed brilliantly, they | | | | others'. |
| don't motivate anybody to work much harder or | | | | 2. The drive to bond. We need to be associated with |
| smarter. People are motivated, instead, by interesting | | | | strong bonds of love, caring and belonging. |
| work, challenge, and increasing responsibility. These | | | | 3. The drive to comprehend. We want be very much |
| intrinsic factors answer people's deep-seated need for | | | | to make sense of our world so we can take the right |
| growth and achievement. Herzberg's work influenced | | | | actions. |
| a generation of scholars and managers-but his | | | | 4. The drive to defend. We all naturally defend |
| conclusions don't seem to have fully penetrated the | | | | ourselves, property and accomplishments. |
| American workplace, if the extraordinary attention still | | | | So how do organizations deal with these motivational |
| paid to compensation and incentive packages is any | | | | drives? First through a reward system. Best practice |
| indication. | | | | companies have initiated reward systems based on |
| How many articles, books, speeches, and workshops | | | | performance, and employee motivation improved. |
| have pleaded plaintively, "How do I get an employee to | | | | Secondly, best practice companies address the bond |
| do what I want?" | | | | issue by developing a corporate culture based on |
| So what is motivation? It's been defined as a | | | | friendship, mutual reliance, collaboration and sharing, and |
| predisposition to behave in a purposive manner to | | | | that improved motivation. Thirdly, best practice |
| achieve specific, unmet needs and the will to achieve, | | | | companies addressed the issue of comprehend by |
| and the inner force that drives individuals to accomplish | | | | instituting a job design system where jobs are |
| personal and organizational goals. And why do we | | | | designed for specific roles, and those jobs are |
| need motivated employees? The answer is survival. | | | | meaningful and foster a sense of contribution to the |
| Motivated employees are needed in our rapidly | | | | organization. And finally to address the defend drive, |
| changing workplaces. And to be effective, managers | | | | best practice companies restructure their leadership |
| need to understand what motivates employees within | | | | approaches to increase transparency of all processes, |
| the context of the roles they perform. | | | | ensure fairness throughout the organization, and build |
| A review of the research literature by James R. | | | | trust and openness with everyone. |
| Lindner at Ohio State University concluded that | | | | The implications for managers is that leadership needs |
| employee motivation was more driven by factors such | | | | to play far more attention to the newest research on |
| as interesting work than financial compensation. John | | | | motivation and examine how the drivers for motivation |
| Baldoni concluded, in examining the issue, that | | | | are enhanced by leadership and cultural changes. |