Motivation determines how your employees choose to allocate their energy – where they put their focus. When they’re at work, you want them to put their focus and energy onto what they’re doing and onto your business.
Motivation is affected by a number of factors, including:
- Being treated with fairness and respect
- Getting pride and fulfilment from their work
- Feeling that they and their work are valued
- Confidence in the direction in which the organisation is going.
How does motivation work? There are five components, as shown in this diagram.
Source: XpertHR 17 November 2010
Your actions create results; these results are evaluated by other people; outcomes occur as a result of those evaluations; your needs will either be satisfied or not by those outcomes. Positive evaluations or outcomes can lead to needs being satisfied and increased motivation!
So what can you do as a manager, to improve motivation in your team?
Think about your answers to these questions:
- Do you treat employees with fairness and respect?
- Do you know what motivates the different members of your team?
- Do you use this information to play to their strengths and keep motivation up?
- Are your team meetings a two way process?
- Do you allow the sharing of ideas from members of your team?
- Do you share achievements of the company and of individuals?
How many of those questions did you answer No to? If it was more than three then you might have a problem with motivation – or you might see one emerging soon!