I was at a meeting recently where the subject of discussion was motivation, particularly in difficult times. The debate was about whether bonuses, commission and other monetary awards would make up for the high pressures and expectations of the workplace.
It seems to me that whether you are a boss, an employee, self-employed or out of full-time work you'll sometimes struggle to be motivated. No matter how much you care about what you do or how important you believe it is, you are only human! And some days it will be tougher to get going than others.
But research by Frederick Herzberg, the granddaddy of modern motivation theory, could offer some help whether it is you that needs motivating or the people who work for you.
Most motivation strategies rely on what he calls KITA (standing for something similar to "Kick In The Pants"). As he puts it, when he wants his dog to move he either gives it a nudge from behind, in which case the dog moves because it doesn't have much choice…or he offers it a treat as an inducement in which case it is not so much motivated by wanting to move but motivated by wanting the doggy choc drops!
KITA does the job but it's hard work. It means every time you want the dog to move you have to kick it (metaphorically). Wouldn't it be better if the dog wanted to move by itself?
Transferring this principle back in to the workplace, instead of finding ways of "kicking" people or offering treats (setting targets, increasing workloads, paying bonuses, having complicated systems to check people are working) Herzberg advocates enriching the scope of a person's work. While we may believe we are motivated by money, a nice office or having more days off, the reality is that we are motivated by factors such as responsibility, recognition, achievement and opportunities for growth and learning.
So, if it is your job to motivate others, enhancing the scope of a person's work (e.g. more responsibility, greater challenge so the person is really stretched, a culture that acknowledges individuals) is likely to have a longer-term impact and be less work for you than constant KITA's.
NOTE: Job enhancement or enrichment is different to job enlargement. Just giving people more to do is not the key here. If work is meaningless to people, it will be just as meaningless if there is more of it to do!
Motivators vs. Hygiene
Another important distinction to make is that what demotivates doesn't always have the opposite effect when it is rectified. What Herzberg called "hygiene" factors (working conditions, relationships, salary and status) are often blamed by employees as damaging motivation. Whilst organisations have a responsibility to rectify these problems, it is not necessarily true that good working conditions, friendly colleagues, high wages and an impressive job title have the opposite effect and get people motivated.
So, as well as reducing "hygiene problems" as a leader is it also important for you to tap in the real motivators: Responsibility, Achievement, Recognition, Growth, Learning and Advancement.
Warning! In his research, Herzberg found that after introducing job enrichment initiatives performance initially dropped…although it recovered later and led to long-term improvements. Why? People were sceptical at first and confused about the way their jobs had changed. They felt a little insecure and their supervisors felt threatened by the new autonomy given to their teams. But eventually employees started to rise to the challenge and experience the benefits. Supervisors realised they could spend their time on leadership issues rather than constantly having to push and cajole their teams.
Life Enrichment - Motivating Yourself
So what if you are the one who needs motivating? What if your boss hasn't read Herzberg's work? Or dismisses it as claptrap? What if your lack of motivation has nothing to do with work?
Herzberg's findings can still be applied to you. So, your boss doesn't think job enrichment is the way to get you motivated. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What opportunities are there for me to increase the challenge, level of responsibility and recognition I get in my job/my life?
- Can I band together with others in my workplace/my life to enrich our experience of what we do?
- Am I blaming "hygiene" factors for my lack of motivation when really I could focus on "innate" factors such as opportunities to grow and learn in order to get enthusiastic again?
- Am I trying to get myself motivated by simply setting tougher targets without actually addressing the meaningfulness of my work/my life?
I realise these are difficult questions to answer. It would be so much easier if someone else took responsibility for getting you motivated! But the reality is - it is down to you.
What do you think? Does money motivate you or are you motivated by something else? And if so, what is it? Sharing your ideas may inspire someone else and we all need that occassionally, don't we?
