10/ 24/ 2006
by Charles R. McConnell
Ever wonder what you could do to boost the sagging morale of a group of workers? Or how you could help them become more motivated? Wrestling with these questions requires differentiating between morale and motivation and recognizing the factors that influence each.
Morale is a state of mind formed largely by employees' perceptions of their work, their managers and other people they work with, and the company itself. Morale is related to overall job satisfaction. If morale is high, employees are less likely to complain, cause problems or quit. Morale relates to the lower levels of human needs––needs for survival, safety and acceptance by others. Prominent among these factors are pay, benefits, job security, the work environment, and how well employees feel they're being treated––in brief the overall quality of work life. If quality of work life is at least acceptable, morale will probably be healthy. But whether morale is or isn't healthy might have little to do with how well employees are motivated to perform.
Motivation is an internal drive present when a person is achieving satisfaction of human needs of a higher order, specifically needs that are psychological in nature, such as the need to do interesting and meaningful work or be recognized for a job well done. Unfortunately, high morale isn't necessarily accompanied by strong motivation. You could, for example, be satisfied with the conditions of employment yet lack the motivation needed to attain your best performance. But although high morale doesn't improve motivation, when morale is low, motivation eventually dissipates.
To address morale, look at the terms and conditions of employment; when employees believe their pay and benefits are fair, and feel they're treated fairly, morale will be healthy. To address motivation, don't look too closely at the circumstances of employment; rather look at the work itself. All true and lasting motivation comes from the work, not from the terms and conditions of employment.
Space prevents digging deeply into the many factors that can affect morale. Suffice it to say, if all conditions of employment are perceived as fair by workers, morale will be reasonable. Motivation is another matter; in the last analysis, all true motivation is self-motivation. However, what motivates you may not motivate your employees. We're all subject to the same psychological needs, but the mix of needs and their relative strength varies from person to person. You must view the work situation from the employee's viewpoint and think as he or she might think.
If morale is sustained at a reasonable level, it's possible to apply some strategies to clear the way for improved motivation, including:
- Defining expectations for employees, setting goals, training, delegating, coaching and counseling.
- Improving jobs. The strongest motivation comes from the job or, perhaps more accurately, from the individual's perception of the job and its importance.
- Cross-training employees who work in different jobs requiring comparable skill and effort, providing variety and improved interest while developing more versatile employees.
- Learning as much as possible about the employees and their different personalities and relating to them as valued and respected individuals.
- Regularly providing positive performance feedback, including recognition for work well done and appreciation of extra effort, innovation or creativity.
- Encouraging genuine participation, allowing employees who have proven themselves capable to participate in determining how the work is done and take part in decisionmaking.
- Encouraging employee independence, allowing them reasonable responsibility and providing them with one of the best growth conditions available: the freedom to fail.
- Being a respected role model for employees.
- Providing support for employees by being visible and available when needed without standing in their way.
Learn the difference between the factors affecting morale and the factors relating to true motivation. The morale factors––pay, benefits, respect and other circumstances of employment––don't provide more than an occasional fleeting contribution to motivation (consider how quickly the positive effect of a normal pay raise dissipates). The morale factors don't motivate, but if they are perceived as inadequate, they can dissatisfy, and dissatisfaction eventually depresses motivation. Lasting motivation always resides in the work and one's relationship to it. True motivators are all opportunities: the opportunity to achieve, learn, do interesting, meaningful and challenging work, assume responsibility and be involved in determining how the work is done.
The individual can do much about employee motivation by recognizing that one cannot "motivate" another, but surely can create the conditions under which that person can become self-motivated. All lasting motivation is self-motivation.
