08/ 31/ 2007
by Charles R. McConnell
It's no secret that employee motivation is a constant concern of many managers. In considering what might motivate their employees to perform willingly and productively, some managers have assumed, usually erroneously, that the people who work for them are motivated primarily by economic motives, that is, by pay and benefits, while they themselves -- the managers -- are motivated mostly by needs of a higher order such as job satisfaction and a sense of achievement.
But when the motivations of employees at all levels are examined closely, especially in the presence of a reasonable chance of continued employment, there appears to be little difference between workers and their managers when it comes to their motivation to work.
A manager is but another employee of the organization, simply one who earns more money than the workers and shoulders more responsibility. Nevertheless, as far as motivation is concerned, workers and managers are more alike than unlike and for the most part are motivated by the same forces. Chances are that what the manager wishes to obtain from employment is much the same as what the non-managerial worker wishes to obtain. Therefore the manager can enhance employees' motivation by helping them obtain from work the same things the manager wishes to obtain from work.
Employees at all levels want the following from the employer:
- capable leadership
- safe surroundings
- acceptance
- recognition
- fair treatment
- reasonable job security
- knowledge of the results of their individual efforts
- knowledge of rules and policies
- respect
- fair monetary compensation
This brief listing encompasses nearly everything the individual wishes to obtain from a relationship with a work organization. The differences in motivation, then, stem from the differences in people; all these needs exist to a greater or lesser degree in nearly everyone, but the forces exerted by some of these factors move certain individuals in directions quite different from others.
You cannot motivate another human being. You can, however, create the conditions under which an individual will become self-motivated. In the long run all lasting motivation is self-motivation.
There is no better or more useful knowledge for the manager to possess than to know the employees as individuals and know what's important to each of them. Know how much attention each needs or does not need; know who you can leave to their own devices for extended periods because that's the way they work best, and know who requires more frequent attention.
Know your employees' needs and how they pursue the fulfillment of those needs, keeping in mind that at all times all people are seeking need satisfaction -- and that a fully satisfied need doesn't motivate behavior. Once a need is satisfied it's no longer a motivator, but the level at which it's satisfied must be maintained improved or it will become a dissatisfier. This is precisely why a periodic pay increase seems so important to an employee -- the increase that's granted does little or nothing to motivate the person to perform, but if the increase isn't forthcoming then pay becomes a dissatisfier.
It's likely that the happiest, most motivated workers are those who are doing exactly what satisfies their own needs. In turn, these employees will be the most successful overall if their efforts also satisfy the needs of others; that is, if their efforts fully satisfy the reasons for the existence of their jobs.
As far as employee motivation is concerned, in the well-functioning organization managers will behave according to the belief that achievement, recognition, interest in the work, the opportunity to assume responsibility, and the chance for advancement can all lead to feelings of satisfaction in work. These motivating forces are of course largely psychological in their influence, so as long as pay is perceived a fair and there's a reasonable sense of job security it should follow that lasting motivation comes mostly from the fulfillment of psychological needs and little from material rewards.
At the level of the first-line manager it should be evident that employees want recognition and feedback, two need-fulfilling activities over which the manager has a great deal of control. Concerning these all-important employee relations needs, the manager can do no wrong in treating employees in the manner in which he or she, the manager, would like to be treated by higher management.
As a manager, you may rest assured that in most instances your employees are little if any different from you in terms of the needs that all of you bring to work every day. You look for similar satisfactions in your work, and you respond similarly to the treatment provided by higher management. It follows that the most effective available means of motivating your employees are those means to which you yourself would react most favorably: recognition, respect, inclusion, fair treatment; and satisfying and fulfilling work.
