ESSENTIAL SKILL NUMBER 2: MOTIVATING PEOPLE

THE BOOK OF MANAGEMENT

THE TEN ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ACHIEVING HIGH PERFORMANCE

SKILL NUMBER 2: MOTIVATING PEOPLE (pg. 78-145)

The Four Essence Of Motivation

 

People now have greater expectations of their employers and as we know, enthusiastic and motivated people are essential for an organization to be successful.  There are four (4) essence of motivation:

1. Creating the motivating environment
2. Sustaining the motivating environment
3. Skills needed to motivate team
4. Dealing with change

 

1.         Creating The Motivating Environment

Motivating is the major driver of individual, team and organizational success.  But having motivated people isn’t sufficient to guarantee high performance.  Other equally important factors are:

i.    Support The Performance

Motivation is the will to do something and it comes from inside us.  Motivation is actually more than enthusiasm.  It’s about directing people’s effort.  To achieve success, a motivated person requires opportunity and ability.  There are two aspects of opportunity to be considered:

• Ensuring your people have the tools and resources needed
• Allowing them the space to do the job well without restrictions

MAXIMIZING PERFORMANCE	Set clear goals, create enthusiasm
	Provide proper tools, remove constraints
	Develop skills, provide experience

 

ii.   Know The Principles Of Motivation

There are at least three principle of motivation that you need to know, that is:

	Motivation Theory	Notes
1.	Maslow’s Motivation Theory	Founder: Abraham Maslow The hierarchy of needs: 1.       Physiological Needs 2.       Security 3.       Social Needs 4.       Esteem 5.       Self-actualization
2.	Expectancy Theory	Founder: Professor Victor Vroom The theory proposes: ·         Involve in goal setting ·         Receiving feedback ·         Recognition for achievement
3.	Herzberg’s Theory	Founder: Psychologist Frederick Herzberg The theory divide sources of motivation into motivators and hygiene factors Hygiene factors don’t motivate, but if not dealt with, they can turn people off. Hygiene factors Motivating factors Personal relationship The work it self Working conditions Responsibility Company policy Achievement Supervision Progression Salary Recognition

 

iii.  Believe In People

Beliefs in human nature will definitely affect the way people are managed.  The most common theories are:

·         Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y and Theory X

Theory X beliefs	Theory Y beliefs
People: are lazy lack ambition dislike responsibility need to be told what to do are unconcerned about organization goals need to be driven to perform	Most people: are not naturally lazy see work as a source of satisfaction learn to accept responsibilities will work towards objectives to which they are committed

 

iv.  Create The Right Conditions

Elements of motivation can be divided into tangible (hygiene factors) and intangible (motivators) elements.  In recognizing the basic needs, the working space and environment is one of the important factors to be included.

v.   Create A High-Performance Culture

Culture has to be understood and embedded in everybody.  Culture is defined by organization’s values and behavior.  It is actually about the way things are done in an organization.  Culture is important where a Supporting Culture will create a trusting environment; and Blame Culture will create a climate of fear.

Culture is embedded through:

• Openness
• Communicating clear vision
• Respond positively when presented with mistakes and problems
• Help people learn from mistakes
• Do not pass judgment or criticize

vi.  Have The Right People

Although long-established teams have good working relationships and a strong sense of loyalty, they can also be reluctant to change and make improvements.

vii. Measure The Motivation

The best means of measuring is by means of a survey

 

2.         Sustaining The Motivating Environment

To sustain the motivating environment, these are the processes that can be considered to provide the structure for motivation:

i.    Design a job role by

• Making it motivational where staff are
• Able to use a variety of skills
• Involved in the whole activity
• Having a meaningful role
• Free to carry out tasks
• Improving it by
• Job rotation
• Job enrichment

ii.   Create a balance

Balance the high performance with constructive behavior.  The short-term success need to be balanced with achieving longer-term goals where the motivation elements are different:

Short-term	Long-term
Commitment Direction Enthusiasm	Giving the right tools Creating the right working environment Giving the training needed

Give equal weight to the needs of the organization and the individual.  Determine whether it is people-focused or task-focused.

iii.  Conduct Appraisals

This provides structured approach to managing performance.

iv.  Set The Objectives

If the objectives set are too hard people can become demotivated.  People are motivated when:

• Their objectives are linked to the organization’s goal
• They can see how they contribute to the organization’s success

Break down objectives into individual goals that can be used as measures of performance.  Tips to avoid pitfalls of goal setting:

• Understand past performance as employee may well be looking to set an easier target
• Be prepared to be flexible and reset targets as targets are usually set in advance for the year and circumstances can change rapidly
• Degree of difficulty should be the same for all as targets need to be seen as being fair

Personal development is motivational as it demonstrates that the organization is interested in the individuals and their long-term career.  To be motivational, objectives need to be owned.  Defining a SUSTAINABLE objectives:

S	STRETCHING -          Requires commitment and effort
U	UNDERSTOOD -          Know what has to be achieved, what is required and why it is important
S	SUPPORTED -          Plan of action to ensure success
T	TIME BOUND -          What has to achieved by when
A	ACHIEVABLE -          Realistic within resources and time constraints
I	INCLUSIVE -          Draws colleague into achieving goals
N	NEGOTIATED -          Agreed upon rather than imposed
A	ANSWERABLE -          Performance outcome. Not activity, is measured
B	BELIEVED -          Seen as the right objective to be achieved
L	LINKED -          Consistent with organization’s goals
E	EXPLAINED -          Clearly stated with measurable outcomes

 

v.   Measure The Progress

Feedback is an important element of motivation.  Track and monitor progress and discuss it with staffs.  You need to know when to intervene and when to leave the situation alone.

Measuring the key activities can be done through KPI (Key Performance Indicator).  Measurements provide feedback and feedback should be acted upon.  Understand how measurement are calculated to improve performance

vi.  Training And Development

Training and development programs show commitment of organization to the employees in developing employees for the future and helping them to do a better job.  Training should be woven into the organization’s culture.  Also ensure the training meets the employee’s own development needs to keep them motivated.  Since training involves time and money, ensure that you drive maximum benefit from it.  Other methods of development to be explored are:

·         Job rotation

·         Secondment

·         Coaching and mentoring

·         Professional qualification

Development can be facilitated through:

·         Support by helping staff to make and handle changes

·         Molding by preparing your staff for their next role in the organization

·         Improvement by helping your staff to work better and smarter in their current job

·         Enhancing by encouraging staff to acquire further professional qualifications

vii. Recognizing Performance

simple recognition is a very powerful motivator.  Everyone likes to receive a thank you and to get credit for work well done.  Informal recognition systems may rely on local management initiative.

viii.  Paying For Performance

the motivational element of pay comes from linking the level of financial return to the performance.

 

3.         Developing The Skills Of Motivation

You need to develop the skills to motivate your team.  The important factors to be taken into consideration are:

i.    Motivate Yourself

It is important that you are motivated since as a manager you are the role model.  Understanding what you want will enable you to structure your ambitions and goals.  Take time out to reflect on what you enjoy doing.  Set your own goals and it don’t have to be totally work-related.  Deal with problems arise at work and learn from the mistakes.  Accept constructive criticism and learn from it.  It is important to be realistic.

Successful people usually have a wide range of hobbies and interest outside work.  It is often helpful to share problems with people away from your place of work because they see them in a new light.

ii.   Be A Good Motivator

Being a good motivator is part of being a good leader.  One of the most important characteristics of good motivators is that they can be trusted.

iii.  Make People Feel Valued

Research shows that employees who are valued perform better in their job.

iv.  Develop Effective Communication

Communication and openness are important tools for motivation.  Ambiguous communication can also lead to the spreading of rumors.  Communication is not just about telling people something, it is also about listening to what is being said.  You have to strike a balance between sharing what you know and worrying people unnecessarily.  Consider the consequences of sharing information.  Good motivators are people who think about what they are saying and how they are saying it.  Practice listening and you will be surprised by how much you can learn.

Politics in the workplace are hard to avoid.  Cliques will form, and rumors will be spread.  Politics can undermine the positive culture and damage motivation.

 

v.    Identifying Demotivation

Spotting the signs of demotivation is important as demotivated employees can affect the morale of the colleagues.

vii.  Consulting Others

Consultation plays an important part in motivation.  Consulting avoids the immediate negative impact on morale and performance.

viii. Delegating Effectively

Delegating tasks can also motivate employees.  Delegating also means letting go of the task and giving it to someone else.

ix.   Coaching Successfully

Coaching is to help someone to perform better in their job.  The fundamental skills of coaching are building trust, listening and questioning.  Feedback is also an important part of coaching process.  Be a good coach by:

·         Assisting employees throughout the duration of the task and keep giving them feedback

·         Making observations on someone’s behavior which they may have not noticed themselves

·         Enabling the staff to find their own way through a problem and suggest practical solution

·         Encouraging individuals or teams to take responsibility for a particular task

 

4.         Motivating In Difficult Situations

Environment, processes and skills of motivation are all important.  But some adjustments need to be made to the approach in some situations.  The situations where you might be in are:

i.          During Change

Change creates uncertainty for people.  It makes people anxious.  It is important to be able to motivate during change.  Change is rarely popular simply because people don’t understand what’s happening.  Change can be categorized as either ‘hard’ or ‘soft’.  Help your people to adjust to change by:

1.      Accepting the reaction and responding constructively

2.      Providing information and support

3.      Creating new roles and objectives

4.      Giving people a clear vision of long-term outcomes

Different people react to change differently.  So managers have to manage the change rollercoaster that starts with:

·         Uncertainty

·         Denial

·         Blaming others

·         Blaming self

·         Despair

·         Testing new ways of working

·         Growing confidence

·         Performing well

Ii          Dispersed Workers

Development in technology enables people to work from home or in disperse team.  Even though this type of arrangement brings benefits, but there are serious implications for motivations.  For many, working from home is a dream.  The reality is, you can feel isolated.  In this type of situation, you will need to instill loyalty to ensure they are motivated and focused on the goals to achieve.

Regular meetings at the office have to be organized.  Provide support and make sure they feel connected.  Make sure ‘out of sight’ is not ‘out of mind’.

 

iii.        Underperformers

At some stage in your work life, you will have to manage someone who is not performing well.  Problems can be identified early by:

·         Getting to know team members’ capabilities

·         Taking action when you notice something is wrong

·         Watching out for change in performance

·         Taking action if someone is making more mistakes than usual

·         Listening very carefully to what is being said because people always blame others or find excuses

iv.        Cross departmental Projects Teams

In managing project involving people who don’t report to you, your motivational skill is critical to the project’s success.  Keep the momentum going and make sure people maintain focus and energy.

People in teams bounce ideas off each other and work together to achieve better results.  The sense of belonging is a very important motivator.  Motivation is part art and part science.  Motivation is like a chain – it is only as strong as its weakest link; it ceases to become effective if any of the links are missing.  To keep people motivated over the long-term, you

• Must be trusted as a leader
• Need to support people by giving them the tools and resources to do the job
• Need to help people overcome obstacle
• Must the develop the employees’ skills
• Need to reward success

 

ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE TEAM
1	A good leader
2	People who can work together
3	Good communication
4	Common understanding
5	Open to alternatives

Short notes from:

THE BOOK OF MANAGEMENT

The Ten Essential Skills For Achieving High Performance

Darling Kindersley Limited (DKL), Penguin Group (UK) 

to be continued......skill number 3.....