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Greg Giesen asked:

We have come to know a lot about employee motivation. We know that the ultimate responsibility for motivating employees lies within the individual employee. We know that both the meaningfulness of the work and the work environment itself can have a sizable impact on employee motivation. We know that intrinsic rewards and motivators tend to have a much longer lifespan for employees than extrinsic rewards and motivators. And, we know that what motivates one employee will not necessarily motivate another.

But sometimes a little knowledge can be dangerous. What do I mean? I mean that knowing what motivates employees is only half the battle. The real test is our ability to create a culture that fosters high morale and motivation. Too often we fall into the trap of incorporating the latest and greatest motivational programs in hopes of creating improved performance. These short-term remedies can often serve as band-aids to problems that require much greater attention. As a result, improvements in morale and motivation tend to occur sporadically within an organization instead of in a collective, synergistic way.

The solution is an integrated approach. What is needed is an organizational-wide, integrated approach to creating a culture of high morale and motivation. What is needed is a top-down management philosophy and corresponding strategies that integrates management practices with efforts to enhance employee motivation. What is needed is greater consistency throughout the organization in communicating to employees about performance standards, expectations, feedback and professional growth opportunities, to name a few.

Why is integration so important? Without an integrated approach to creating a motivated workforce, inconsistencies will surface throughout the organization and quickly sabotage any positive momentum that occurs. For example, a high performing supervisor will quickly lose her motivation if she keeps getting her decisions overturned by her respective manager. A great benefits program will do little to motivate employees if the tension in the office is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. An awards luncheon will send mixed messages if employees are expected to pay for their own lunches. A supervisor who preaches value-added customer service and then yells at his employees will quickly lose respect as well as the value-added customer service that he so desires. In each of these examples, there are contradictory messages that ultimately will serve as de-motivators and most likely lead to employee apathy.

In an integrated organization, management practices are in much greater alignment with efforts to improve morale and motivation. Managers and employees alike have clarity on their roles and responsibilities and communication from the top-down is both frequent and fluent. Motivational programs support efforts towards greater morale and productivity but are not seen as an end in itself. And most importantly, all employees, from the CEO down to the frontline worker, understand their role in making the organization successful.

HOW INTEGRATED IS YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Below are 20 assessment questions for you and your organization to address as honestly as possible. Each question either directly or indirectly impacts employee morale and motivation. The more questions that you can respond with a definitive YES, the more integration there is in your organization.

1. Do you have an organizational-wide philosophy and corresponding strategies that addresses employee motivation?

2. Have you ever conducted a comprehensive assessment of current organizational practices, programs and management techniques that impact employee motivation to determine their effectiveness?

3. Do you specifically attempt to hire employees who have a proven record of self-motivation?

4. Do your performance reviews measure the individual characteristics needed to sustain a work environment of high morale and motivation?

5. Is ongoing feedback available on all levels and in all directions throughout the organization?

6. Is there consistency in how managers manage within the organization?

7. Are employee and departmental performance expectations clearly defined and mutually shared to enhance accountability?

8. Do employees have access to the resources they need (both within and outside the organization), to adequately meet the demands of their jobs?

9. Are disciplinary issues handled swiftly and consistently?

10. Do employees have input into their work processes?

11. Does the CEO practice the behaviors that he/she expects to see amongst the workforce?

12. Are employees throughout the organization expected to complete a professional development plan each year? If so, are these shared within the departments?

13. Can employees explain the vision and mission of the organization and relate it to what they do on a daily basis?

14. Is mutual respect displayed between employees? How about between departments?

15. Are technical and soft skills training made available to employees on an ongoing basis?

16. Are personal and professional development opportunities made available to employees within the organization? If opportunities are limited, can an employee pursue an opportunity outside the organization and know that he/she has the support to do so?

17. Are communication processes effective within the organization, especially from the top-down?

18. Are employees rewarded and acknowledged for performing above-and-beyond what is expected of them?

19. Are the benefits within the organization representative of what is important to the employees?

20. Would employees say that your organization was a fun place to work?

Consider the following scale in rating your organization:

16 to 20 YES responses: Very Good

11 to 15 YES responses: Good

6 to 10 YES responses: Poor

1 to 5 YES responses: Yikes!

Each of the questions above represents areas that need to be integrated together in order for your organization to have a consistent message around employee morale and motivation.

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Abhishek Agarwal asked:


A further significance of comprehending employee motivation lies in job fulfillment. Notwithstanding the fact that the number of jobless people is on the rise, it is extremely difficult to get a new recruit. Training of new employees calls for a major investment in terms of finances and time. You have to cope with becoming accustomed to another employee in the office. You will be required to carry out reference checks. It is for this very reason that today, many companies seek to guarantee job fulfillment.

If the employer is able to determine what motivates employees, he will be capable of ensuring that his workers concentrate on accomplishing the company’s objectives and also make certain that they do not leave the company.

To facilitate a better knowledge of employee motivation, one should recognize the fact that people are quite different from each other. So, this indicates that different workers require different motivators.

The Four Employee Motivators

1. Achievement

A great form of employee motivation lies in achievement. Here, the employee is motivated by the objective itself. This is quite akin to scaling a mountain since the mountain is right there.

Frequently employers avail of this motivator by means of putting up challenges to the workers. In using this employee motivator, employers regularly incorporate incentives like cash or a raise. Nevertheless, where the employees are concerned, the incentive is just a kind of bonus for achieving the targets set by the company.

2. Advancement

When it comes to certain workers, their inspiration is the likelihood of advancing up the company ladder. They put in a lot of hard work with the intention of coming under their superior’s attention to further their aspiration of a promotion. Now, this employee motivator is fuelled by ambition.

Definitely, there are instances when this kind of employee motivation could prove to very risky. At times, the superiors may be in danger of losing their jobs due to the rapid progress of an employee. Nonetheless, if managed in the right manner, an employee who is propelled by job advancement can actually be an asset to the company. Even then, this kind of employee motivation needs to be tackled very cautiously.

3. Pressure

There are quite a few employees, who thrive under pressure. Now, this employee motivator is hardly ever shown intentionally by a worker. Many a times, an employee inadvertently loads pressure onto himself and under the influence of this pressure, the employee is compelled to strive harder.

There are instances when the employer makes use of pressure to observe to what extent the employee goes. On the other hand, this kind of employee motivation may produce some undesirable consequences, taking into account the fact that each person has a threshold. In truth, it frequently leads to a breakdown.

4. Fear

It is the most regularly used employee motivator. The workers are usually intimidated by the knowledge that their services would be terminated in case they are unsuccessful in achieving certain targets. Obviously, if the employee is unable to cope with the stress, this kind of employee motivation method would prove damaging to his job functioning.

The secret to the most valuable employee motivation method rests is balance. You should recognize that people have varied inclinations. As it is just not possible to satisfy every employee’s motivation requirements, you need to develop a system that integrates all the features of employee motivation. Bu doing this, you will be capable of ensuring your company’s sustained growth and development.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

The Motivation Doctor asked:


Let me ask you a quick question; do you have any children? I don’t have any children, however, I appreciate the challenges that parents face and I’m most reluctant to tell anyone how to bring up their children.

Whether you do or don’t have children, I’m certain you appreciate the importance of raising them to be happy and successful.

To do that, you’d take a great deal of interest in them and what they’re doing; show you care about them and give them lots of your time and attention.

Children show us from an early age that they want lots of attention. We become aware of this by the way they physically and emotionally, reach out to us. If we fail to provide their required level of attention or acknowledgement, then they’ll almost certainly let us know; usually by behaving badly.

Some parents have difficulty in giving time and attention and often bribe or pay their children to be successful with offers of gifts or money. “Pass your exams and I’ll buy you a new bicycle!” However, children want presence not presents and if they fail to receive their acceptable level of attention and acknowledgement, then they may behave badly.

Not a lot changes when we become adults; we still crave attention and acknowledgement from other people. We look for it from our partners, friends, children, parents and, very importantly – our boss at work!

Successful Motivational Managers realise this and provide their staff with attention and acknowledgement.

They spend quality time with every member of their staff, giving feedback on job performance; be it good or bad.

They listen to problems, both business and personal; they show interest and help the staff member find solutions

They show that they trust and believe in their staff by empowering them to make decisions and be responsible for their actions

Successful Motivational Managers do not bribe or pay their staff to be successful. Incentives, bonuses and prizes are all acceptable; however, they will never replace attention and acknowledgement.

Some food for thought; take a minute and think about someone in your life who you did your best for. Perhaps it was a parent, a teacher or a manager. What was it about them that made you want to do your best; was it presence or presents??



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Five Star Speakers and Trainers asked:


FIVE STAR Speaker Spotlight Newsletter – Issue 10, July 2008

FIVE STAR Motivational Speakers, http://www.fivestarspeakers.com, is honored to be celebrating our 20th year in business in 2008. We could not have made it if not for our thousands of outstanding clients and for that; we can only say Thank You! By the end of this year, nearly 3.6 million people will have attended a meeting or event of a FIVE STAR motivational speaker or entertainer. We speak to your success bringing world-class resources to propel your people and the growth of your organization. We look forward to continuing our relationship with you! Next year we will celebrate our 20th year in business! We look forward to continuing our relationship with you!

FIVE STAR Speakers is your ticket to a meeting audiences will LOVE and a message they will LIVE!

We match your needs with world-class resources to ensure your group will BELIEVE in your message, INSPIRE your leaders, CONNECT with customers, GROW your business … and CELEBRATE!

Whatever the topic, the industry, the audience, the budget, or the timeline … we know the proven motivational speakers and more who will make you look great! We Speak to Your Success!

What can we do for you?

Steve Gardner, Partner

Paul Schmidt, Partner

P.S  Do not forget we have a LIVE Motivational, Business, and Keynote Speakers; Entertainers Showcase this Fall – November 5 in Chicago and November 6 in Kansas City! Contact us for more information!

Hot Speaker

Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. The Ethics Guy® - Business and Leadership Speaker

Business, leadership, keynote speaker Bruce Weinstein is known as the Ethics Guy®. He appears every Friday on CNN\’s \”American Morning\” and writes a column for BusinessWeek.com on ethics. His latest book, Life Principles: Feeling Good by Doing Good, shows why all of us benefit professionally and personally when we live according to ethical principles…more on Business Speaker, Bruce Weinstein

Fee Range: $25,000 +

Travels From: San Francisco, California, USA United States of America

Featured Business and Leadership Speaker’s Book Review

Dr. Joseph Michelli, Motivational Keynote Speaker and Author of The New Gold Standard

Motivational Speaker, Leadership Expert and author of best selling business books including “The Starbucks Experience,” Dr. Joseph A. Michelli uncovers the secrets of world-class leadership in his latest book, “The New Gold Standard: Five Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy Of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.” This is the first time the award-winning global hospitality and lifestyle company has shared such detailed information on its corporate culture and service philosophy. This includes discovering how to engage customer loyalty, measure results, and retain the best talent in a service economy…more on Motivational Speaker and Leadership Author Joseph Michelli

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Travels From: Denver, CO Colorado USA, United States of America

Musical Entertainment

The Water Coolers – Musical Comedy and Corporate Entertainers

The Water Coolers are a musical comedy troupe who portrays the Working Class in corporate America. Do you ever feel like you have all your eggs in one basket, six balls in the air, 2 kids waiting to be picked up from soccer practice, and 7000 emails to return? Well gather \’round. THE WATER COOLERS™ delivers a high-powered, laugh-out-loud combination of sketch comedy and music about what we go through just making each day happen – life, work, kids, husbands, wives, travel, technology – and trying to balance them all…more on Corporate Entertainers and Musical Comedy Group, The Water Coolers

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Travels From: New York, New York, USA, United States of America

FIVE STAR Sports Celebrity

Peter Vidmar – Olympic Gold Medalist, Motivational Speaker and Leadership Coach

Motivational Sports Speaker, Olympic Gold Medalist & Leadership Coach Peter Vidmar -is the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic history. The winner of numerous national and international titles, Peter finished his successful career at the 1984 Olympic Games. Now as a keynote speaker Peter Vidmar, Peter speaks on risk, originality, and virtuosity…more on Olympic Hero and Motivational Speaker Peter Vidmar

Fee Range: $12,500 +

Travels From: Los Angeles, CA California, USA, United States of America

BELIEVE:

John Rowley – Motivational Speaker and Best Selling Author

International Keynote and Motivational Speaker, and Bestselling Author, John Rowley, is on a personal crusade to Revitalize Your Greatest Asset…Human Potential! Called the Brooklyn Storyteller by many, John isn\’t just another motivational speaker he’s an exhilarating event!…more on Motivational Speaker and Brooklyn Storyteller, John Rowley

Fee Range: $7,500 +

Travels From: Raleigh, NC North Carolina, USA, United States of America

CONNECT:

Joel Zeff – Business and Leadership Speaker

Motivational Speaker, Leadership Expert and Author Joel Zeff creates energy. His spontaneous humor and vital messages have thrilled audiences for years. As a national workplace expert, speaker, author and humorist, Joel captivates audiences with a unique blend of hilarious improvisational comedy and essential ideas on work and life. He has shared his experience and insight on creativity, communication, work/life balance, leadership, teamwork, passion, and fun with more than 1,200 companies and organizations. His new book, “Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative and Productive Work Life” is consistently listed as one of the top work/life balance books on Amazon. He has appeared on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, the Fox Network’s Fox and Friends Weekend and been featured in the Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, The Kansas City Star, and many other media outlets…more on Motivational Speaker for Leadership Joel Zeff

Fee Range: $12,500 +

Travels From: Dallas, TX Texas, USA, United States of America

INSPIRE:

Sarano Kelley – Motivational Speaker, Performance Coach, Leadership Expert Speaker

Motivational Speaker, Sales Expert and Leadership Coach Sarano Kelley is the founder of the Game and author of the book, \”The Game – Win Your Life in 90 Days\”. Sarano Kelley grew up in a gang-infested neighborhood in Brownsville, New York, and became a Vassar College graduate who was earning $400K in commission as a stockbroker on Wall Street by the time he was 23 years old. When he was at the height of success as a stockbroker, he had a life-changing experience — he lost some of his beloved family members in a fire. This tragedy caused him to begin a spiritual and philosophical journey to understand the meaning and purpose of his life…more on Leadership and Motivational Speaker Sarano Kelley

Fee Range: $16,000 +

Travels From: Los Angeles, California, USA, United States of America

GROW:

Barbara Kellerman – Business and Leadership Speaker

Business and Leadership speaker Barbara Kellerman is an academic who focused on leadership at a time when that topic was very much outside of the mainstream. Kellerman is the James MacGregor Burns Lecturer in Public Leadership at Harvard University\’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She was the Founding Executive Director of the Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, from 2000 to 2003; and from 2003 to 2006, she served as the Center’s Research Director. Kellerman has held professorships at Fordham, Tufts, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Washington, and Uppsala Universities. She also served as Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Fairleigh Dickinson, and as Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Leadership at the Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland…more on Business and Leadership Speaker Barbara Kellerman

Fee Range: $15,000 +

Travels From: New York, New York, USA, United States of America

CELEBRATE:

Judson Laipply, Inspirational & Motivational Speaker, Inspirational Comedian and YouTube Phenomenon

Motivational Speaker, Inspirational Comedian and creator of \”The Evolution of Dance\” Judson Laipply – which is one of the top viewed YouTube videos of all time! Judson Laipply has been preparing his second version of \”The Evolution of Dance\” with new songs and new moves due out this Fall! Although Judson will only perform his first dance at shows, do not miss the chance to book this YouTube phenomenon!…more on Motivational Speaker and The Evolution on Dance Creator, Judson Laipply

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Meet  FIVE STAR Business, Leadership and  Motivational Speaker Team Member: Brittanny Kreutzer

Meet Brittanny Kreutzer, an essential member of our vibrant sales team! Brittanny is one of our newest team members and has been with FIVE STAR since April…more on Motivational Speakers Bureau Account Executive Brittanny Kreutzer

Join us for our LIVE motivational, inspirational, business growth, leadership, humorists, nutritional, healthcare and keynote speakers Showcase this Fall in Kansas City, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois! Speaker line up will be mentioned in our next Spotlight. To Sign Up or For More Details on the LIVE Fall Motivational Speakers and Entertainers Fall 2008 Chicago & Kansas City Showcase.

For more information on Five Star Speakers visit http://www.fivestarspeakers.com/international-speakers-trainers-bureau/about-us/about-us.aspx



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Bob Urichuck asked:


Employee motivation can be an easy task especially when the team leader demonstrates the appropriate disciplines. The simple disciplines encourage employee motivation to happen naturally. The wonders of “monkey see, monkey do” approach.

Motivation, whether it is self motivation or employee motivation, is the trigger to act. The factors involved to personally motivate and to inspire are not necessarily the factors that motivate all individuals or that lead to overall employee motivation.

No one can conjure up the means to motivate you, only you can discover the best methods in which to motivate yourself. Employee motivation comes from within the individual.

A good and well equipped team leader will demonstrate the appropriate behaviours and create an environment that accentuates employee motivation.

There are two types of self or employee motivation: External and Internal

External employee motivation comes from awards, bonuses, titles, promotions, money, etc. These are motivators commonly referred to as the hygiene factors. Unfortunately these external motivators do not last and are not a good source for employee motivation.

Let’s pretend we are a team and we had a great year. We decide to give everyone a $5,000 bonus. Everyone is happy and employee motivation is at an all time high.

A year goes by and the organization did not have such a great year and may be considering laying off some team members. Compared to the previous year, what will the employees expect in terms of a bonus and how will this impact employee motivation?

Certainly disappointment is eminent and employee motivation will flounder. In order to maintain the current employee motivation, the organization would be expected to offer the same bonus as or higher than the previous year.

This is not possible and decreases employee motivation. I draw your attention to the old donkey and carrot story. External employee motivation is never lasting.

Team leaders should focus on the alternative, internal employee motivation. Employee motivation, like success, grows from the inside out and not from the external to the internal.

In order to understand internal employee motivation you need to understand yourself and trust your abilities to carry you forward. This is a key factor in building employee motivation.

What do you want to be, to do or to have in life? Combine your dreams with passion and you will be self motivated. A solid foundation for employee motivation.

Internal or self motivators enable you to demonstrate all the appropriate behaviours. It is inevitable that a confident, hard-working team player, who recognizes the contributions of others and rewards them with acknowledgement, will pass on those behaviours. These positive behaviours will lead directly to employee motivation. As individuals, we reap what we sow.

As a team leader, if you are critical of yourself, you will be critical of others. This is not an acceptable contribution toward employee motivation. However, if you accept the abilities you bring to the table and recognize your achievements, you will be a good leader, a team player and allow your employees to do the job they were hired to do. Recognition for a job well done is strong employee motivation.

You may find it hard to believe but recognition is the most powerful employee motivation of all. Research has shown that there is a stronger need in society today for recognition than there is for sex and money. Now that says something about employee motivation.

Employee motivation is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement builds our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is depicted by the manner in which we see ourselves. We can either focus internally through our personal beliefs or externally by following the beliefs of others.

Employee motivation starts from within. Lead as you would like to be led. Allow the employee to do the job they have been entrusted to do. Give the employee the recognition for a job well done. Build a strong foundation of challenge, inspiration and trust. Employee motivation is an investment in people and in the company’s future.

Employee motivation equals better performance and a willingness to grow. The employee must earn the respect of others and trust their hard work will be acknowledged. These are the simple mechanics to building self-esteem and the key to success. Employee motivation is a giant step forward for any organization.

Let’s take a look at other forms of employee motivation. Be complimentary. All individuals strive to do better, to work harder and to learn more if they are complimented in front of their piers on a job well done. This form of employee motivation will in turn be passed on to others.

Employee motivation is focusing on individual strengths. Assign the employee a task he/she performs best. Employee motivation will be realized with enthusiasm and productivity.

Education is of the utmost importance with respect to employee motivation. Education comes in the form of regular team discussions, workshops and seminars. Employee motivation will be increased by sharing the ideas and visions for the future with them. They are enlightened by others striving to get ahead and to make a difference. Employee motivation takes a step forward toward accepting change and setting new goals.

Employee motivation should be exciting. It should bring on enthusiasm and energy. Employee motivation spells success if the foundation consists of encouragement, acknowledgement and enthusiasm. Employee motivation begins with You.

Employee motivation through recognition is positive reinforcement. Imagine the possibilities. The end result is happy, motivated achievers and a business operating with positive enforcements. The internal employee motivation creates the first wave to success and the external employee motivation follows in its wake.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Shameena silva asked:


In the past, employees were not given much of a thought, not more than just another input into the production of goods and services. Employee motivation was not the main concern of the managers.

However, as the time passed by the ‘Hawthorne Experiment’ a research conducted by Elton Mayo in 1924, basically changed the way of thinking about the employees. the study of Elton Mayo pointed out the fact that money does not motivate employees to use their full potential, but instead it is the employee attitudes that keeps them going and linked with behaviour. As a result, this gave rise to what is known as the Human Relations approach to management which lead the managers to focus mainly on the needs of employees and thus finding ways to motivate them.

Even though the managers began to concentrate on motivating employees thereafter, this was not an easy task to do, as understanding the employees and motivating them needed careful consideration. If not so ever, then the time and money spent on motivating employees may be of no use to the organization or the employee, if the employees were motivated the wrong way.As a result, to understand the whole concept of motivation and help the managers carry out the strategy, it is important to look into the theories of motivation, which developed soon after the study of the Hawthorne Experiment.

The motivation theories developed, as a  result of the researches carried out by the theorists focusing understanding what motivated employees and how they were motivated. Hence so, let us have a closer look at four of the good motivational theories that explains what motivates employees, in order to understand and do the best possible way to motivate them.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs Theory

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the important theories that provide an insight to understand what basically motivates employees and how it should be done if the employees are to be motivated. Maslow identified five levels of needs. They are,

Self Actualization ( level 5 – highest level)

Esteem ( level 4 )

Social belonging & love needs ( level 3)

safety ( level 2 )

Physiology ( level 1 – lowest level)

These five levels of needs have to be satisfied if the employees are to be motivated. In other words, it is said that motivation is thus driven by the existence of these unsatisfied needs. Maslow pointed out the fact that, in order to motivate the employees, first of all the lower level of needs have to be met before the next higher level of needs. What he meant by this was that only once the lower level of needs have been satisfied the employee will be motivated to satisfy the next higher level of needs. For example,  an   is at the lowest level of the hierarchy will only be motivated by a good pay well enough to afford his basic needs rather than safety of his work area and stability of the job etc. As a result, the hierarchy of needs theory highlights the fact that employees do differ from each other, and if they are to be motivated it is thus vital to look into their needs first and then come up with the suitable motivation techniques effectively.

Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory

The Hertzberg’s two factor theory is another vital theory that provides the managers with a clear understanding to how the employees could be motivated. He also pointed out the fact that motivating employees are not just possible without the presence of intrinsic factors.

According to Hertzberg, he basically identified two separate groups of factors that had a strong impact on motivation. His first group of factors were the hygiene factors which consisted of factors such as the working conditions, quality of supervision, salary,status,safety, company policies, and administration. He tends to believe that the hygiene factors strongly influenced feelings of dissatisfaction among the employees thus paving way to affect the job performance. However, he also went into point out that the presence of these factors will not basically motivate the employees as such, but rather they are necessary to have them right in the first place, if the organization intends to motivate the factors. The second group of factors identified by hertzberg were the motivating factors. These included factors such as recognition,achievement, responsibility, interesting job, growth  and advancement to higher level tasks  etc. Accordingly, he went into say that these factors do bring job satisfaction among employees which will eventually lead to employee motivation.

Vroom’s Expectancy theory

Another theory that explained what basically motivated the employees was the Expectancy theory of Victor Vroom in 1964. Actually Vroom believed that employee effort will pave the way for job performance and thus job performance will lead to rewards. In other words, he highlighted the fact that  employees tend to believe that by putting effort it will lead to a good performance and likewise because of the good performance they will be rewarded. It is these rewards that motivate the employees. If the rewards are positive and welcoming , then obviously the employees will be motivated, or else if they turn out to be negative or not attractive then the chances of employees being de-motivated are very high indeed.

Adam’s Equity Theory

Adam’s Equity theory is a motivation theory that points out the fact that the mangers should seek a fair balance between the employees’ inputs( effort, loyalty, hard work, sacrifice,  etc) and their outputs ( recognition, status, salary, status etc), in order to motivate employees( Adams, 1965). He also stated that it is very vital to make the employee feel that he is treated fairly if the managers are to achieve positive outcomes and motivate the employees effectively. However, if the employees tend to feel that they have been treated unfairly meaning to say that their inputs are greater than the outputs, then they will be de-motivated.Ans this will no doubt reduce their inputs such as effort and hard work etc.

In conclusion,  the tasks of the managers to motivate the employees are indeed not that easy.This is because each and every employee has got their very own needs that tend to motivate them. However, the managers need to have some sort of  aknowledge that will help them to understand the employees well and think of better ways of motivating them. This is where the motivational theories come into considertaion. It is these theories that provide an explanation of how to motivate them based on what motivates them. The Hierarchy of needs theory and Hertzberg’s two factor theory deals with explaining how the employees are to be motivated by way of looking into their needs. On the other hand, Adams theory also helps the managers to understand that a fair balance between inputs and outputs of employees are important. The Expectancy theory too shows that rewards tend to motivate the employees. However, overall all motivation theories  do state that rewarding and recognising employees are important in order to motivate employees thus acting as the  foundation to motivate employees.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Thomas Turner asked:


You may all know that getting motivated to achieve an ambition may be simple, but staying motivated for a long period of time is what we often find hard. To stay focused on the assignment, or finding motivation to arrive at an objective can go on to become a long procedure and sometimes can be very annoying at times.

The best method of self motivation is to complete each of your short term goals. Once you have finished these, inspiration to complete your long term goals will appear. When you have a goal, no matter what that goal is, you must take helpful steps to be sure that once you have enough inspiration to begin, you will have plenty of motivation until you reach your goal.

You can put to use different motivation techniques to realize your objective. Numerous individuals prefer to keep several objectives for themselves. It may be to get into superior form or possibly it is to return back to their interrupted studies. Whatever may be the objective or the ambition you are having, the vigor to do that is at times difficult to acquire.

Hard work, commitment, eagerness, and the drive to excel go hand in hand with motivation techniques in order to get good results. Many people when they begin a task are very motivated. For a period of time they stay motivated to accomplish their goal. But they quickly discover that it is not always simple to stick to the job.

Motivation comes in varying forms for different persons. It is important to know what motivates you individually. You can be self motivated too. For people who are self motivated, it is like an internal voice telling them to keep aiming higher and setting better standards. They dont need an external factor to motivate them.

There are others who require exterior factors to drive them nearer to their aims. For such people, you will find there are different things that they can do to get motivated and they can stay motivated regardless of the goal they have set. You can go on to stay motivated without any motivation techniques if you know your priorities.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Kurt Mortensen asked:


When we break motivation down to its most fundamental level, it’s either inspiration-oriented or desperation-oriented. Whatever action we take, we are moving either toward something we favor or away from something we disfavor.

The majority of the world uses desperation as a motivator. Desperation is like a cattle prod forcing you to move forward and take action. You can motivate anyone on your team with desperation. The problem is that motivation spurred by desperation does not last. When desperation is the motivator, sales reps are in an “away from” mentality.

This kind of motivation is fleeting, arising only when threat, fear or discomfort is present. If you want motivation to last, you need to rely on inspiration. When your team is motivated by inspiration, they’re moving of their own initiative because they want to and are excited to, rather than because they are being forced to. Motivation becomes long term when it taps into a person’s inner recesses.

While the inspiration approach is certainly the more appealing of the two motivational methods, sometimes there has to be an element of “desperation.” I don’t mean that you want to cause your team members to feel despair, but sometimes things that push us away have to be present just as much as things that draw us near. The main reason for this recommendation is that if inspiration isn’t quite enough, your prospects may just simply fall into inactivity. That is, they fall into a comfort zone.

I’ve developed a grid that maps out the different motivators, their varying degrees and the effects they have on others. Draw a horizontal and an intersecting vertical axis on your paper. On the left of the horizontal axis, write “Desperation.” On the right of the horizontal axis, write “Inspiration.” At the top of the vertical axis, write “Internal” and at the bottom of the vertical axis, write “External.” In the Internal Inspiration quadrant, write the letter “A.” In the External Inspiration quadrant, write the letter “B.” In the Internal Desperation quadrant, write the letter “C.” In your last quadrant, External Desperation, write the letter “D.”

The central region is the comfort zone, where we experience complacency. How do you get someone on your team to move outside the middle? Let’s start with the short-term, easy form of motivation, quadrant D, where we find external desperation. You apply an external pressure to force someone into action. In other words, your team members must do what you say or they’re fired. “Hit these numbers or pack your bags.” Sure, it will work temporarily, but long-term consequences will result.

The next area of the Motivation Equation is quadrant C, where we find internal desperation. Desperation motivation can be made internal if you can use your prospects’ sense of duty or obligation to get them to move. Internal motivation works something like this: “I’m getting paid, so I guess I have to do this. If I don’t do this, the team will miss its quota.” You can see that in both of these examples, the person is acting of her/his own initiative but only out of obligation or to avoid a worse consequence.

So, is there a place for either of these latter two motivational approaches? Yes, but use them sparingly. Most teams will not put up with this treatment unless they know it is tough love. Every once in a while, when other things have failed, you can use these types of motivation. You have to let your team know not only that there are positive consequences for their actions, but if they don’t perform, there may be negative consequences as well. There has to be a baseline or a standard from which to evaluate the situation. Your team members can’t think that no matter what they will always have a job. Let’s face it-sometimes we all need a kick in the pants. When we do resort to this approach, it’s usually a negative circumstance based on desperation. Just don’t go overboard or take it to the extreme. Make sure before you use any negative reinforcement that your sales rep has the tools s/he needs to get the job done. Does s/he need more training? Does s/he know exactly what you expect and how to do it?

The next quadrant is quadrant B, where we find external inspiration. Here, it is still external factors that influence you, but this time in a positive way. You are inspired and energized rather than acting simply to avoid pain. External inspiration is getting on the right motivational track because it can grow into internal inspiration. Sometimes, this quadrant is referred to as “borrowed light.” It’s OK to be guided and inspired by borrowed light until you’ve lit your own flame. At least this kind of motivation keeps you progressing in a positive way. Even with external influences, this type of motivation can produce long-term effects because it is inspiring and thus begins to tap into your inner emotions.

The best type of motivation is internal motivation, as shown in quadrant A. This quadrant is what we call passion. There’s no stopping the person who has found inspiration that is purely internally driven. You can wind her/him up and s/he’ll go on forever.

Hopefully, this chapter has given you lots of ideas on how to help individual team members as well as your team as a whole feel more motivated. As I said earlier, this material will apply to certain people in certain situations and will help them learn to find the right tools. The point is, you possess the knowledge and are equipped to take on any situation. Review this chapter anytime you need to give your team a boost, or even just to keep current momentum going. Of course, any of these suggestions may be adapted to suit your team’s specific needs.

Questions

1. Why is the mindset of your sales force the foundation of your success?

2. What are three ways in which you can praise and recognize your team? How will you implement these strategies?

3. Gallup Consulting Group has spent more than two decades interviewing hundreds of thousands of salespeople in an effort to help corporate clients form and develop their sales teams. Its findings suggest that the top four qualities of top-tier producers are: 1) solid closing skills; 2) self-motivation; 3) strong work ethic and 4) excellent people and relationship skills. How can you implement these four qualities into your sales team?



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Glen Peebles asked:


Motivation is of particular interest to Educational psychologists because of the crucial role it plays in student learning.  Motivation in education can have several effects on how students learn and their behaviour towards subject matter (Ormrod, 2003).  Motivation has been found to be a pivotal area in treating Autism Spectrum Disorders, as in Pivotal Response Therapy.  Motivation is also an important element in the concept of Andragogy (what motivates the adult learner).  Motivation by threat is a dead-end strategy, and naturally staff are more attracted to the opportunity side of the motivation curve than the threat side.  Motivational strategies need to be applied individually and changed frequently so that they do not become ineffective through over use.

Motivation

According to Geen, motivation refers to the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of human behaviour.  Some authors distinguish between two forms of intrinsic motivation: one based on enjoyment, the other on obligation.  There is currently no universal theory to explain the origin or elements of intrinsic motivation, and most explanations combine elements of Fritz Heider’s attribution theory, Bandura’s work on self-efficacy and other studies relating to locus of control and goal orientation. 

Note that the idea of reward for achievement is absent from this model of intrinsic motivation, since rewards are an extrinsic factor.  In work environments, money may provide a more powerful extrinsic factor than the intrinsic motivation provided by an enjoyable workplace.  Successful coercion sometimes can take priority over other types of motivation.  The self-control of motivation is increasingly understood as a subset of emotional intelligence; a person may be highly intelligent according to a more conservative definition (as measured by many intelligence tests), yet unmotivated to dedicate this intelligence to certain tasks. 

Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs theory is the most widely discussed theory of motivation.  Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory, aka intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, concludes that certain factors in the workplace result in job satisfaction, but if absent, lead to dissatisfaction.  To understand how to control motivation it is first necessary to understand why many people lack motivation. 

It is usually suggested that it is critical to maintain a list of tasks, with a distinction between those which are completed and those which are not, thereby moving some of the required motivation for their completion from the tasks themselves into a “meta-task”, namely the processing of the tasks in the task list, which can become a routine.  However, the specific kind of motivation that is studied in the specialized setting of education differs qualitatively from the more general forms of motivation studied by psychologists in other fields. 

Because students are not always internally motivated, they sometimes need situated motivation, which is found in environmental conditions that the teacher creates.  There are two kinds of motivation: Intrinsic motivation occurs when people are internally motivated to do something because it either brings them pleasure, they think it is important, or they feel that what they are learning is significant. 

At lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, such as Physiological needs, money is a motivator; however it tends to have a motivating effect on staff that lasts only for a short period (in accordance with Herzberg’s two-factor model of motivation).  At higher levels of the hierarchy, praise, respect, recognition, empowerment and a sense of belonging are far more powerful motivators than money, as both Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation and Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and theory Y (pertaining to the theory of leadership) demonstrate. 

According to the system of scientific management developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, a worker’s motivation is solely determined by pay, and therefore management need not consider psychological or social aspects of work.  In essence scientific management bases human motivation wholly on extrinsic rewards and discards the idea of intrinsic rewards. 

In contrast, David McClelland believed that workers could not be motivated by the mere need for money– in fact, extrinsic motivation (e.  , money) could extinguish intrinsic motivation such as achievement motivation, though money could be used as an indicator of success for various motives, e.

Motivation is of particular interest to Educational psychologists because of the crucial role it plays in student learning.  Motivation has been found to be a pivotal area in treating Autism Spectrum Disorders, as in Pivotal Response Therapy.  Motivation by threat is a dead-end strategy, and naturally staff is more attracted to the opportunity side of the motivation curve than the threat side.  Motivation is the key to performance improvement. 

Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate this gap.  Motivational strategies need to be applied individually and changed frequently so that they do not become ineffective through over use.  Motivation is a pivotal concept in most theories of learning.  Motivation to achieve is a function of the individual’s desire for success, the expectancy of success, and the incentives provided.  Motivation is divided into two basic types: integrative and instrumental. 

Motivation is an important factor in L2 achievement.  Motivation’s philosophy is based on commitment towards ‘enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities’ through the provision of appropriate mobility devices (wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs), professional services such as physiotherapy, economic empowerment (via job fairs, vocational training, job placements) and advocating basic human rights.  Motivation depends on many factors with the primary factor being the power of your dreams.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Sacha Tarkovsky asked:


Many people think motivation is just an emotion, or a thought. Its not! Motivation is the energy behind action.

No motivation and your actions are empty; without substance. However, if you add motivation to your actions, they become powerful and effective.

Motivation is the sister of intent, and together, they make us effective or ineffective people.

How is Motivation Energy?

Motivation begins with a thought or a desire. These thoughts or desires have real energy within them, and they energize whatever they touch. If these are in conversation, they energize your speech and the hearing of those that listen to them. This is a fact.

Every good salesman knows he cannot sell anything unless he is motivated and believes what he is doing is also good for those who buy. If the salesman is not “sold”, he will never sell. Being sold is his motivation energizing his thoughts, speech and finally actions.

The fact that motivation is energy is seen most easily in those people whose task it is, to convince others. You simply cannot convince others unless you are convinced. You cannot be convinced unless you are motivated.

Motivation Dispels Procrastination

Putting things off; a common human trait, is also a cause of a great many human ills and unhappy situations. If you are motivated, however, you “just do it” as the slogan goes, and step by step you eventually progress.

Do not procrastinate. If you do, you’re ideas, your thoughts become impotent, and you become impotent with them.

How to Become Motivated

There is an old prayer, where a saint is walking along with road in his bare feet, his shoes long ruined and discarded. He prayed for shoes. Just then he saw a man without feet! He withdrew his prayer, and thanked God for all his blessings.

You need no more to become motivated than to realize if you are reasonably healthy, and have the basics of life, you are more than well off. Your motivation then should be to be better in what you do, how you look, what you say, and most of all, how you are.

One needs no more than to realize most of the people in the world do not have the basics of life, yet they survive. If you ponded that thought, your motivation comes of itself.

Turning Motivation into Action

This is the easiest part of the discussion. One turns motivation into action by setting goals. Your goals must be somehow realistic, and somehow achievable. They should be (in part anyway) achievable in a reasonable amount of time. Motivation somehow needs some reward, like a horse needing a bit of sugar after working a while.

Your actions, now charged with motivation, and having a destination (goal) are the stuff that built empires. The stuff that put man on the moon, and every other wonderful achievement in man’s history.

You can apply these simple facts in your life, and you will see it improve for the better, no matter what. You must be motivated, and your motivation will energize your actions. An action, energized by motivation, and having a goal has a very large chance of success, regardless of its magnitude.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta