I had an interesting email from a reader recently, asking if there was something wrong with her!

She said she worked in a positive environment, where she was often getting positive reinforcement for what she was doing. Her boss was continuously praising her for being on time with her attendance or project inputs or meeting minutes. Yet, this lady didn’t feel as great as she thought she should. Something she said in her email hit home to me: “I feel that I am being manipulated, as if my manager had been on a course that told him to keep on praising people and this would motivate everyone. But I don’t feel good when he does it all the time. Am I wrong to feel this way, Sean?”

Interesting, eh? This lady was in a positive environment, but not feeling positive. Why?

Well, it may have something to do with our third myth of management; the fact that positive reinforcement practices often fail because they are dealing with behaviours, not performance optimisation.

Behaviour modification was popularised by psychologist B.F. Skinner in the 1930′s. His basic ideas revolved around the facts that when employees received positive reinforcement, they are more likely to repeat the behaviour that gained the praise in the first place. And negative reinforcement would force the employee to engage in that particular behaviour less often.

However, this often feels fake and manipulative. The lady quoted above could subconsciously see that the praise wasn’t really genuine. If it was, she would have accepted it for what it was. Positive reinforcement often affects the employee’s extrinsic motivation, but rarely their intrinsic motivation.

Coming to work on time because you know that if you don’t you will be reprimanded is an example of extrinsic motivation – you are motivated to do something because of what will result at the end of it.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within and is based on a personally-held belief.

Extrinsic motivation is compliance-based; intrinsic motivation is interest-based. Positive reinforcement systems encourage and improve extrinsic motivation, but not intrinsic.

As a manager, you need to find ways to create environments that improve people’s intrinsic motivation, things that will drive them from the inside, so their passion, drive, ingenuity, creativity and energy are tapped into. Manipulating by continuous praise won’t accomplish this.

Remember to mix the two, and you should get better results.

Thanks again

Sean

In many companies, salary increases happen at certain times of the year and are given to every employee, regardless of their performance.

If salary increases actually do improve employee morale, you would expect to see performance and productivity go up in line with the increases, wouldn’t you? Mmm. Well, you probably know the answer to that one.

Frederick Hertzberg took a look at the factors that bring job satisfaction and dis-satisfaction. He identifies two sets or groups of factors that affected employee motivation, and called them hygiene factors and motivators. Hygiene factors included things like working conditions, pay, status and security. When these are poor, work is dis-satisfying, said Hertzberg. When they are acceptable, work is not dis-satisfying. Adding more hygiene factors does not increase employee motivation.

However, the motivators are things that influence employee satisfaction based on the fulfilment of intrinsic, or higher-level, needs. These needs include opportunities for growth, recognition, achievement, and the quality of the work itself. Motivators, says Hertzberg, improve worker satisfaction and motivation much more than hygiene factors alone ever could.

Top performance employees want to be appreciated for the quality of the work done and recognised for the efforts and abilities that they show. It’s only the poor performers who think that extra pay will produce actual motivation. Actually, I believe the extra pay only attempts to make up for the poor opportunities or the boring work they have to continually carry out. It mutes the pain for a while, until the effect wears off and the money loses its meaning.

So our second myth is “Employees are Motivated by Salary Increases”

If you have increased salaries recently and expected an improvement in performance or productivity and it didn’t materialise, Hertzberg explains why.

Increased pay will never deal with intrinsic motivation. Recognising what specifically motivates people working for you, and tapping into their motivational instincts, are the only ways that you are going to get to the real essence of what makes people turn themselves on at work.

Thanks again

Sean

I was looking at the 2011 Global Mindset Index Report this week,(click here to download it) and it makes interesting and rather disturbing reading. It shows, among other things, that:

• one in four employees (23%) worldwide identifies with five or more of the key factors in depression (as outlined by the World Health Organisation)
• only 12% of the global workforce expressed feeling generally optimistic
• only 14% of respondents said they felt inspired by their employer
• 92% of respondents said their emotions were reliant on workplace results, rather than factors such as self-belief and intrinsic work ethic.

These results were obtained by surveying participants in America, Europe, South America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific. In a nutshell, the findings reveal the following:

• If the environment at work supports an individual’s view of their own ‘self’ it provides a positive emotional state and a source of stable motivation
• An individual is empowered by their internal feelings of worth, ability and value
• There is a clear divide in focus, belief, confidence, connectivity and enthusiasm between those at the top of an organisation and those on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder
• The older you get (50+), the less confidence you have in your organisation and where it’s going, but the more stable you feel in your role
• Women are finding the current environment more challenging in terms of feeling confident in their roles and responding to stressful situations

These trends heighten the need for leaders to act now to ensure their team members bring a mindset to work that will enable them to achieve and perform.  So, what can leaders do?

• Take proactive steps in discussing the overall well-being of their people
• Offer support when people are feeling less than 100%
• Set performance goals for individuals in the workplace that assist in an “achievement” mindset for staff
• Provide coaching and feedback to inspire exceptional performance

As the world’s economy goes through an intriguing stage, we are looking for leaders to do exactly that…lead. And if you can learn the lessons from this report, people will look to you for inspiration and development in the future.

Thanks again

Sean

In Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay, Beverly Kay and Sharon Jordan-Evans write about creating commitment cultures.

After 20 years of research and 60,000 exit interviews, the Saratoga Institute reports that 80% of turnover is related to unsatisfactory relationships with the boss. Talent retention and engagement will remain one of management’s highest priorities over the coming years. In fact, in the current global economic situation with its ever-increasing reliance on talent and technology, retention and engagement are critical to an organization’s survival.

Organisations therefore need to focus on three areas to retain and engage their talented people:

Employee development – Support learning and growth.

Find ways to continuously develop and grow workers’ talents. Enrich and enliven employees’ work, making every effort to increase the time they spend on desirable and innovative work. Help workers identify opportunities for moving laterally as well as vertically. Link workers to mentors, coaches, leaders, or colleagues who can offer guidance and support.

Management style – Inspire loyalty.

Ask employees what they want from their work and what it takes to keep them motivated. Provide constant feedback – clearly, truthfully, and respectfully – and, in return, listen closely and carefully. Look for creative, meaningful ways to recognise and reward workers. Create a culture of inclusion – valuing not only differences of race and gender, but thoughts, experiences, and attitudes as well. Hold managers accountable for retention and then give them the training and the tools to do it.

Work environment – Create one that people love.

Let fun happen. Share information freely and regularly. Give people space – providing the freedom to get the job done in ways that work best for them, from their schedule and attire to their approach and process.

There are many complex reasons why some organisations are more successful than others in attracting and retaining the best people. However, studies reveal some common patterns. The most significant of these clearly boil down to questions of leadership.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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A survey among 2,000 workers undertaken by staff development company European Leaders revealed that a huge two thirds failed to understand their company’s vision, which had a negative impact on their motivation and productivity. It also contributed to the fact that a mere 18% would describe their employer as a ‘good’ organisation to work for.

But two thirds of those questioned said that they would work much more efficiently if they were better motivated, although only 36% said they were currently working to their full potential.

If you look at the UK’s best companies to work for, it’s clear that their focus on company values and employee engagement is right at the top of their agenda. So what would boost employee engagement and morale?  41% of people who replied to the European Leaders survey said managers’ ability to communicate passion and enthusiasm about work to them and being prepared to challenge in order to help them reach their full potential would be top of their list.

A further 38% said they would like bosses to help them find something in the workplace that motivated them, while 37% felt managers had a duty to make their work more engaging.

That really made me think about how we engage with our people at work, especially how we tap into their potential to achieve more and grow more. If we just leave motivation up to other people, it will just fade, as it’s something that needs to constantly nurtured and fed. Don’t allow your team to lose its motivation by not getting them involved in the big picture. Help them grow and develop by letting them contribute and add new perspectives to the business.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Follow us here on Twitter