BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL TEAM

In order to promote enthusiasm in employees, we first need to look at the fundamentals of motivation. This includes understanding the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is participating in a behaviour or activity that will either enable us to avoid pain or punishment or allow us to gain something favourable. In neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) this is referred to as ‘Towards and Away-from’ motivation factors — we either move towards pleasure or away from pain. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is doing something because it is personally rewarding, not because you seek recognition or a physical reward for doing the activity.

It is important to understand which motivation factors to use. Using extrinsic motivation for an employee who already had intrinsic motivation to tackle a task, could turn a once fun activity into a requirement. This could change the employee’s perception of the task, eradicating their intrinsic motivation for the endeavour ultimately leading to a decline in productivity. However, if an employee is struggling to find the motivation to complete a task, extrinsic motivation can be employed to encourage them and providing feedback will let them know when their performance has reached a standard worthy of reward.

Now that we understand when to motivate an employee and when not to, we can look at some of the motivation techniques available to us. For years, employers thought it best to motivate employees with money alone, yet there are various other, more effective, methods available.

You might say, “Ah, Barry! This is the oldest trick in the book!” but have you been applying it effectively? It’s all well and fine to tell employees that they’re doing a great job, but have you considered other methods of positive reinforcement? Public praise, extra days off work, a fun family outing or something as simple as a casual dress day could mean the difference between a motivated and dispirited employee. This means though, that you cannot continually praise employees for providing the same standard of work. What you praise them for this week should be a significant improvement over what you praised them for last week. If not, employees will become accustomed to being praised for maintaining the same standard.

Developed in the 1950’s, Herzberg’s two-factor theory implies that there are two factors that influence employee motivation. The first is ‘motivator factors’ — simply put, these are factors that contribute to job satisfaction such as enjoying the work, career progression, receiving praise and being recognised. The other factor is ‘hygiene factors’, which includes company benefits, salary, and relationships with managers and colleagues. While the presence of these two factors will not necessarily increase employee motivation, without them job dissatisfaction is a likely result.

The Hawthorne Effect is based on research done in the early 1950’s which gave rise to the idea that people perform better and work harder when they are being observed. Now this does not mean you should hover over your employees to make sure they work as hard as they can (as that would be tyrannical at best), but do let them know that you’re paying attention to the things they do. This could mean occasionally providing new office furniture, congratulating them on a big deal, or asking for feedback about their working environment. If employees feel that you are paying attention to them, they are more likely to be motivated and will inevitably work harder.

This motivation method simply states that your employees’ most basic needs must be met before they can perform to the fullest of their potential. The hierarchy, starting with the most important need, is physiology, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualisation.

In other words, once your employees feel they can look after their health, their safety and they feel included and respected, they can start to realise their true potential and become the best possible version of themselves.

You can apply this motivation method by ensuring that your staff understand the importance of their jobs. From the lowest paid employee to the highest, they all need to understand and value the significance of their role in the workplace. If they feel respected, they will feel more motivated. Remember to respect your employees’ personal lives as well. Ensure that they are paid enough to be financially stable and that they aren’t working so hard that they neglect their families.

This effect is named after the Greek myth of Pygmalion, a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. Essentially, this effect dictates that the higher your expectations of an individual, the higher their standards of performance will be. The exact opposite of this effect is the Golem Effect — the lower your expectations, the lower the level of performance. To use this effect in the workplace, it is important that you always expect the best of your employees and by radiating this expectation (in moderation, of course), employees will perform in accordance to your expectations. This effect needs to be followed by a motivation method such as positive reinforcement and you will need to keep Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in mind to ensure that employees do not become resentful of your high expectations.

As an employer, it is imperative that you understand exactly what your employees require as motivation. Without this understanding, your business’ success will be short-lived and your growth as an entrepreneur stunted. Remember that each employee is different and to treat them as individuals so they may thrive and succeed as part of your company. If you only absorb one piece of information from this article, let it be this… an investment in your employees is an investment in your business.