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Motivating Your Team
Why are so many leaders faced with low productivity, high
staff turnover and low levels of teamwork? The changes that
have and are taking place in society no doubt contribute,
e.g. length of service means little when faced with organisational
re-organisation. I work with a number of health organisations,
one for example, has quite literally been told they face an
additional £15 million hit to their budget and will have to
make tough decisions.
So change is inevitable, but that does not explain the lack
of enthusiasm and energy I see. I like to arrive early for
meetings with clients as it gives me an opportunity to watch
the "temperature" of the organisation. It is surprising how
often I see staff transform, as they get closer to the building
- the smile leaves their face; the shoulders slump - they
switch off. What is it we are doing to loos their enthusiasm
and passion?
There are a great many things at play, but leaders have to
consider what they are doing about:
- Their own motivation
- How are they using rewards and recognition to motivate
staff
- Are they setting realistic targets and providing feedback
on how well the team is doing
- Creating a motivating physical and psychological environment
I have looked at issues surrounding personal motivation in
an earlier issue. This month, I shall look at the issue of
creating motivation through focusing on the physical and psychological
environment. The best leaders I have worked with or for have
the ability to:
- Not over control their team members and allow people
input into decisions that impact them
- Ensure the physical environment is not just safe, but
fun
- Focus on public praise and private criticism of people
- Concern for the well-being of their team
- Where there is a number of mundane, repetitive activities,
ensure these are shared and varied between the team.
In 1959 Hertzberg, in his book The Motivation of Work, identified
to two factors that affect motivation. These are:
- Hygiene factors - which if not addressed lead to dissatisfaction
- Working conditions - Do I have a decent office, with
the tools to do my job?
- Policies and administrative practices - Sensible
company rules, regulations, procedures, and policies
that are fairly applied
- Salary and Benefits - Am I paid a fair wage for the
job I do? What other benefits are there? Is there equitable
in comparison to which I see as my peer group?
- Supervision - a good boss is essential. Your employees
need to know that you care
- Status - We want to know that our work matters and
that there is "status" attached.
- Job security - Is there a sense that my job is safe
as it could be?
- Fellow workers - Do I get on with them, are they helpful,
do I feel safe, will they support me?
- Personal life - staff need to feel a sense of satisfaction
in their life
- Motivating factors - these lead to job satisfaction
- Recognition - We all want to be recognised for the
work we do
- Achievement - Does my job give me a sense of fulfilment
and achievement?
- Advancement - There needs to be some prospect of advancing
in work
- Growth - Can I develop further, or am I stuck at the
top of a ladder with only down to go?
- Responsibility - Does responsibility come with my
job, if not then it is mundane and demotivating.
- Job challenge - The job has to provide interest
All of this seems obvious, but survey after survey we conduct
point to some (even all) of these factors being ignored or
missing. How are you switching off your staff?
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