Motivating Today's Employees. Lin Grensing-Pophal

is a difficult term to define.

      Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary doesn’t offer much help:

      Main Entry: mo.ti.va.tion

      Date: 1873

      1 : a : the act or process of motivating

      b : the condition of being motivated

      2 : a motivating force, stimulus, or influence : incentive, drive

      Encarta’s definition is better, particularly if we’re thinking of motivation from a business standpoint:

      Mo-ti-va-tion:

      1. giving of a reason to act: the act of giving somebody a reason or incentive to do something

      2. enthusiasm: a feeling of interest or enthusiasm that makes somebody want to do something, or something that causes such a feeling

      3. reason: a reason for doing something or behaving in some way

      4. PSYCHOLOGY forces determining behavior: the biological, emotional, cognitive, or social forces that activate and direct behavior

      What do we, as managers, mean when we say we want to motivate our employees? Quite basically, we’re saying that we want to “give them a reason or incentive to do something.” That “something” is the act of performing certain tasks or duties that further the goals and direction of the organization.

      How can we, as managers, generate “a feeling of interest or enthusiasm that makes somebody want to do something”?

      What the theorists tell us about motivation

      Business theorists have long speculated on how workers are encouraged to do more work in less time and be happy about doing it.

      Frederick Herzberg

      In the l950s, industrial psychologist Frederick Herzberg found that certain job factors caused worker dissatisfaction and poor performance when they fell below a certain level. Yet these same factors failed to increase job performance once they reached an optimum level. He labeled these factors maintainers because they maintain a certain level of productivity. Maintainers include —

      • salary,

      • job security,

      • company policies, and

      • administration.

      Once these factors reach an optimum level, merely providing more of them, according to Herzberg, will not produce an increase in productivity.

      For example, consider the experience of a high-school student whose first job is as a front-counter clerk in a fast-food restaurant. The student is hired at minimum wage and is satisfied with the pay, company policies, and administration. The student is motivated to perform and is excited about the opportunity to earn money for the first time. That excitement lasts for the first several months on the job; the student performs well and even receives a pay increase after three months. But once the initial eager phase is over, the student starts to feel restless and a bit bored. It’s not the money. It’s not the policies or procedures. It’s not the administration. What is it?

      According to Herzberg’s theory, the missing ingredient is motivators.

      Herzberg identified several sources of job satisfaction, which he called motivators. Motivators include —

      • achievement,

      • recognition for achievement,

      • the work itself,

      • responsibility, and

      • advancement.

      Motivators make employees work harder. The more motivators there are, the harder an employee will work.

      What sort of motivators might make this student work harder?

      Achievement. This might involve learning new things or taking on new responsibilities.

      Recognition for achievement. Recognition could entail pay increases, but it also includes less tangible forms of recognition, such as praise from management and colleagues, awards (certificates, plaques, an article about the employee in the organization’s newsletter, etc.).

      The work itself. A talented and enthusiastic high-school student will quickly learn the responsibilities of being a front-counter clerk in a fast-food restaurant. How could the work itself be changed to provide more variety or more challenge?

      Responsibility. When an employee first starts with a company, he or she is not given a great deal of responsibility. The manager or supervisor may watch him or her closely for some time and be reluctant to allow the employee to take on responsibility and make decisions — even minor decisions. As the employee grows in the position, however, the opportunity for more responsibility — the ability to make independent decisions, to participate in special teams or task forces, or to initiate new projects — can provide motivation.

      Advancement. For many employees, advancement can be a motivator. In this case, the front-counter clerk may be motivated by advancement to assistant supervisor of front-counter clerks, or some other position that is higher in the fast-food restaurant’s hierarchy.

      Herzberg’s point is that maintainers merely maintain a behavior. More salary, more job security, better company policies or better administration may provide a certain level of satisfaction for the employee, but these maintainers will not generate “a feeling of interest or enthusiasm that makes somebody want to do something.” Only motivators will do that.

      Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

      Another early theorist, psychologist Abraham Maslow, developed what he called a need hierarchy, which classifies five levels of needs ranging from the concrete to the intangible. These needs are—

      1) physiological comfort,

      2) safety,

      3) social fulfillment,

      4) satisfaction of the ego, and

      5) self-actualization.

      Maslow believed that until an individual’s basic needs (i.e., food and security) are satisfied, that individual will not be motivated by involvement in social activities, the opportunity to learn new things, or advancement. Only after each need in the hierarchy has been adequately met, according to Maslow’s theory, would individuals be motivated to move on to higher-level needs.

      For example, suppose you have recently employed a single mother who is struggling to care for three small children. She will initially be highly concerned with making enough money to meet her family’s needs for food, shelter, and security. Money will be the driving factor in motivating this employee. Offering her the opportunity to serve on a special task force, or giving her additional responsibilities (unless those new responsibilities lead to a pay increase) will not be motivating to this individual.

      However, suppose this woman begins to make enough money to provide adequately and appropriately for her family. The strong initial drive has been satisfied. At this point, the employee may be driven to pursue higher-level needs, such as establishing relationships with other employees, learning new tasks, or taking on more responsibilities. More money would, of course, be welcomed, but more money would not create the motivation to perform better, faster, or with more loyalty.

      In reality, Maslow’s theory doesn’t work quite that simply. Each of the needs on the hierarchy are, to a certain degree, inter-related. While we strive to earn a good wage, we are also concerned with job stability, getting along with coworkers, being recognized for our achievements, and feeling some sense of intrinsic enjoyment of the work we do. In addition, the extent to which each of these needs is satisfied is continually shifting and changing as our life circumstances change. We may be making adequate wages and be quite satisfied with our incomes, but