What is Motivation?

what is motivation?

When people ask "What is motivation?" there is no clear cut answer. There are a lot of variables that come into play. As individuals, we are all motivated in different ways.

In the workplace, some employees like repeating the same tasks. Others need variety to stay motivated. So tune in to what makes your employees happy at work.

There are actions you can take which will increase the odds of you having a motivated, performing workforce. It helps to understand the types of motivation and also what can be done to improve team motivation.

Extrinsic Motivation

This involves external factors such as working conditions, pay and benefits, career paths and training and development opportunities in the business.

Take a helicopter view and imagine what it feels like to be an employee in your business. Do you feel respected? valued? Do you speak with pride about your job?

As a manager, make sure your HR policies and procedures make this possible. Offer a good working environment - even down to fixing that broken chair. Reward high performance - and that does not have to mean a pay rise. Give recognition for a job well done.

Support employees financially when they make the effort to learn outside of work. Make the investment in training your employees in different parts of the business, even though it may be time consuming. These actions create loyal employees who can build your business.

Intrinsic Motivation

This comes from enjoyment of the job itself. Your employees may enjoy the challenge of what they do, the variety of work, the esteem that the job brings and the relationships with internal or external customers.

To improve intrinsic motivation, take a closer look at the job design. Does it make sense? In one assembly plant I worked in, we found that motivation increased when we trained operators in tasks that were linked in a logical work sequence.

Does the job use the employee's innate talents? Does the employee have the skills and knowledge necessary to feel confident in the job? Could they take on more responsibility, or do they need more support? Take the time to step back and analyse the job in conjunction with your employee, to see if actions can be taken to improve intrinsic motivation.

Team Motivation

When looking at what is motivation, how teams are motivated has been carefully researched. The role of a Team Leader has proved critical in building strong team motivation. Here are some of the actions a Team Leader needs to take:

√ Build and communicate a team vision and way of working.

√ Involve team members in setting goals within the overall team objective.

√ Be aware of and utilise the different strengths of team members.

√ Know when to direct and when to involve the team in decision making.

√ Provide constant positive feedback, encouragement and support, both on an individual and team basis.

√ Take action even if it is unpopular for the good of the business.

Research shows that employees are more motivated to work in teams when they are rewarded for their team rather than individual effort.

Highly performing teams are aware of how interdependant they are on each other and often resist an individual reward system. Team input and agreement is important in deciding on rewards. For example, an Employee of the Month Award is only likely to be viewed favourably when this is decided by all the team members.

To find out more about what is motivation, and to listen to answers to the key questions managers have about how to motivate employees, download the How to Motivate Employees Audio Guide.

Click here for Motivation Theories and Practical Use.

To improve motivation in the workplace, click on Motivation Techniques for Managers.

To stay positive and focused, click on Self Motivation Tips.

And finally, for some excellent motivation quotes that you can use to inspire your employees, click here.

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