They idea of creation of working environment was to develop policies and practices which will provide for higher levels of performance from employees. These key strategy of motivation is concerned with,
- Measuring Motivation – This is crucial to provide suggestions of areas where motivational practices need to be improved.
- Valuing Employees – Motivation and commitment are likely to be improved if employees feel that they are valuable.
- Behavioural Commitment – It means that individuals will focus their efforts to accomplishing organizational and job objectives.
- Organizational Climate – The organizational climate and core values should highlight the importance of high performance. Managers and team leaders should be motivated to act as models of the sort of behaviours anticipated from employees.
- Leadership Skills – Managers and team leaders should be assisted to learn about the process of motivation and how they can use their knowledge to enhance the motivation of their team members.
- Job Design – This should involve the use of motivation theory, particularly those elements of the theory which relate to the needs and intrinsic motivation.
- Performance Management – The process of this involves setting of goals, short or long terms, and analyzing the accomplishment at the end of the concerned period. A reward system for achievement will strengthen achievement oriented behaviour.
- Reward Management – Rewarding achievement and competence is one way of keeping high levels of motivation in the organization. While designing schemes for rewards, the lessons from expectancy theory and equity theory should be employed.
- Employee Development – The best form of development is self-development. The organization should provide opportunities for self-development of the people.
- Behavioural Motivation – It involves influencing behaviour by its consequences. It involves systematic analysis of the behavioural items and moulding people’s behaviour by appropriate interventions.
Five steps for this procedure that has been prescribed by Luthans and Kreitnes.
- Identify the critical behaviour — what people do or do not do which needs to be changed.
- Measure the frequency of occurrences — obtain hard evidence that a real problem exists.
- Carry out functional analysis — identify the stimuli that precede the behaviours and the consequences in the shape of rewards or punishment which influence the behaviour
- Develop and implement an intervention strategy — this may involve the use of positive or negative reinforcement to influence the behaviours (i.e. providing or withholding financial or non-financial rewards).
- Evaluate the effects of the interventions- check whether the interventions were successful. If yes, whether it resulted in the desired result. What further steps are required to be undertaken.
No specific procedure exists for motivating employees. What works for one organization might not work for another. Incorporate the right strategies and tactics to create a comprehensive motivational strategy that works for you. Your strategy must do three things: it must involve, validate, and develop employees. You can use different tactics to accomplish these, and incorporating tactics that represent a combination of these strategies will make up a robust motivational strategy.
Involve
People like to feel they’re an important part of the organization, which is why it’s important to involve employees. A great way to foster a sense of involvement is by delegating, which gives employees a sense of choice and control over decisions. You can involve staff members in many ways:
- if you have weekly reports to complete, have an employee take over this task, giving her control over their completion
- assign an employee or a team the responsibility for a complete process or unit of work
- make information directly available to employees without it first going through managers, or
- help employees become experts in specialized tasks by providing the necessary training, which would make them feel like a trusted and valued part of the team
Involving employees also means allowing them to set their own goals or participate in the goal-setting process. If you want people to be motivated, give them the opportunity to choose for themselves. Otherwise, they tend to become bored. Demonstrate confidence in your employees – research has proven that when you expect people to perform well, they do.
Involving employees also requires you to create an inclusive, collaborative atmosphere that fulfills your employees’ need for belonging. Four tactics can help you do this:
- Be confident – Employees feel at ease when you share your knowledge and skills and foster a lighthearted atmosphere. This helps them feel comfortable enough to share their own ideas.
- Encourage a connection – Encouraging a connection among team members helps develop a sense of community as they keep in touch with each other’s projects.
- Take the focus off your own authority – Take a step back during discussions and avoid recommending any one position. Make sure you perform your duties as a leader, but let your employees have a voice – this will make them feel more equal.
- Create a shared sense of cohesiveness – Meet with employees to analyze failures and celebrate successes. The goal is to make improvements together as a team, which helps everyone feel like their contributions are valuable.
Validate
The next strategy is to validate employees. People are intrinsically motivated by recognition for the work they do, so it’s beneficial to reward and acknowledge employees.
- Rewards should be tied to performance – If you’ve specified that reaching sales targets is important, you should reward performance relating to achieving targets and not, for instance, meeting deadlines. Also consider that not all employees find the same things rewarding, so tailor your strategies appropriately.
- Let employees hear directly from customers – But praise shouldn’t just come from customers, so celebrate your employees’ achievements. Make sure you regularly acknowledge employees’ successes to avoid generating feelings of demotivation, or even cynicism, about your organization.
- Give feedback – Timing is important – immediate feedback is much more effective than tabling it for a formal meeting. Don’t give negative feedback without stating how to improve performance. Catch employees doing something right and comment specifically on how you appreciate their efforts. It’s more effective than simply saying “keep up the good work.”
To help employees feel validated, create a climate of trust and openness. To establish this climate, be aware of the way you communicate with employees. Say things that encourage ideas and build self-esteem. By being encouraging, rather than belittling, you create an environment where employees trust you and feel confident.
Develop
The final broad motivational strategy is to develop employees. Address their needs for self-actualization by challenging them with new tasks and providing opportunities to develop new skills and knowledge. Encourage your employees to set and achieve goals, which need to be SMARTER: Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic, Time-based, Enlarging, and Rewarding.
Use workplace systems
Your efforts to involve, develop, and validate employees are supported by another important strategy: enlist the support of workplace systems. It’s not enough to simply have good relationships with employees to motivate them; you must create a structure that supports motivation. Use your organization’s performance management framework to link motivation and workplace systems.
