X.H.Y Space

Motivating and Inspiring

Motivating and inspiring is the leadership competency that involves energizing people to overcome obstacles to change. As a leader, we must communicate the vision in ways that emphasize the key values of those whom we are trying to influence. According to behavioral scientists, everything that we do, we do in an attempt to fulfill needs. As such, to successfully motivate team members to support and implement the vision, we must first satisfy people’s basic human needs. Thereafter, we may then involve team members in deciding how to achieve the vision, support their efforts with enthusiasm, and recognize and reward successes.

There are several theories of behavioral science and motivation that will be useful in determining how to motivate team members to perform at their highest potential.

Types of Motivation

Motivation may be positive (pleasurable) or negative (painful); and it may be internal or external. Internal motivation – those motivators that lead to a sense of personal growth – will usually last longer. External motivators, however, will only be effective as long as the external event continues or until the individual adapts to the motivator.

The model below shows four types of motivation. The appropriate motivators we use with our team will vary from situation to situation and from individual to individual. One key to understanding motivation is recognizing that no two people are motivated by exactly the same things, and as such, different techniques work with different people.

1. Reward: These traditional motivators, often called “carrots,” include incentives such as bonuses, raises, special benefits, and other perks. Tangible rewards, which are easy to administer if resources are available, are effective in obtaining short-term motivation. However, as team members adjust to them, they must be increased to remain effective.
2. Punishment: The punishment or “big stick” quadrant contains negative motivators based on the threat or fear of punishment. Like rewards, punishments may achieve short-term results.
3. Personal Growth: This quadrant represents internal needs satisfaction. These are the things that make people jump out of the bed in the morning eager to go to work. These motivators tend to be intangibles such as increased responsibility, participation in decision making, trust and respect, and a sense of purpose. Although personal growth motivators are more difficult to identify, they tend to have greater effectiveness over the long term.
4. Guilt: The guilt quadrant represents people’s own internal punishments. These include the twinges that people feel when they forget a birthday or forget to call when they are going to be late.

Theory X and Theory Y

In 1960, Douglas McGregor (1906-1964) used his Theory X and Theory Y to explain why people behave the way they do.  He proposed that managers tend one of two sets of assumptions about people: either Theory X or Theory Y.

Theory X assumes that people have an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if they can, whereas Theory Y assumes that work is as natural as play and people will not only accept but will seek out responsibility.

McGregor further theorizes that people respond to management as they are treated. So if managers believe their employees need to coerced to perform work, then they will find this to be the case, as the employees will live up to those expectations. On the other hand, if managers believe that their employees will exercise self-direction and self-control and will display a commitment to fulfilling objectives, then they will find that their employees will do so.

Ultimately, the relationships between managers and employees and the employees and their work depend on the quality of leadership that manager display and the management philosophies that they use.

Hygiene Motivation Theory

 In the late 1950s, Frederick Herzberg (1923 - 2000) developed his Hygiene Motivation Theory based on a series of workplace interviews. He theorized that there are two dimensions to job satisfaction: hygiene and motivation.

Hygiene factors help us to avoid pain or dissatisfaction. In the workplace, hygiene factors include company policy, administration, supervision, working conditions, salary, status and security. According to Herzberg, improving hygiene factors above the minimum level that an employee feels is necessary will not bring about improved job satisfaction.

Motivators, on the other hand, do lead to improved job satisfaction. They contribute to meeting the human need for psychological growth and include achievements, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and advancement.

Thus, to achieve job satisfaction, both elements must be present: motivators must be given, and hygiene factors must remain at an acceptable level.

Hierarchy of Human Needs

Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970) postulated in the 1940s that humans have five categories of needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. He depicted these needs in a pyramid with physiological at the bottom and self-actualization at the top. The first four categories (deficit needs) are survival needs that must be met, because they motivators only until the need is met and the deficit is no longer felt. However, the top category, self-actualization, is different. Maslow referred to it as a “being need,” which is likely to become stronger the more it is met. Self-actualization concerns the continuous desire to fulfill one’s potential.

Individuals are most satisfied and productive when they are given the opportunity to meet all their needs. The challenge to you, the leader, is to understand the needs of your team members and to supply a motivational climate in which they can meet their needs.