Lesson 5:

What is motivation?

What is motivation? It’s what makes you spring out of bed in the morning or smile when you see who’s calling. It makes you willing to put in a long day to close that sale. In short, motivation is the reason you do what you do. Motivation comes from internal and external forces—and those forces are unique to every person. But why should managers learn about motivation? For starters, motivated employees are more productive, happier at work, and stick around longer.

Note: CC1.0 Public Domain

Have you ever heard the saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”? It means that if you’re motivated to do something, you’ll likely find a way to accomplish it.

How Motivation Impacts Your Business

Employee motivation has become a popular topic in team and business management studies. That’s because employee motivation directly impacts your business’s bottom line. For example, increasing employee motivation is known to:

1. Boost productivity. Motivated employees are driven to do more work in less time.
2. Increase job satisfaction. Motivated employees are more engaged at work, and they experience a greater sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Increased happiness and job satisfaction rates can lead to higher retention and lower turnover rates.
3. Reduce employee absenteeism. Motivated employees are less likely to miss days at work.
4. Improve performance. Motivated employees are goal oriented. They consistently make things happen, set new goals, and work to achieve results.
5. Promote a positive work culture. Finally, a motivated employee’s good work habits can rub off on teammates. Motivated employees contribute to building a culture that’s based on productivity, accountability, and even passion, curiosity, or a desire to achieve.

Finding new ways to motivate your employees is good for business—but it’s good for people, too. No one wants to dread going to work, just like no one wants to feel like they’re just punching in and out of the clock. Most people want to feel like their work matters. They want to feel enthusiastic and personally invested in their work. All you have to do is figure out the best way to inspire them.

Two Types of Motivation

There are two main types of motivation: intrinsic (or internal) and extrinsic (or external). Knowing the two types of motivation can help you brainstorm ideas about the different ways that you might motivate your team. It’s also important to distinguish the two because one type of motivation can be more effective than the other depending on the situation.

Intrinsic Motivation

For example, someone would be intrinsically motivated if they go on a run just because it makes them feel good or because they like to try and beat their personal record for how long or how fast they run. Now, let’s apply this to the workplace. People who are intrinsically motivated might do their work because:

• They find it meaningful, or they believe it’s important
• They want to get better at skills that matter to them
• It makes them feel accomplished
• They want to learn something new
• They like it or find it interesting

With intrinsic motivation, there is no external reward or “carrot” that’s convincing someone to act. They’re compelled to act based on their own ambitions, passions, values, interests, or purpose. That’s why intrinsic motivation is the more powerful and compelling of the two.

Extrinsic Motivation

A simple example of an extrinsic motivator is your salary. You are extrinsically motivated to do your work to receive a paycheck and be able to afford your daily cost of living. But an external reward doesn’t always have to be tangible. A few more examples of extrinsic motivators at work might be:

• Praise from a boss or coworkers
• Status from earning a promotion, getting a new job title, or otherwise expanding your responsibilities and authority at work
• Receiving a bonus or salary raise
• Benefits like health insurance, retirement funds, or other workplace perks
• Gaining respect or reputation in your field

Avoiding punishment or painful experiences is another form of extrinsic motivation. For example, you might be motivated in your work to avoid getting fired, avoid criticism or avoid disappointing your boss or team. You might even pursue a certain career path because you feel pressure from society or your peers.

Strategies to Motivate Employees

Look beyond the limited “stick and carrot” approach to motivation and practice the following six strategies proven to increase motivation at work. These strategies are:

1. Find out what employees want most: That’s why the first, and most important, strategy to motivate your team is to go to the source. Find out what employees want most from their work by talking to them about it in one-on-one meetings, performance conversations, or even through employee surveys. For example, you might ask employees a direct and open-ended survey question, such as, “What do you want most from your work?” or “What are the top three things that motivate you?” Or, you might give employees a list of common motivators, and ask them to rank them in order of priority. See the list of sample motivators below:
   1. Work that’s interesting or meaningful to me
   2. A strong work-life balance or high level of flexibility
   3. Learning, developing, and growing my skills
   4. Attaining a role with greater responsibility, authority, or power
   5. Advancement opportunities
   6. A sense of accomplishment and achieving big goals
   7. Working for a company and manager I respect
2. Involve them: It’s difficult to feel invested in your work or company if you’re not an active participant in it. Likewise, it’s difficult to get on board with a decision in which you had no say. That’s why the second strategy is to involve your team in major decisions or important projects as much as possible. Here are some ideas you might try:
   1. Take a democratic approach to brainstorming ideas and making decisions.
   2. Ask employees to brainstorm and present their ideas to you for approval.
   3. Create a “first draft” and ask your team to review it and share their thoughts or edits.
   4. Invite your team to collaborate with you on big, exciting, or important projects.
   5. Delegate a decision or project to your team. Schedule checkpoints to review their work and redirect their efforts or give feedback as needed.
   6. Regularly ask for your team’s suggestions on how you can better support them or what ideas they have for the team or organization to improve.
3. Connect employees with the impact of their work: People want to do work that’s meaningful and impactful. They want to know that their work matters—and their efforts aren’t in vain. So, take every opportunity to communicate the impact of employees’ work. Don’t just tell employees what you want them to do—also explain to them why it’s important and what the result will be. What’s the vision? How will a project help your customers, grow the business, or disrupt your industry?
4. Set incremental goals and give regular feedback: Imagine your friend invites you to go on a hike. Read the examples below and reflect on the following three scenarios. Think about which scenario will give you the greatest sense of achievement, pride, and satisfaction. In other words, which scenario would be most motivating for you?
   1. The Sidewalk Stroll: In the first scenario, the “hike” is not really a hike at all. You and your friend go for a stroll around your neighborhood. The path is paved and flat. It’s comfortable—but also not very exciting.
   2. The Steady Summit: In the second scenario, you and your friend set out on a moderate hike to reach a summit. There are plenty of opportunities to take breaks at smaller viewpoints along the way. It’s challenging, but with patience and persistence, you can reach the top and be rewarded by the summit views.
   3. The Everest Climb: In the third scenario, your friend asks you to climb Mount Everest with them. As incredible as that sounds, you don’t have the physical stamina, gear, or technical know-how to make that trek. You gracefully decline the adventure.Again, which scenario gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment? The sidewalk stroll? The steady summit? Or the Everest climb? The sidewalk stroll is likely too comfortable—you don’t really have an end goal or a challenge to pursue, so you don’t try as hard. The Everest climb is too overwhelming—you don’t have the resources you need, and the goal seems impossible to even try. But the steady summit hits the sweet spot. You have a big challenge that you’re working toward, with smaller milestones and wins along the way. Motivating your employees through steady goals and challenges works in a similar way. Give your employees clear, incremental goals to work toward. Celebrate their wins and give them feedback as they go.
5. Create a motivating work environment: Examine the culture and environment in which employees are working. What factors are contributing to motivation? What factors might be hurting motivation? For example, consider the following tips:
   1. Encourage open communication. Encourage employees to share their ideas, concerns, and honest feedback with you. Don’t react negatively to constructive criticism from employees. Create a safe space for employees to be radically candid.
   2. Listen to employees. However, open communication and honest feedback won’t create a motivating team environment if employees feel like their ideas aren’t truly considered. You need to really listen to employees, and also implement their ideas when it makes sense. Make employees feel like their ideas are heard and valued.
   3. Eliminate signs of distrust. People want to feel like you trust them and have confidence in their ability to do their jobs. So, eliminate signs of distrust, such as micromanaging employees or tracking their work hours.
   4. Set and enforce ground rules. Don’t tolerate toxic work behaviors such as bullying, gossip, harassment, and discrimination. Hold all team members accountable for creating a respectful work environment that embraces and celebrates differences.
6. Reward employees: Finally, employees who put in extra effort to exceed their goals and increase their contributions to the company—but don’t see any return on their efforts—may become discouraged or even wonder, “What’s the point?” So, while external rewards aren’t everything, they still play a substantial role in motivation. No matter how you decide to reward employees, make sure that the reward meets the following criteria:
   1. The reward is valuable to the employee. The employee must believe that the reward is worth the effort.
   2. Employees understand how to earn the reward.
   3. The reward is perceived as attainable. Employees must believe that it’s possible to meet the goals required to earn the reward.
   4. Everyone has an equal opportunity to earn the reward.

Factors that Influence Motivation

There are many different, and sometimes conflicting, theories about what motivates or drives people to act. The following lesson is meant to be a starting point for understanding a few of the most common factors that impact team motivation. No single factor or theory can explain all of human motivation. So, take a combination approach, and experiment with different motivational methods to find what works best for each team and individual. Watch the video below to learn more about factors that influence motivation: Five types of motivation factors

Note: (StudyWorkGrow, 2022)

Some possible factors of motivation include:

1. Environment and Leadership Style: Imagine that you work for an early-round startup company that believes Ping-Pong tables can replace healthcare benefits and retirement plans. You’re underpaid and overworked, and it seems like the company is always on the verge of a crisis. There’s no planning—your team is always in fight or flight mode—and it feels as if leadership is forever scrambling to get the next product shipped. How motivated do you feel about working hard and helping the company achieve its goals? This is an example of how an employee’s work environment can impact motivation. A manager’s leadership style and management practices directly shape the work environment. Obviously, this example shows how a poor leadership style and organizational climate hurt motivation. So, how can you adopt a leadership style and create a team environment that increases motivation? Start with the tips below:
   1. Express confidence in your team’s abilities.
   2. Promote a respectful and inclusive team environment.
   3. Invite team members to share their ideas and weigh in on decisions.
   4. Treat employees fairly and equally.
   5. Communicate your appreciation of your team’s work.
2. The Nature of the Job: Another factor that influences employee motivation is the nature of the job or work itself. It’s difficult to be motivated or get excited about menial, repetitive, easy, or dull tasks. In contrast, other types of tasks may naturally be more exciting and enjoyable for employees. For example, tasks that are different, challenging, or creative often elicit higher levels of motivation. Improve team motivation by assigning work that is:
   1. New and Exciting
   2. Important, Meaningful, or Impactful
   3. Challenging
3. Work Relationships: The third factor of employee motivation is workplace relationships. How do you feel when you’re working with a group of people you respect, who inspire you, and who you genuinely enjoy working with? In contrast, how do you feel when you’re working with people you don’t trust, like, or get along with? Work relationships and rapport between team members can grease the wheels of motivation or grind it to a halt. Consider how you can improve work relationships—and, in turn, improve motivation—with the following tips:
   1. Emphasize shared goals and encourage collaboration between team members. Avoid playing favorites or pitting team members against one another.
   2. Assign clear roles and help everyone on the team value one another’s contributions.
   3. Invest in team-building or team-bonding activities.
   4. Train or coach employees on how to navigate disagreements and work with people who have different communication styles.
4. Reward Systems and Advancement Opportunities: Finally, don’t overlook the role that reward systems and advancement opportunities play in team motivation. Unfair and unequal compensation can make employees feel undervalued and unmotivated. Likewise, employees who feel like they’re stuck in their career—and there’s nowhere to move up or grow—may question the point of working harder. In contrast, establishing systems that reward and recognize team members for their efforts and contributions can encourage them to up their game. Follow these tips:
   1. Recognize and reward team members for exceptional performance.
   2. Help team members identify advancement opportunities.
   3. Coach team members to set development or career goals—and create a plan for achieving them.

Job Satisfaction and Employee Motivation

Some tasks are naturally more exciting than others. Imagine the last project that inspired you. Maybe it was a project for a big client. Maybe it was a task that challenged you to flex new skills or get creative. Or, perhaps you were motivated by the impact of your work. In contrast, some tasks feel inherently unenjoyable. Think about the last task or project that you were dreading or dragging your feet on. Perhaps it was mindless data entry, a weekly report, or a project that otherwise felt tedious, repetitive, and dull—even arbitrary. The nature of a person’s work matters for motivation. Some tasks inspire us to work harder than others. And by understanding what kinds of tasks inspire and motivate people most, you can sculpt employees’ jobs in a way that increases job satisfaction, productivity, and performance.

Here are five ways that you can improve employees’ job satisfaction, and in turn, motivate them to achieve more:

1. Change It Up: Jobs that have variety are often more satisfying and exciting, whereas jobs that are predictable, routine, and repetitive often lead to boredom and low levels of motivation. That’s why the first strategy is to change it up. You might change it up by:
   1. Assigning employees new tasks that require new skills
   2. Providing opportunities for cross-functional training
   3. Reducing repetitive or routine work
   4. Setting stretch goals or assigning challenge exercises
2. Increase Autonomy: The second strategy is to increase autonomy. Autonomy is the level of freedom, control, responsibility, or ownership a person has over their work. How much freedom does the employee have to make decisions and determine how to produce the best outcomes Giving employees more autonomy can make them feel trusted, and motivate them to live up to your expectations. It can also speed up work processes when employees no longer need to ask for permission or wait for approval from upper management. You might increase work autonomy by:
   1. Giving employees authority or decision-making power
   2. Involving employees in the decision-making process
   3. Giving employees flexibility over their schedule or working hours
   4. Removing yourself from having to review or approve employees’ work
   5. Letting employees determine the best method or approach to a problem or project
   6. Putting an employee in the role of the team or project lead
3. Amplify the Impact: Another way to increase job satisfaction is to increase the impact. That means you need to find ways to help employees feel like their work is meaningful, important, or impactful. It’s motivating to work on a task that will propel the company forward or radically improve your customers’ experience. In contrast, tasks that feel redundant or pointless are much more difficult to get excited about. You might amplify the impact for employees by:
   1. Delegating tasks that are highly visible or influential in the company
   2. Helping employees see the impact or results of their work
   3. Explaining how employees’ work fits into bigger company goals
   4. Giving employees tasks that are relevant to their values or what they find personally fulfilling
   5. Involving employees in all steps of a project—from beginning to end
   6. Increasing visibility of performance data so that employees can see how their efforts translate to results
   7. Recognizing and praising employees for their accomplishments
4. Create Alignment: The fourth strategy is to create alignment. People are more satisfied and motivated by work that aligns with their strengths, interests, and goals. For example, if an employee wants to develop their skills in managing client relationships—and they dream of opening their own consulting business—then they will be more motivated by tasks in which they meet with clients or gain experience in business operations. Alignment happens when an employee’s job maximizes their strengths and advances their goals. You might create job alignment by:
   1. Talking to employees regularly about their strengths, interests, and goals
   2. Delegating work that aligns with an individual’s strengths, interests, and goals
   3. Explaining how an employee’s current work will help them build the experience, skills, or competencies they need to reach their future goals
5. Make It Challenging: Finally, work that is challenging is often more engaging for employees and gives them a greater sense of accomplishment, pride, and payoff for their efforts. If you challenge an employee to reach an ambitious goal or stretch their skills—and express confidence in them—they’re more likely to rise to the occasion. Challenging work gives employees the satisfaction of learning and growing. Mindless or easy work can lead to complacency and motivation stagnation. You might make employees’ work more challenging by:
   1. Setting ambitious and incremental goals
   2. Giving less direction—letting the employee decide how to approach a task
   3. Assigning tasks that require advanced skills
   4. Assigning tasks that require creative thinking or problem-solving
   5. Giving corrective feedback