May 18 2011
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It jumped out at me from the jumble of other news stories – “Staffers in the White House budget office filed a petition to gain more input into their working conditions.” They wanted to join a union! The story went on to say that the workers were seeking a little more say in …
May 11 2011
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There certainly isn’t anything new about conflict between generations. When I was young they called it the generation gap. In Rhetoric, even Aristotle writes at some length about the problems with youth. But today, this conflict seems to have become even more significant; especially in the workplace. Leadership tends to be very personality …
May 04 2011
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“These experts who say that pay is not a motivator don’t know what they’re talking about. If you don’t pay people enough, they will not be motivated to work hard. In fact they may be motivated to leave.”
There are many leaders in the world who believe pay and benefits are all that’s needed to motivate workers to work harder and produce more. Let’s look at that argument.
Humans have what Abraham Maslow called a survival need. To meet that need, they must receive sufficient compensation to provide food and shelter for them and their families. If they aren’t paid enough to meet this need, then the statement above will probably be correct. It will be difficult for them to realize any other motivation than to meet their survival needs. So, if you’re paying your employees a pittance, don’t expect them to move much beyond their motivation to survive.
Apr 27 2011
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Frederick Herzberg’s (1923 – 2000) study of human behavior was driven by his experience as a member of the liberating force which arrived at Dachau concentration camp in 1945. He wanted to understand why people would do such things. His study led to development of the Motivation-Hygiene theory. In presenting this theory, Herzberg said two factors acted on workers; motivational factors and hygiene factors. Hygiene factors are things that can cause dissatisfaction, but whose removal does not cause satisfaction or motivation. Motivational factors on the other hand, do result in better performance and production. It’s important to understand the distinction between dissatisfaction and satisfaction. Herzberg said that hygiene factors could cause dissatisfaction, and fixing a hygiene factor could remove dissatisfaction, but real satisfaction could only come from actual motivational factors. What is surprising to some is the definition of motivational factors versus hygiene factors.
Apr 20 2011
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“How do I motivate my people?” “I need to find ways to motivate the workers.”
These are common laments among leaders stemming from the idea that one person can motivate another. Is that true? Can one person motivate another? Do employees need external motivation or is motivation a force internal to the individual? To answer these questions, we need to examine the true nature of motivation and why people actually feel motivated.
Apr 13 2011
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John was a quiet associate. His managers really liked him because he could tell a customer where any item was in the store. When a recent store-wide reset was completed, he seemed to instinctively know all the new locations, even more amazing considering the store had a large inventory of small products. Unfortunately, John’s managers saw his quiet demeanor as a lack of motivation, completely missing his need to be self-actualized. When opportunities to move to new positions within the store arose, he was usually not seriously considered. John works for another company now, lured away by the prospect of continuously learning new parts of the business.
Apr 06 2011
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Where do you belong? Are you part of a group, a team, a church, a social club, a professional organization? There’s been a lot of discussion lately about how some generational groups aren’t team players and want to work individually. Yet, these same people have families, and friends. Maybe they like to go to sports events or concerts with the same small group. Psychologist Abraham Maslow identified belonging as a basic human need on his Hierarchy of Needs.
Mar 30 2011
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We previously discussed the first level of human need on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy. Next we’ll look at the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy which is the safety need. Maslow focused on the need to be free from fear and was generally referring to a larger social context. However, leaders should consider how this level of need applies to the workplace. When workers feel unsafe, their attention becomes completely focused on their own safety and they experience fear. That feeling of fear will keep them from considering much else.
Mar 23 2011
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Jennifer was a good worker and the customers liked her. She consistently received favorable customer comments and many of the regulars asked for her by name. The store manager always gave Jennifer high marks on her appraisals and felt she had a great future with the company. When Jennifer announced that she was leaving, it was a great surprise for both her department and the store manager. Jennifer left the store because she had found a job that paid more.
Mar 16 2011
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A restaurant owner once told me that it was difficult to motivate employees because most workers in the food service industry were just working there while waiting for whatever was next. That’s a common thought throughout the retail industry and in many cases it’s true. Why? For one thing, our society doesn’t see hawking disassembled furniture at Target, or waiting tables at Applebee’s as glamorous jobs. If we ask why again, there are several popular answers, but I want to concentrate on a particular area that many leaders don’t seem to pay much attention to. That is, leaders seldom make much effort to satisfy employee needs.
