Most companies have it all wrong. They don't have to motivate their
employees. They have to stop demotivating them.The great majority of employees are quite enthusiastic when they
start a new job. But in about 85 percent of companies, our research
finds, employees' morale sharply declines after their first six
months—and continues to deteriorate for years afterward. That finding is
based on surveys of about 1.2 million employees at 52 primarily Fortune
1000 companies from 2001 through 2004, conducted by Sirota Survey
Intelligence (Purchase, New York).
The fault lies squarely at the feet of management—both the policies
and procedures companies employ in managing their workforces and in the
relationships that individual managers establish with their direct
reports.
Our research shows how individual managers' behaviors and styles are
contributing to the problem (see "How
Management Demotivates")—and what they can do to turn this around.
Three key goals of people at work
To maintain the enthusiasm employees bring to their jobs initially,
management must understand the three sets of goals that the great
majority of workers seek from their work—and then satisfy those goals:
- Equity: To be respected and to be treated fairly in areas such
as pay, benefits, and job security.
- Achievement: To be proud of one's job, accomplishments, and
employer.
- Camaraderie: To have good, productive relationships with fellow
employees.
To maintain an enthusiastic workforce, management must meet all three
goals. Indeed, employees who work for companies where just one of these
factors is missing are three times less enthusiastic than workers at
companies where all elements are present.
One goal cannot be substituted for another. Improved recognition
cannot replace better pay, money cannot substitute for taking pride in a
job well done, and pride alone will not pay the mortgage.
What individual managers can do
Satisfying the three goals depends both on organizational policies and
on the everyday practices of individual managers. If the company has a
solid approach to talent management, a bad manager can undermine it in
his unit. On the flip side, smart and empathetic managers can overcome a
great deal of corporate mismanagement while creating enthusiasm and
commitment within their units. While individual managers can't control
all leadership decisions, they can still have a profound influence on
employee motivation.
The most important thing is to provide employees with a sense of
security, one in which they do not fear that their jobs will be in
jeopardy if their performance is not perfect and one in which layoffs
are considered an extreme last resort, not just another option for
dealing with hard times.
But security is just the beginning. When handled properly, each of
the following eight practices will play a key role in supporting your
employees' goals for achievement, equity, and camaraderie, and will
enable them to retain the enthusiasm they brought to their roles in the
first place.
Achievement related
1. Instill an inspiring purpose. A critical condition
for employee enthusiasm is a clear, credible, and inspiring
organizational purpose: in effect, a "reason for being" that translates
for workers into a "reason for being there" that goes above and beyond
money.
Every manager should be able to expressly state a strong purpose for
his unit. What follows is one purpose statement we especially admire. It
was developed by a three-person benefits group in a midsize firm.
Benefits are about people. It's not whether you have the forms
filled in or whether the checks are written. It's whether the people
are cared for when they're sick, helped when they're in trouble.
This statement is particularly impressive because it was composed in
a small company devoid of high-powered executive attention and
professional wordsmiths. It was created in the type of department
normally known for its fixation on bureaucratic rules and procedures. It
is a statement truly from the heart, with the focus in the right place:
on the ends—people—rather than the means—completing forms.
To
maintain an enthusiastic workforce,
management must meet all
three goals. |
Stating a mission is a powerful tool. But equally important is the
manager's ability to explain and communicate to subordinates the reason
behind the mission. Can the manager of stockroom workers do better than
telling her staff that their mission is to keep the room stocked? Can
she communicate the importance of the job, the people who are relying on
the stockroom being properly maintained, both inside and outside the
company? The importance for even goods that might be considered prosaic
to be where they need to be when they need to be there? That manager
will go a long way toward providing a sense of purpose.
2. Provide recognition. Managers should be certain
that all employee contributions, both large and small, are recognized.
The motto of many managers seems to be, "Why would I need to thank
someone for doing something he's paid to do?" Workers repeatedly tell
us, and with great feeling, how much they appreciate a compliment. They
also report how distressed they are when managers don't take the time to
thank them for a job well done yet are quick to criticize them for
making mistakes.
Receiving recognition for achievements is one of the most fundamental
human needs. Rather than making employees complacent, recognition
reinforces their accomplishments, helping ensure there will be more of
them.
A pat on the back, simply saying "good going," a dinner for two, a
note about their good work to senior executives, some schedule
flexibility, a paid day off, or even a flower on a desk with a thank-you
note are a few of the hundreds of ways managers can show their
appreciation for good work. It works wonders if this is sincere,
sensitively done, and undergirded by fair and competitive pay—and not
considered a substitute for it.
3. Be an expediter for your employees. Incorporating
a command-and-control style is a sure-fire path to demotivation.
Instead, redefine your primary role as serving as your employees'
expediter: It is your job to facilitate getting their jobs done. Your
reports are, in this sense, your "customers." Your role as an expediter
involves a range of activities, including serving as a linchpin to other
business units and managerial levels to represent their best interests
and ensure your people get what they need to succeed.
How do you know, beyond what's obvious, what is most important to
your employees for getting their jobs done? Ask them! "Lunch and
schmooze" sessions with employees are particularly helpful for doing
this. And if, for whatever reason, you can't immediately address a
particular need or request, be open about it and then let your workers
know how you're progressing at resolving their problems. This is a great
way to build trust.
4. Coach your employees for improvement. A major
reason so many managers do not assist subordinates in improving their
performance is, simply, that they don't know how to do this without
irritating or discouraging them. A few basic principles will improve
this substantially.
First and foremost, employees whose overall performance is
satisfactory should be made aware of that. It is easier for employees to
accept, and welcome, feedback for improvement if they know management is
basically pleased with what they do and is helping them do it even
better.
Space limitations prevent a full treatment of the subject of giving
meaningful feedback, of which recognition is a central part, but these
key points should be the basis of any feedback plan:
- Performance feedback is not the same as an annual appraisal.
Give actual performance feedback as close in time to the occurrence
as possible. Use the formal annual appraisal to summarize the year,
not surprise the worker with past wrongs.
- Recognize that workers want to know when they have done poorly.
Don't succumb to the fear of giving appropriate criticism; your
workers need to know when they are not performing well. At the same
time, don't forget to give positive feedback. It is, after all, your
goal to create a team that warrants praise.
- Comments concerning desired improvements should be specific,
factual, unemotional, and directed at performance rather than at
employees personally. Avoid making overall evaluative remarks (such
as, "That work was shoddy") or comments about employees'
personalities or motives (such as, "You've been careless"). Instead,
provide specific, concrete details about what you feel needs to be
improved and how.
- Keep the feedback relevant to the employee's role. Don't let
your comments wander to anything not directly tied to the tasks at
hand.
- Listen to employees for their views of problems. Employees'
experience and observations often are helpful in determining how
performance issues can be best dealt with, including how you can be
most helpful.
- Remember the reason you're giving feedback—you want to improve
performance, not prove your superiority. So keep it real, and focus
on what is actually doable without demanding the impossible.
- Follow up and reinforce. Praise improvement or engage in course
correction—while praising the effort—as quickly as possible.
- Don't offer feedback about something you know nothing about. Get
someone who knows the situation to look at it.
Equity related
5. Communicate fully. One of the most counterproductive
rules in business is to distribute information on the basis of "need to
know." It is usually a way of severely, unnecessarily, and destructively
restricting the flow of information in an organization.
A
command-and-control
style is a sure-fire path to
demotivation. |
Workers' frustration with an absence of adequate communication is one of
the most negative findings we see expressed on employee attitude
surveys. What employees need to do their jobs and what makes them feel
respected and included dictate that very few restrictions be placed by
managers on the flow of information. Hold nothing back of interest to
employees except those very few items that are absolutely confidential.
Good communication requires managers to be attuned to what employees
want and need to know; the best way to do this is to ask them! Most
managers must discipline themselves to communicate regularly. Often it's
not a natural instinct. Schedule regular employee meetings that have no
purpose other than two-way communication. Meetings among management
should conclude with a specific plan for communicating the results of
the meetings to employees. And tell it like it is. Many employees are
quite skeptical about management's motives and can quickly see through
"spin." Get continual feedback on how well you and the company are
communicating. One of the biggest communication problems is the
assumption that a message has been understood. Follow-up often finds
that messages are unclear or misunderstood.
Companies and managers that communicate in the ways we describe reap
large gains in employee morale. Full and open communication not only
helps employees do their jobs but also is a powerful sign of respect.
6. Face up to poor performance. Identify and deal
decisively with the 5 percent of your employees who don't want to work.
Most people want to work and be proud of what they do (the achievement
need). But there are employees who are, in effect, "allergic" to
work—they'll do just about anything to avoid it. They are unmotivated,
and a disciplinary approach—including dismissal—is about the only way
they can be managed. It will raise the morale and performance of other
team members to see an obstacle to their performance removed.
Camaraderie related
7. Promote teamwork. Most work requires a team effort
in order to be done effectively. Research shows repeatedly that the
quality of a group's efforts in areas such as problem solving is usually
superior to that of individuals working on their own. In addition, most
workers get a motivation boost from working in teams.
Whenever possible, managers should organize employees into
self-managed teams, with the teams having authority over matters such as
quality control, scheduling, and many work methods. Such teams require
less management and normally result in a healthy reduction in management
layers and costs.
Creating teams has as much to do with camaraderie as core
competences. A manager needs to carefully assess who works best with
whom. At the same time, it is important to create the opportunity for
cross-learning and diversity of ideas, methods, and approaches. Be clear
with the new team about its role, how it will operate, and your
expectations for its output.
Related to all three factors
8. Listen and involve. Employees are a rich source of
information about how to do a job and how to do it better. This
principle has been demonstrated time and again with all kinds of
employees—from hourly workers doing the most routine tasks to
high-ranking professionals. Managers who operate with a participative
style reap enormous rewards in efficiency and work quality.
Participative managers continually announce their interest in
employees' ideas. They do not wait for these suggestions to materialize
through formal upward communication or suggestion programs. They find
opportunities to have direct conversations with individuals and groups
about what can be done to improve effectiveness. They create an
atmosphere where "the past is not good enough" and recognize employees
for their innovativeness.
Participative managers, once they have defined task boundaries, give
employees freedom to operate and make changes on their own commensurate
with their knowledge and experience. Indeed, there may be no single
motivational tactic more powerful than freeing competent people to do
their jobs as they see fit.