Managing and motivating: a balancing act!

Motivation is considered a key element in achieving success. When combined with abilities in a stimulating environment, motivation can propel a person to attain professional goals. In a company, motivation is essential to effective productivity and competitiveness. A recent article (Ken Shah & Param Shah, n.d.) describes motivation as inspiring people to work and generate the best possible results. The authors consider motivation as the most important mission for managers who must adopt a certain set of attitude to positively influence their employees’ behavior.

Motivation can be categorized according to the following criteria: achievement, affiliation, competence, power, attitude, incentive, and fear (Ken Shah & Param Shah, n.d.). The authors state that motivation differs from satisfaction, inspiration, and manipulation. They also acknowledge various motivational theories and address, for some, their limits. Among others: Jeremy Bentham’s “carrot and stick” based on reward and punishment might lead to defensive and unproductive behavior; Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, based on physiological, security, social, esteem, and self-actualization (achieving one’s potential and self-fulfillment) has not been proven; Douglas McGregor’s X theory –employees dislike work, avoid responsibilities, and respond to authority—and Y theory –employees engage in work, have self control and self-direction, and participate— has been criticized; Frederick Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene theory –satisfaction is essential to motivation--; Elton Mayo’s need theory with the “Hawthorne Experiments”– group belonging, recognition, and influence--; David McClelland’s need theory –power, affiliation, and achievement--.

Ken Shah and Param Shah conclude with some management recommendations: be friendly to employees, think like a winner, understand employees’ different mindsets, and set achievable goals.

Ken Shah and Param Shah assert “to motivate others is the most important of management tasks.” In my previous work experience, our manager considered excellence a strategic component to differentiate the company from its competitors. As a result, he encouraged employees to perform to the best of their ability and to show a commitment to providing excellent service. By empowering employees, our manager gave them the drive to make the company successful.

The authors portray motivation as a will to inspire others to perform and achieve the best possible results (Shah & Shah, n.d.). This concept seems quite relevant. American culture is based on this concept. It values achievement and success as essential elements in the search for happiness and self-fulfillment. This is achieved through motivation. From early on, American children are encouraged to foster their strengths, all the way to upper education, and later in the workplace. This translates into a confident and driven society, ready to take on major challenges throughout the world.

I disagree with the concept advanced by Ken Shah and Param Shah that “motivation is a personal trait”. In some situations, the environment might also be important in determining the motivational level. For example, if an employee is in a conducive workplace, where financial or promotional rewards are used as incentives, he or she will be inspired to better perform.

This article enlightened me on the fact that there are several types of motivation based on the following criteria: achievement, affiliation, competence, power, attitude, incentive and fear. This helped me to refine my definition of motivation. I consider motivation a combination of self -determination and external drive to achieve a result. The internal component is based on the person’s genuine character and features and the assimilation of past experiences that have shaped his/her approach to being motivated. The external drive refers to the environment surrounding the motivational event and its impact on the person. I also differentiate between short and long term motivation.

In my previous work setting, the manager used the need for self-actualization conceptualized by Abraham Mallow, presented in Ken Shah & Param Shah’s article. My manager felt that employees were committed to achieve self-fulfillment. He also used achievement and competence methods of motivation. These methods were generally well received, because upon hiring, my manager would seek candidates who were receptive to those methods. The company organizational model was based on a mix of traditional and human resources.

I will now consider motivation as a key element into determining and implementing a successful communication strategy. If I were still working in my previous company, I would for example emphasize even more participation and feedback from the employees and encourage informal communication. In the future, I will determine the type of organizational model the company utilizes and how employees receive and perceive information. I will then access which factors motivate them to act and communicate accordingly.

It is important to correlate rapidity, efficiency, and motivation to be a successful leader in the 21st century and stay competitive in a global market. Multiunit organizations made of separate businesses or virtual organizations composed of various teams have to rely on effective motivation through opened and participative communication. The challenge for a communication leader is to correctly motivate in a high technology context where employees might never meet each other.

Global and multi-cultural organizations have to take into account how a culture will react to a particular motivational style. For example, the traditional achievement motivation model found in Japanese companies might not prove as successful in African countries. Therefore, to be an effective global leader and motivate, one has to foresee employees’ perceptions and its implication on the company’s success. This is especially important when relying on the fear motivation approach. It might ultimately alienate employees instead of motivate them.

Although I consider fear motivation detrimental if overused as the primary approach, the protection motivation theory (Welbourne, 1995) might prove necessary in certain situations. For example, health and safety issues or rapid unfolding events need a swift and profound reaction. To provoke action and reaction, fear motivation might be needed. This type of motivational approach should, however, be carefully weight to meet the needs of the environment and workplace culture.


References

Shah, K. & Shaw, P. (n.d.) Motivation. Retrieved October 2, 2007, from http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html
Welboune. T. (1995). Fear: The misunderstood component of organizational transformation. Human Resource Planning, 18(1), 30-37