Why is Motivation Important and Can It Be Measured?

As I talked about in an earlier post, motivation is what gives behavior its energy and direction. Pritchard and Ashwood (2008) further define motivation as “how we choose to allocate our energy to different actions to achieve the greatest satisfaction of our needs” (p. 6). They explain that our level of motivation determines which actions we’ll work on, how much effort we’ll put in, and how long we’ll work (persistence), and that a motivating environment is one in which expending more energy leads to satisfying more needs (p. 7). Why motivation is so important is that it’s at the heart of changing behavior and performance. Here are nine key aspects of motivation that are important to understand, especially as a manager (p. 8 – 9):

• Motivation is understandable, and can be diagnosed and influenced.
• Motivation is a process, a series of connected and ordered steps.
• Motivation is a not a “fad issue” in management, it’s fundamental.
• Motivation must be managed over the long term and takes sustained effort.
• Motivation is logical, operating on principles.
• Motivation is manageable and how you manage people influences their motivation.
• Motivation is a work strategy—choosing what to work on, how much effort to put in, and for how long.
• Motivation is a collaboration between an organization and its employees.
• Motivation levels that are high benefit everyone.

So, how do you know if you have a motivation problem, in yourself or someone you manage? Here’s a “Motivation Symptoms Questionnaire” from Pritchard and Ashford (2008) that can help you figure out whether motivation is high, needs improving, or is in serious trouble (p. 11). The questionnaire is reproduced only in part; the full questionnaire is in their book, Managing Motivation.

On a scale of 1 - 3, do you or the people you manage…
1 = Rarely or never
2 = Sometimes
3 = Often

___ Avoid unpleasant tasks
___Work inefficiently and don’t want to become more efficient
___Generate few innovative ideas
___Put in the least possible amount of effort
___Avoid work by arriving late, leaving early, prolonging breaks, etc.
___Give up on difficult tasks
___Have low commitment to the goals of the team
___Frequently feel stressed and/or fatigued
___Frequently complain about management or coworkers
___Blame others for problems

A score of 10 – 15 means motivation is high; a score of 16 – 22 means motivation needs improving; a score of 23 – 30 means motivation needs serious help!

Reference:

Pritchard, R. & Ashwood, E. (2008). Managing Motivation: A Manager’s Guide to Diagnosing and Improving Motivation. New York: Routledge Academic

Motivation and Management – Basic Assumptions

In their book, Motivation and Management, authors Richard Pritchard and Elissa Ashwood explain how to diagnose and improve motivation in employees. I’m excited to share what they’ve written, starting with some basics about managing motivation. Their advice is grounded in solid research. Pritchard brings his strong academic background to the book, as an organizational psychology professor and researcher, and Ashwood, with an MBA and many years in the corporate sector, brings her strong background in business and leadership training. 

One of the very first things Pritchard and Ashwood (2008) explain is that management is about managing others’ behavior. They say that managing behavior is, to a large extent, about managing motivation, and that understanding what motivates employees is key to keeping them engaged and improving their effectiveness (p. 4). This seems like information every manager could benefit from. Whether you manage people or not, however, it's important to understand what increases and decreases motivation, for those times when you need to motivate yourself! In upcoming posts, I'll cover how to detect low motivation in yourself or those you manage.

Before diving into their motivation model, Pritchard and Ashwood (2008) first provide a simple run-down of “basic assumptions" about people. I found these basic assumptions to be really wonderful... Here they are (p. 4 – 6): 

People have a fundamental need to do a good job — It is personally satisfying to a do good work, and dissatisfying to do things poorly. The need to do a good job is intrinsic. Children get frustrated when they can’t accomplish something successfully. The desire to do things well is a trait we’ve adapted as humans, as a means of survival. Our ancestors might not have survived if they didn’t do things well, and today we feel the same survival instinct as we see how our skills are tied to our abilities to make house payments and feed our families.

People want control at work — People want to feel some control over what happens in their lives, including at work. This is a basic, intrinsic need we all have. Managers who understand this make efforts to give people more control over their projects, hours, environment, and so on, recognizing that this can lead to increased quality and motivation.

People do not want to be held accountable for things they cannot control — Being evaluated for completing a project that depends on other people (for example, to get you the information on time) can be frustrating. It’s common that people are evaluated on things that they believe are outside their control. As a manager, it’s wise to be aware of this.

People want feedback but don’t like to be evaluated —  Not knowing how you’re doing at work, in the eyes of your manager, can be stressful. People need feedback about how they’re doing, and appreciate knowing when they’re doing well. However, being evaluated has a different connotation, usually a negative one. Giving people detailed and balanced feedback is difficult, but necessary. Of course, no one wants their faults broadcasted, so it’s important to provide negative feedback in private. On the flip side, people want their successes celebrated and shared with others in the organization.

People want to be valued — Showing employees that they are valued, respected, and appreciated is powerful. Motivation starts to decrease when people don’t feel valued. Pritchard and Ashwood (2008) make a point that I found myself chuckling over: “Have you ever found yourself feeling less motivated at work because you weren’t feeling valued, only to have someone demonstrate their respect and appreciation for you and suddenly you’re volunteering for extra assignments?” (p. 6).

People do not want their time wasted — Not communicating clear priorities or constantly changing goals or procedures decreases motivation. Everyone’s time and energy is valuable. To ask an employee to complete a task and then tell him/her, weeks later, that it’s not needed or should be done differently is a bad precedent. Do this repeatedly and you’re going to have an unmotivated employee on your hands.

Reference:

Pritchard, R. & Ashwood, E. (2008). Managing Motivation: A Manager’s Guide to Diagnosing and Improving Motivation. New York: Routledge Academic