QUOTATION 45

FREDRICK HERZBERG ON THE SOURCES OF MOTIVATION (TOP TEN ENTRY)

Use this to help you create the conditions where staff can motivate themselves.

Fredrick Herzberg (1923–2000) was a renowned academic and writer in the field of management studies. He was particularly interested in the factors that motivated people and those that didn’t. One of his most surprising findings was that pay is not the great motivator that many people think it is:

True motivation comes from achievement, personal development, job satisfaction and recognition.

Frederick Herzberg

Herzberg identified a range of factors that had an effect on motivation. Those factors that positively motivated staff he called Motivational Factors. Those that demotivated staff if they fell below an expected standard he christened Hygiene Factors, i.e.:

Factors that motivate staff Factors that demotivate staff if inadequate
Interesting work that challenges the individual. The working environment and/or general staff facilities such as canteens or communication with management.
Work that is meaningful to the individual and which they value. Pay and job security when they fall below an acceptable level or are threatened.
The autonomy and discretion to arrange their work as they choose and enough resources to carry out their work. The organisation’s rules, policies and procedures when they obstruct rather than help staff.
Recognition of their achievements by management. The possibility of advancement which may involve promotion or being given more complex work to do. Poor staff relations.

WHAT TO DO

  • You can’t motivate those who have no personal pride and don’t care. Aim to recruit committed, enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals who take pride in themselves and their work (see Quotation 46).
  • Use every opportunity, including general conversations, all forms of meetings, training events and social gatherings to learn as much as you can about your staff. The more you know, the better you will be at identifying what motivates them and what annoys them.
  • Continually monitor the hygiene factors and ensure that none of them falls below acceptable levels.
  • Ensure that everyone has a good mixture of mundane, but essential, tasks and interesting work to do. Don’t give all the boring stuff to one person. If necessary, redistribute some work among staff. It would be good for team spirit if you did a bit of grunt work yourself. But limit the amount (see Quotation 20).
  • Explain to staff the importance of the work they do (see Quotation 44).
  • Negotiate and agree a set of targets for each member of staff. Delegate responsibility to each person for completion of their work and the discretion to do it as they see fit. Then hold them to account (see Quotation 68).
  • Remember to praise good work publicly. People may feel embarrassed but that doesn’t mean they don’t want the recognition.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

  • Do I motivate myself or do I find motivation in the words and actions of others?
  • What have I tried to do to motivate my staff? Did I take personal differences into account when I tried to motivate them?
..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.
Reset