Why Your Employees Are Losing Motivation by David Sirota, Louis A. Mischkind, and Michael Irwin Meltzer from the Harvard Management Update:
Most companies have it all wrong. They don’t have to motivate their employees. They have to stop demotivating them.
Clear, simple and right. Douglas McGregor explored this topic well in 1960. He explained theory X management (managers believe the workers will do only what they are forced, coerced into doing) and theory Y management (managers believe the workers want to do a good job and the managers job is to help them do so) in his excellent book: The Human Side Of Enterprise.
According to the Harvard Business School article:
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.
…
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.
It would be nice if we can do a better job in the next 46 years of incorporating theory Y style into our management systems. The article provides good ideas on what management should do. While not amazing new ideas, the ideas presented are good ideas that management far too often fails to properly apply.
April 20th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
Interesting read. I would propose that this devaluation problem can also occur between organizations within the same company. I think the classic example of this problem organizationally occurs between IT departments and the rest of the company. The feelings of marginalization that can occur when a business unit treats another group as “necessary overhead” instead of a valued partner can be equally demoralizing as the items describes within the article.
Although I’ve experienced this first hand from an IT perspective, I can see the same effect on HR, Finance, and Training, etc. There still seems to be a significant number of companies that fail to recognize the damaged relationships that can be caused between groups; the money makers versus the non-money makers.
July 21st, 2006 at 10:34 pm
[...] To me the problem is in the belief of needing to motivate workers (that is theory x thinking). I think it is much more accurate to say managers need to focus on eliminating de-motivation. [...]
July 22nd, 2006 at 12:00 pm
In some instances job cuts are required, but cuts are something to be upset with not brag about. If a lean effort brags about job cuts I think that is a very bad sign…
August 13th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
This poster may do a better job, than my posts, of showing why posters and slogan are not an effective management strategy…
December 10th, 2006 at 11:08 am
[...] The Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog is a 2006 Weblog Awards finalist in the Best Business Blog category. 10 blogs from each category are selected as finalists. [...]
February 4th, 2007 at 11:21 am
“Success may come in the short term when motivation is through a combination of fear and reward centering on financial safety and security, belonging to a group and achievement of status…”
July 2nd, 2007 at 8:37 pm
“A huge part of this is that the PM must be unselfish and there to serve their people. Servant leadership, that is what is required. The PM should start with the viewpoint that the multitude of talent on their team is going to come up with better ideas than the PM can alone, and not be afraid to embrace those ideas…”
July 15th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
We spend much of our life at work: we deserve to have pride in what we do and even enjoy it (shocking I know).
August 14th, 2007 at 8:45 am
What should a manager do? Eliminate the de-motivators. Provide coaching (building the capacity or employees and the organization). And manage a system to allow people to take pride in what they do. Holding pizza parties, pep talks, displaying posters and annual performance reviews are not what is needed. But those actions are really easy so that is what some people do – instead of what is needed. How sad.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Instead we each play a role within a system. Yes there are constraints on your actions based on the role you are playing. Does a security guard empower the CEO to enter the building?…
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
“Programmers see meetings as wastes of time. Most communication between programmers is done via email or by a quick wander to another desk to clarify something that is beyond the scope of an email…”
May 20th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
“Clients often ask how we motivate our staff members. The answer is simple, we don’t. We feel good people are already motivated, what they need is removal of the things that de-motivate them…”
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Joel notes relying on extrinsic motivation to drive performance is an abdication of management.
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Managers need to eliminate de-motivation in the work systems not try and find bonus schemes to motivate behavior…
January 24th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
[...] When a manger views the problem as one of motivating workers that puts the problem within the worker. They need to be changed. That is the wrong strategy, most of the time. People want to do a good job; the job of a manager is to remove the de-motivation within the system. [...]
January 24th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
[...] Stop Demotivating Employees So rather than trying to bribe people to want things using pizzas and promotions, managers should help their people to discover meaning and develop skills at work. What some managers don’t realize is that people want to do good work. Create a happy, positive work environment and people are naturally motivated. Even better: They motivate themselves and each other. [...]
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:50 am
[...] 50% Reduction in Maintenance Waste – posts on psychology – How to Improve – Stop Demotivating Employees by John Hunter Tags: Deming, Management, Psychology, Quality tools, Respect, quote [...]