Nations that have a significant number of people motivated towards common and personal achievement tend to show rapid and high economic and social development. Unquestionably, companies play a leading role in this national progress.
This century is already demanding greater productivity, a new style of work for all people, a specialized and at the same time more generalist work, with a high percentage of poly-functionality, a greater application of creativity with a high innovative content, and a more open mind to the changes we are experiencing and to those we already glimpse.
We are moving towards a time that is propitious for Organizations that are capable of making adjustments and improvements in relation to their human environment, but also very difficult for those that do nothing about it and continue “as always” or with “more of the same”.
For a company to grow in a healthy, healthy and harmonious way, it needs an adequate and updated infrastructure, in accordance with the reality of a globalized world, with market variations, with constant and accelerated change,… This will not be possible if we confront to these realities with passivity, since life is fundamentally boiling, activity and development.
In the contemporary world we are all in continuous action. But… why do we move? Why do we act? Why are we interested in things? What are the reasons that bother us? What motivates someone to do something? What are the causes that stimulate us? … Why do people work?
Why do people work?
The first impulse to answer this last question will be, in most cases, that we do it, for money, people work because they need to eat, dress, buy a flat, support their home and look after the good of their family.
Long ago, the strategy of companies to get people to work with greater enthusiasm was to offer them greater financial compensation, but the complex motivations that drive human beings to work cannot be explained so simplistically. We really work for money, yes, it is true, but also because of the need for the activity itself, because of the requirement to desire social interaction with other people, to use our energy, to achieve social status, to feel that we are efficient, to take pride in our work, and to realize ourselves as human beings among many other reasons.
It is clear that in an “unskilled worker” environment money plays a more important role as a motivating factor than at other professional levels.
Achievement-oriented people seek success in themselves, although they can and are legitimate to achieve material goods in their effort to achieve success. They are also people who work with a high desire to overcome obstacles, achieve goals, and be useful to others.
Motivation at work
Motivation as a driving force is an important element in any field of human activity, but it is at work where it manifests itself with the greatest need.
The time we dedicate to work represents a large part of our lives, we need to be motivated by it, so that it does not become an alienated and tragically oppressive activity; Being motivated towards work brings positive psychological consequences, such as self-realization, feeling competent, knowing ourselves useful and maintaining our self-esteem. Let us not forget that the satisfactions provided by work, if that work is worthy, contribute to the general well-being of the individual and to her feeling of personal worth.
The human being has physiological, psychological and other needs of the culture in which he lives immersed, work provides a way to satisfy the deficiencies that he has of them and to acquire a sense of transcendence in his own eyes and in front of others. Satisfaction is that sensation that the individual experiences when achieving the reestablishment of the balance between a need and the object that eliminates or reduces it.
Most contemporary psychologists claim that all behavior is motivated, except perhaps for some reflexes. People act for different motivations, if we know what they are and assign tasks based on them, we will make better use of the potential of the staff and increase their productivity. It is necessary to study and know the impulses, tendencies and stimuli that constantly besiege our life and our organism and that lead us, whether we want to or not, to action.
Improving individual performance, and productivity as a whole, is an unquestionable requirement today and depends on our professional profile, our satisfaction and our motivation. Leaders of the 21st century can play an important positive role in these variables. The satisfaction of the workers is an end in itself, it has an intrinsic value, and it is the responsibility of both the worker and the company; It is not convenient to adopt utilitarian positions that consider job satisfaction only as one of the necessary factors to achieve a higher production, which would be a benefit whose fruits would be oriented mainly to the company. Nor can we fall into the opposite extreme of stale and outdated paternalism.
Motivation is the first step that leads us to action
Motivation is the first step that leads us to action, and motivation is an engine that is set in motion through encouragement. While instinctive behavior does not require will on the part of the subject, motivated behavior does. Thus, motivation should not be confused with stimuli or instincts; all three prompt action, but their origin and functions are very different.
Motivated behavior requires a reason to get started and a goal to address, and is made up of factors capable not only of provoking it, but also of keeping it oriented towards it. All activity is motivated by some cause, and that cause is what we call motive, so motive drives us to action, activity, and it comes in the form of an impulse, a tendency, a desire, a need… In this motivated activity, three main moments can be distinguished: the motive itself, the motivated behavior and the decrease or satisfaction of the need.
Not all motives have the same origin, nor are they of the same intensity, nor do they tend towards the same interests. But, nevertheless, it can be said that the field of motivation encompasses the entire human psyche, comprising a very wide range of motives that constantly incite man to act. We can point out motives that range from the most elementary impulses, such as hunger, sleep…, to the most complicated and complex such as the impulse or desire of the person to be a biochemist, journalist, astronaut,… to be supportive, to dedicate part of the time to altruistic volunteering…
Motivation is always prior to the expected result, since this implies an impulse to achieve it; while satisfaction is subsequent to the result, since it is the experienced result.
The development of individuals in the organization
The development and growth of the individuals that form it is strategically important for the Organization, observing this need, companies seek to motivate their collaborators through plans that aim to improve their working and / or personal life conditions, making interpersonal relationships are optimized, setting achievable goals that make it possible to contribute the best of each one, facilitating training that avoids professional obsolescence,… What should be sought is that employees are at ease and are able to solve their needs, both individual as well as group, from the most basic to the most complex. The leader should frequently ask herself with reference to her collaborators several questions:
Work environment: Are personal events such as weddings, births, private joys, professional successes shared,….? Are there frequent tensions, bad manners, unpleasant treatment,…? Is there joy and good humor in the work zones? …
Communication: Are people adequately informed of what is happening in the Organization? Are watertight or impermeable areas formed? Is there fluidity and agility?…
Teamwork: Are there regular meetings? Are they useful and productive? Do they facilitate or hinder tasks? Is continuous improvement sought in them? Is order or chaos reigning?…
Delegation: Do they have the real possibility to make decisions? Do you manage some kind of budget? What areas does your responsibility cover? …
Belonging: Are your views on the job itself or on other issues heard? Are you proud of the company you work for? Do they identify with "team colors"? …
Recognition: Are they appreciated for the work in which they excel? Are they rewarded? Is it part of the Organization's own culture to “give thanks”? …
Enthusiasm: Do employees start their day wanting to go to work? Are new projects approached with discouragement? Are new ideas frequently proposed? …
The motivation of the personnel towards the objectives of the company.
The motivation of the personnel towards the objectives of the company is essential to achieve success. When the workforce works unmotivated, it manifests it in different ways, one of them is that they have no desire to go to their workplace, either through absenteeism, entering "something" late, continuous casualties, unjustified losses of time… In these conditions, their performance will be poor, which will generate more demotivation within the team.
Human resources are the most important assets of the Organization, so motivation and loyalty are essential for it. Do we frequently take "the temperature" to the motivation of our collaborators? The mirror in which we can best see it reflected is the work environment that is breathed, its analysis will allow us to determine if the leadership exercised is correct or not. But we must also reflect on ourselves, since the stimulus must begin, without a doubt, at the highest levels, setting an example of motivation, professionalism and ethical behavior, that is why it is good that we carry out a self-criticism with ourselves:
+ Do I feel like going to work?
+ Do I start the day with joy?
+ Am I carried away by assumptions that are not sufficiently founded?
+ Am I a respecter of persons?
+ Do I try to be impartial?
+ Do I keep my promises?
+ Am I humble enough to admit mistakes?
+ (Add other reflections)…
How to encourage the motivation of your collaborators.
Each individual is unique and the leader must attend to each individuality and environment for inner motivation to emerge. With adequate motivation and as a consequence of a good working environment, productivity will be increased. All leaders in this beginning of the century face the challenge of motivating workers to obtain the desired results, with efficiency, quality, innovation, ethics and social responsibility, as well as with their own satisfaction and personal commitment. There are many things that a manager, if he intends to lead the motivation of his collaborators, can do to promote it:
1. A salary appropriate to the task that is performed and depending on the responsibility that one has. Money is an instrument, but it acquires importance as a means to satisfy needs.
2. Generate a Vision, a temporary projection of the Organization that is attractive, challenging, with the ability to excite and stimulate.
3. A correct Strategic Planning, consistent with the Mission, coherent and in which the appropriate personnel are involved.
4. Lean more on moral authority than on formal power.
5. Ensure that collaborators have the resources they need without them always having to "be looking for life."
6. Lead with emotional intelligence, not theoretical but practical. This is not achieved by participating in a seminar or reading a book, but by putting it into practice on a daily basis.
7. Respect the personal and professional dignity of employees, both in substance and in form.
8. Promote awareness of production of goods and / or services. Make the person aware that it originates a valuable and valued merchandise, since production can be understood in an economic sense or with a broader point of view relating it to the needs of the human being.
9. Facilitate human and professional development of people. It is always good and prudent to surround yourself with people of value who are willing to improve, and it is to these who, mainly, should be facilitated and provided opportunities for learning and improvement of skills.
10. Promote self-esteem. The fact of working is associated in our culture and historical time with a positive assessment and not working with a negative assessment. People who do not work are censored unless they have strong reasons for not doing so, such as age, illness,… The opinion that the individual has of herself is in many cases a function of the work she performs, of the excellence of
11. To manage to combine family and work life, responding to each individual need. Show real interest and achieve an approximation between personal goals and those of the Organization.
12. Promote team spirit, establishing the conditions in which collaborations happen easily and naturally. The camaraderie born of teamwork creates a sense of community for the individuals involved, facilitating communication and breaking down "walls."
13. An adequate consumption of physical and mental energy, avoiding the appearance of leisure, boredom and routine. People also work to exercise their muscles, their verbal ability and / or their intellectual abilities. Continued inactivity is more negative and unpleasant than hard work.
14. Provide a social relationship approach, avoiding isolationism and introversion. Individuals work best when they feel good about their peers, managers, customers, and suppliers. The working group, which begins as a means to an end, becomes over time an end in itself; The person also goes to work because it is important for her to be in the company of her colleagues, sharing what they do, enjoying the same status, having the same interests, attitudes and obligations. Work has an undeniable social character, since in most cases it is done in the presence of other people.
15. Involve workers in the definition and resolution of problems, and in making solutions. Man seeks meaning in everything he does, and this is related in a complex way to the way of using vital energies.
16. It is critical to promote attractive working conditions that retain the most productive employees. High turnover has a heavy cost for the Organization and is an obvious sign that “something is not working”.
17. Encourage and stimulate creativity and innovation in people.
18. Allow participation in decision-making. Encourage participation and collaboration, building the "bridges" necessary for this.
19. Make work interesting, enrich “that unpleasant position” through which so many people pass and that nobody wants as their own.
20. Relate part of the remuneration with performance. The higher the achievements, the more individual benefit. Motivation is a derivative of ambition and self-esteem, the necessary catalyst for this formula to work is the incentive. We all work for a benefit, usually tangible.
21. Provide rewards, not necessarily financial, that are valued, when "it is done beyond duty" or in special circumstances. Avoid comparative grievance and create a situation of justice and equity, both in tasks and in rewards. Every time a collaborator makes an extra effort in a project or in achieving some goal, let us properly recognize the achievement in a unique, differentiated and remarkable way. It is important to ensure that these rewards generate pride, excitement and fun.
22. Give trust and responsibility to those who deserve it.
23. Treat employees as people, not as “production units”.
24. Take into account social status. The prestige of an individual is many times consequences of her occupation. The prestige of a profession is one of the motivating factors that attract the individual.
25. Involve employees in ethical, social and environmental responsibility criteria that encourage their participation with the environment, creating an environment of trust and respect.
26. Treating everyone the same is a big mistake, because we are all different, and nobody likes to feel treated in a "clonic" way, we want to feel unique. To do this, you have to know and dedicate time to the individual.
27. Offer accurate and timely feedback. Nobody likes to remain in the dark about their own performance. In fact, a negative performance judgment may be preferable to none, in this situation a person will know what to do to improve. Lack of feedback often produces frustration in the employee that often has a detrimental effect on performance.
How to achieve self motivation?
Motivation is the result of the individual's interaction with the situation, it is a combination of intellectual, physiological and psychological processes that decides with what vigor to act and in which direction the energy is channeled. It is an internal state that excites, directs and sustains behavior, a feeling that determines whether to continue or stop an activity. Feeling motivated means identifying with the end and, on the contrary, feeling unmotivated represents the loss of interest and meaning of the objective or the inability to achieve it. How to achieve self-motivation?
The human being seeks pleasure and avoids pain. Knowing what tasks you enjoy and the experiences you do not want to experience will allow you to interpret positive activities and establish protection mechanisms against negative ones.
The human being needs a certain measure of control. Whoever wants to motivate himself in the performance of a task, will increase the elements of that task that are under your control, increasing his power, his authority or his capacity on that question. You will always avoid chaos, bureaucracy and disorder.
The human being needs to feel that he contributes. It is highly stimulating to identify how what you do has a positive impact on others.
Motivation activates our diligence and, ultimately, makes us work harder and better, enjoying it. Thus considered, motivation is unquestionably desirable, and it only remains to ensure that the individual's effort generates the best performance. It is up to the managers to ensure that this is so: that there are no "leaks" of energy. When there is sufficient motivation, the chances of successfully achieving what is intended are greatly increased. Management and staff development strategies are the most important factor that will contribute to the achievement of business objectives and the personal development of individuals.
