Staff motivation is one of the factors of special importance for achieving business objectives and facilitating worker development. One of the characteristics observed in this competitive and globalized world is that companies strive to be better and better. To do this, they resort to all available means to meet their objectives. In this context, the optimal management of the human factor is of singular importance. It is said that a company will be good or bad, depending on the quality of its human resources. That is why, in order to make the most of human potential, companies develop complex processes.
Simplistic motivation
When the executives of a company consider it necessary to motivate their staff to achieve certain objectives, they often hire specialists or external consultants, who are generally good speakers and use certain techniques aimed mainly at influencing the emotional aspect of the person.
To do this, they develop topics such as: leadership, how to overcome fear, excellence and quality, teamwork, being a winner, among others. In the best of cases, these programs are accompanied by topics related to the business of the company.
While it is true that these activities can lead the person to become aware of certain problems and try to overcome them, however, they lack consistency and permanence over time. Worse still, the desired effect as a contribution to the company's objectives is largely unrealized. Confidence, time, and money will have been wasted by pretending a simplistic motivation.
However, we must distinguish those jobs carried out by responsible consultants, where with planned and serious work they obtain tangible results. Among others: positive change in worker behavior, generation of a favorable organizational climate and, above all, achieving customer and external user satisfaction.
Pay more to motivate
Another way in which employers intend to improve productivity is by increasing workers' wages, under the concept "I pay you more so that you produce more"; However, it has been shown in different investigations that the effect of increased wages does not necessarily raise productivity. In this regard, Herzberg points out that low-level needs, the salary between them, are quickly satisfied, and once they are satisfied, the only way to motivate her is to offer more of the same. Hence, it becomes an endless vicious cycle.
Motivation Concept
In academic terms, motivation is defined as those factors (internal drives and external forces) capable of provoking, directing and maintaining behavior towards a goal.
Knowing the motives of motivation is as complex as human nature is. If we analyze the reasons why a person works or contributes their effort to an organization, we will find that there are many factors, from wanting to have money that allows them to at least cover their basic needs, to higher aspirations such as self-realization.
To approach the understanding of motivation, the socio-cultural aspect of the society where the worker operates must be taken into consideration and, on the other hand, his individuality. It happens that what one person considers an important reward, another person could consider as useless. Well, people differ enormously in the concept and the way they perceive the opportunities to be successful at work.
The individual and motivation
One of the problems that motivational programs or activities face is that something fundamental is generally obviated: knowing or identifying those factors that really motivate the person individually and collectively.
We are all different, we want and desire different things. Different things satisfy and motivate us. For example, the meaning of money is totally different for everyone. While for some it is an important means to achieve ends, for others it has no relevance, for others it is a resource, others consider it an end in itself, there are those who perceive it as a drug, for others it is the greatest motivator, etc. Consequently, trying to motivate staff to improve productivity without considering their individuality is a fallacy.
Managing the human factor is not an easy task. Each person is a phenomenon subject to the influence of many variables, and among them the differences in terms of skills and behavior patterns are very diverse. On the other hand, considering the individuality of people, each one values or conceptualizes the circumstances that surround them in their own way, as well as undertakes actions based on their particular interests. People have a lot in common, but each person is individually different. Furthermore, these differences are almost always substantial rather than superficial.
It is the case of able workers, well endowed, of great intelligence, of special aptitudes, of knowledge in the task or the trade, but nevertheless these workers do not have the efficient performance that is expected.
Although many times it is not wanted to accept, in practice it is found that organizational and individual goals are not always the same. On the one hand, workers try to get better benefits from the company without their contribution being important. On the other hand, many employers exploit their workers to obtain better profits. This complex relationship should make the employer aware of the following aspects, which are almost principles in personnel administration:
- a person will do something of something, if he personally feels that that something is important to him; a person will do more of something, if he personally feels that that something is also important to others whom he considers important to him; And, a person will do something else if he personally feels that he is making progress by doing that something.
Social conditioning of behavior
In a global economy, to properly manage workers, managers need to understand cultural differences and adjust their organizations and management style to them. Understanding the common characteristics of people within a given country is important if you want to be successful in managerial performance.
Remember that some of our behaviors are fully learned. Society is precisely shaping the personality in part. We are born with an instinctive background, with an organic team, but culture is shaping our behavior and creating our social needs. For example, while in a western city, when we feel hungry, we go to eat a steak or a fish, or something similar, in some places in China they satisfy their hunger by eating dogs. There, the dog constitutes an exquisite delicacy; Likewise, in the native communities of the Peruvian jungle, eating fried ants is a delight. In our culture these situations are not accepted.
Therefore, the different techniques on motivation are not always entirely applicable to all realities and in all countries. It will depend on the culture, customs, values, social, economic and other situations, which will condition the way of thinking and acting of the workers. For example, Japanese workers may place more value on personal fulfillment than safety.
David McClelland attributed the success of the United States and other industrialized countries to the prevailing need for achievement in their managers. Punctuality is important for the English and Germans, while the Spanish usually arrive 20 or 30 minutes late for their commitments. Punctuality is not very appreciated in the Hispanic culture. It is therefore evident that the socio-cultural context of a society has a lot to do with personal administration.
The mechanism by which society shapes people to behave in a certain way, follows the following process:
- the stimulus is activated, the person responds to the stimulus, the society, through a member of higher hierarchy (father, boss, priest, etc.), tries to teach, judges the behavior and decides whether it is appropriate or not; the reward (incentive or prize) is awarded for being positive. If deemed inappropriate, provide a sanction (punishment); and, the reward increases the probability that in the future, in the face of similar stimuli, the predetermined response will be repeated.
Each time this happens, a reinforcement occurs and, therefore, the probabilities of the occurrence of the desired behavior increase. Once that behavior is established, it is said that there has been learning. This scheme is not only valid for teaching social norms but also any type of subject. Once something has been learned, it becomes part of our behavioral repertoire.
Frustration at work
When a worker acts to achieve a goal and encounters some barrier or obstacle that prevents him from achieving it, frustration occurs, which leads the person to certain reactions, such as:
- disorganization of behavior (illogical behavior and no apparent explanation); aggressiveness (physical, verbal and psychological); emotional reactions (anxiety, distress, nervousness and other manifestations such as insomnia, circulatory and digestive problems, etc.); and, alienation, apathy and disinterest.
It is common to find "surrendered" workers, with low morale. They meet with their friends to complain and, in some cases, collude against the company or engage in inappropriate behavior, as a way of reacting to frustration.
Motivation at work
Motivating a person is providing certain stimuli to adopt a certain desired behavior. It is creating the right conditions for a certain behavior to emerge in people.
The importance of motivation lies in the fact that it allows channeling the effort, energy and behavior in general of the worker towards the achievement of objectives that interest organizations and the person himself.
Frederick Herzberg points out that motivation involves:
- Hygienic factors (policies and administration, supervision, relationship with the supervisor, working conditions, salaries, relationship with colleagues, personal life, relationship with subordinates, status and security) that try to avoid job dissatisfaction; and Motivating factors (achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, promotion and growth) that increase satisfaction and therefore productivity.
Hygienic factors are located in the environment that surrounds people and encompasses the conditions within which they carry out their work. As these conditions are administered and decided by the company, they are beyond the control of the people.
Traditionally, only hygienic factors were taken into account in the motivation of workers, because in order to get people to work more it was necessary to appeal to awards and salary incentives, business policies and other rewards, which constitute what is called positive motivation. However, when hygienic factors are optimal, they only prevent staff dissatisfaction, but fail to sustain it for long. When hygiene factors are lousy or precarious, they cause dissatisfaction. In short, hygienic factors only prevent dissatisfaction but do not cause satisfaction. Offering more of the same is a very inefficient way to boost motivation. It becomes a vicious process.
Motivating factors, also called intrinsic factors, are fundamentally related to the content of the position and the nature of the tasks that the man performs. The achievement of high degrees of motivation, satisfaction and job performance is only achieved through motivating factors. This position is the one that is at the base of all the enrichment programs of the tasks that have already begun to be promoted in companies as a procedure to motivate people towards greater productivity.
The effectiveness of the motivating factors is due to the fact that the higher level needs of the employees are used to obtain achievement and self-esteem. It is about reinforcing needs that are never completely satisfied and whose appetite is infinite. Therefore, the best way to motivate employees is to create challenges and opportunities for achievement in their positions.
Motivation for productivity
One of the most effective and efficient techniques to motivate staff and achieve desired productivity is through job enrichment. It refers to the vertical expansion of posts. In this case, the degree to which the worker or employee controls the planning, execution and evaluation of their work is increased.
An enriched position organizes the tasks so that the worker can carry out a complete activity, improves his freedom and independence, increases his responsibility and provides feedback, in such a way that an individual can evaluate and correct his own performance.
To enrich a worker's position, there are five specific actions that a manager must follow. These are:
1. Form natural work groups.
The creation of natural units of work means that the tasks performed by an employee form an identifiable and meaningful whole. This increases employee ownership of the job and improves the likelihood that employees will view their work as meaningful and important, rather than as inappropriate and boring.
The idea is that each person is responsible for an entire identifiable work process. For example, when a machine breaks down and the mechanic is usually called in for repair; instead, the machine operator himself must be trained to repair damage.
2. Combine tasks
Managers should try to take existing and split tasks and put them back together to form a new and larger module of work. This increases the variety of skills and the identity of the task. For example, have a worker assemble a product from start to finish instead of involving multiple people in separate operations.
3. Establish responsibility towards the client
The customer is the user of the product or service in which the employee works (it can be an internal or external customer). Whenever possible, managers should try to establish a direct relationship between workers and their clients. For example, allow the secretary to investigate and respond to customer requests, rather than having all issues automatically passed to the manager or another department. Another case may be to facilitate the possibility that the production worker has the opportunity to listen to the opinion of the customers about the quality of the product in which he participates.
Establishing relationships with the client increases the variety of skills, autonomy and feedback for the employee.
4. Expand posts vertically
Vertical expansion gives employees responsibilities and control that were previously assigned to management. Trying to partially close the gap between the aspects of "doing" and "controlling" the position, and thus improving the autonomy of the employee, is to help the worker plan and control their work instead of someone else (supervisor) doing it. For example, the worker must be allowed to schedule her work, solve her problems and decide when to start or stop working.
5. Open feedback channels
By increasing feedback, employees not only know how well they are performing their jobs, but also if their performance is improving, worsening, or staying at a constant level. Ideally, this performance feedback should be received directly when the employee performs the work, rather than being provided occasionally by management. In short, more and better ways must be found for the worker to receive quick feedback on their performance.
By identifying the motivational factor of the worker and using effective techniques, such as job enrichment, the manager will be able to create the appropriate conditions to channel the effort, energy and general behavior of the worker towards the achievement of objectives that interest the company and the same person. Finally, we all want to win.
