Hie
I am looking for statistics from past surveys on employee motivational factors. I would want to rank motivational factors and advise companies on which practical issues to address inorder of preference by employees.
From South Africa, Stellenbosch
I am looking for statistics from past surveys on employee motivational factors. I would want to rank motivational factors and advise companies on which practical issues to address inorder of preference by employees.
From South Africa, Stellenbosch
6
Motivation is free, so why try to buy it.
by Robert F. Gately, PE, MBA
Managers are seldom equipped psychologically to talk to their people on a personal level. One reason is that many people are managers because of their technical ability not because of their managerial or people skills. We should reward technical experts with higher salaries but not with promotions to management. We would be far better off if we promoted to management the people who have good managerial and people skills and poor technical skills -- which will solve two problems:
1 - Improve overall technical competence
2 - Improve managerial effectiveness
As long as executives do not know how to identify future effective managers, management will be stuck with The Peter Principle:
"In a hierarchy, every employee tends to
rise to his level of incompetence."
When managers are asked to list the Top Ten Motivators for their employees the list looks like:
1 - Salary
2 - Bonuses
3 - Vacation
4 - Retirement
5 - Other Benefits & Perks
--------- the money line ----------
6 - Interesting work
7 - Involved in decisions
8 - Feedback
9 - Training
10 - Respect
Note:
Managers rank money items as their employees' Top Five Motivators. When employees are asked to rank their own Top Ten Motivators the list looks like:
1 - Interesting work
2 - Involved in decisions
3 - Feedback
4 - Training
5 - Respect
--------- the money line ----------
6 - Salary
7 - Bonuses
8 - Vacation
9 - Retirement
10 - Other Benefits & Perks
Employees rank items that are equivalent to money as their bottom five motivators.
The managers' top five motivators are the employees' bottom five motivators. The managers' top five motivators are more related to the need of the managers to avoid personal contact with employees than the desires or motivational needs of their employees.
Managers pick the top five motivators because these are the things that managers can "give" their employees without ever having to ask what the employees want or need, i.e., no involvement on a personal level is needed and all decisions can be made behind closed doors--all the while avoiding personal contact even to the detriment of the organization.
Note:
Managers give the same sequence as employees when asked to rank their own motivators which is very interesting and revealing.
=== end of message ===
From United States, Chelsea
by Robert F. Gately, PE, MBA
Managers are seldom equipped psychologically to talk to their people on a personal level. One reason is that many people are managers because of their technical ability not because of their managerial or people skills. We should reward technical experts with higher salaries but not with promotions to management. We would be far better off if we promoted to management the people who have good managerial and people skills and poor technical skills -- which will solve two problems:
1 - Improve overall technical competence
2 - Improve managerial effectiveness
As long as executives do not know how to identify future effective managers, management will be stuck with The Peter Principle:
"In a hierarchy, every employee tends to
rise to his level of incompetence."
When managers are asked to list the Top Ten Motivators for their employees the list looks like:
1 - Salary
2 - Bonuses
3 - Vacation
4 - Retirement
5 - Other Benefits & Perks
--------- the money line ----------
6 - Interesting work
7 - Involved in decisions
8 - Feedback
9 - Training
10 - Respect
Note:
Managers rank money items as their employees' Top Five Motivators. When employees are asked to rank their own Top Ten Motivators the list looks like:
1 - Interesting work
2 - Involved in decisions
3 - Feedback
4 - Training
5 - Respect
--------- the money line ----------
6 - Salary
7 - Bonuses
8 - Vacation
9 - Retirement
10 - Other Benefits & Perks
Employees rank items that are equivalent to money as their bottom five motivators.
The managers' top five motivators are the employees' bottom five motivators. The managers' top five motivators are more related to the need of the managers to avoid personal contact with employees than the desires or motivational needs of their employees.
Managers pick the top five motivators because these are the things that managers can "give" their employees without ever having to ask what the employees want or need, i.e., no involvement on a personal level is needed and all decisions can be made behind closed doors--all the while avoiding personal contact even to the detriment of the organization.
Note:
Managers give the same sequence as employees when asked to rank their own motivators which is very interesting and revealing.
=== end of message ===
From United States, Chelsea
Here is a small article on employee motivation
Employee motivation in the workplace
The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees. But that's easier said than done! Motivation practice and theory are difficult subjects, touching on several disciplines.
In spite of enormous research, basic as well as applied, the subject of motivation is not clearly understood and more often than not poorly practiced. To understand motivation one must understand human nature itself. And there lies the problem!
Human nature can be very simple, yet very complex too. An understanding and appreciation of this is a prerequisite to effective employee motivation in the workplace and therefore effective management and leadership.
There is an old saying you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink; it will drink only if it's thirsty - so with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivated to do. Whether it is to excel on the workshop floor or in the 'ivory tower' they must be motivated or driven to it, either by themselves or through external stimulus.
Are they born with the self-motivation or drive? Yes and no. If no, they can be motivated, for motivation is a skill which can and must be learnt.
This is essential for any business to survive and succeed.
Performance is considered to be a function of ability and motivation, thus:
· Job performance =f(ability)(motivation)
Ability in turn depends on education, experience and training and its improvement is a slow and long process. On the other hand motivation can be improved quickly. There are many options and an uninitiated manager may not even know where to start. As a guideline, there are broadly seven strategies for motivation.
· Positive reinforcement / high expectations
· Effective discipline and punishment
· Treating people fairly
· Satisfying employees needs
· Setting work related goals
· Restructuring jobs
· Base rewards on job performance
These are the basic strategies, though the mix in the final 'recipe' will vary from workplace situation to situation. Essentially, there is a gap between an individuals actual state and some desired state and the manager tries to reduce this gap.
Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate this gap. It is inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. Naturally, these goals as also the motivation system must conform to the corporate policy of the organization. The motivational system must be tailored to the situation and to the organization.
Thanks
From India, Madras
Employee motivation in the workplace
The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees. But that's easier said than done! Motivation practice and theory are difficult subjects, touching on several disciplines.
In spite of enormous research, basic as well as applied, the subject of motivation is not clearly understood and more often than not poorly practiced. To understand motivation one must understand human nature itself. And there lies the problem!
Human nature can be very simple, yet very complex too. An understanding and appreciation of this is a prerequisite to effective employee motivation in the workplace and therefore effective management and leadership.
There is an old saying you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink; it will drink only if it's thirsty - so with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivated to do. Whether it is to excel on the workshop floor or in the 'ivory tower' they must be motivated or driven to it, either by themselves or through external stimulus.
Are they born with the self-motivation or drive? Yes and no. If no, they can be motivated, for motivation is a skill which can and must be learnt.
This is essential for any business to survive and succeed.
Performance is considered to be a function of ability and motivation, thus:
· Job performance =f(ability)(motivation)
Ability in turn depends on education, experience and training and its improvement is a slow and long process. On the other hand motivation can be improved quickly. There are many options and an uninitiated manager may not even know where to start. As a guideline, there are broadly seven strategies for motivation.
· Positive reinforcement / high expectations
· Effective discipline and punishment
· Treating people fairly
· Satisfying employees needs
· Setting work related goals
· Restructuring jobs
· Base rewards on job performance
These are the basic strategies, though the mix in the final 'recipe' will vary from workplace situation to situation. Essentially, there is a gap between an individuals actual state and some desired state and the manager tries to reduce this gap.
Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate this gap. It is inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. Naturally, these goals as also the motivation system must conform to the corporate policy of the organization. The motivational system must be tailored to the situation and to the organization.
Thanks
From India, Madras
Hi, Bala
It is a nice output for motivating employees. But when we talk about intrinsic factors required for motivating employee in many company management has a casual attitude towards providing or extending the benefits to employees.
The basic reason for casual attitude of employees towards work or performance is their search behaviour which leads to less output in terms of production or performance of the work.
The search behavious leads to employee being more focused in others work or companies providing better intrinsic factor stability.
When can have a simple cylce
Need-- tension--demotivation--search behaviour-- solution---fullfilment of need---motivated--need--tension
Suresh
From India, Jaipur
It is a nice output for motivating employees. But when we talk about intrinsic factors required for motivating employee in many company management has a casual attitude towards providing or extending the benefits to employees.
The basic reason for casual attitude of employees towards work or performance is their search behaviour which leads to less output in terms of production or performance of the work.
The search behavious leads to employee being more focused in others work or companies providing better intrinsic factor stability.
When can have a simple cylce
Need-- tension--demotivation--search behaviour-- solution---fullfilment of need---motivated--need--tension
Suresh
From India, Jaipur
The following organizations have done a lot of recent research on employee motivation:
BlessingWhite
Towers Perrin
Gallup Consulting
Corporate Leadership Council
Hewitt
Seek
Some of this research is in the public domain and available on the web. A good book based on the Gallup research is First, Break all the Rules by Buckingham and Coffman.
Vicki Heath
Human Resources Management Resources
http://www.businessperform.com
From Australia, Melbourne
BlessingWhite
Towers Perrin
Gallup Consulting
Corporate Leadership Council
Hewitt
Seek
Some of this research is in the public domain and available on the web. A good book based on the Gallup research is First, Break all the Rules by Buckingham and Coffman.
Vicki Heath
Human Resources Management Resources
http://www.businessperform.com
From Australia, Melbourne
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Employee Motivation.ppt