Leaders are getting in the way of motivation
23 June 2010
Dominic Mahony opened Lane4’s latest breakfast session with a sentence steeped in remarkable purpose and motivation to succeed - a sentence to describe former American president Abraham Lincoln. ‘He preserved the Unions and freed the slaves’. ‘What would be your sentence?’, Dominic asked, challenging delegates to think about words others would use to describe their purpose, meaning or motivation.
After delving into his personal motivations from elite athletics, (‘to tame the beast of the 400m’) Lane4’s Mark Richardson asked delegates to consider what had had the most positive impact on their motivation this year. From 'recognition of a tough job done well’ to ‘others believing in my ability’, delegates’ views matched Lane4’s latest motivation survey results with new opportunities, performance related praise, high performance and relationships named as the top four most motivating factors this year.
Next came an opportunity to debate organisational myths and legends when it comes to motivation. ‘Hire self-motivated people’, ‘it’s all about money’ and even ‘it’s not about money’ were all touted as motivation stereotypes before Lane4’s survey results painted a picture of leaders getting in the way of motivation and the enormous impact of the environment on motivation levels.
"Extrinsic rewards drive a certain behaviour. Pay is, of course, a fundamental hygiene factor for employees but our survey showed no correlation between pay and motivation", explained Dominic. "It did show that leaders don’t understand the people they lead well enough to create a motivational climate for them. It’s not a one-size fits all."
After exploring some of the classic theories of workplace motivation, Dominic introduced Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory and the high value over time of intrinsic motivation, as well as the negative impact that interrupting or influencing a person’s intrinsic drivers with extrinsic reward can have.
Throughout the interactive session, delegates were challenged to explore individuals’ meaning (doing something worthwhile with their time and energy), autonomy (a sense of being in control and being able to use one’s own judgment), competence (a feeling of mastery and accomplishment) and relatedness (a sense of belonging and security) in order to enhance motivation.
With 38% of respondents citing that the demands of their role were lower than their capability, Mark also challenged delegates to think about people they lead, perceptions of capabilities and the reality that boredom is as much of a pressure as being over stretched.
Motivation, it was summarised, is not simple. The carrot and stick approach is simply not enough. Demotivation is not solved with pay rises and benefits despite their rightful place in rewards and recognition strategies. 90% of our survey respondents said their motivation was affected by their environment. Leaders must prioritise developing motivating conditions for employees.
"There are some fantastic leaders but too many are idle when it comes to creating conditions in which people are motivated and have the opportunity to excel," commented Dominic as he closed a thought-provoking stimulation into why traditional motivation management practice continues to lag behind that of performance psychology in the world of sport.
To find out more about Lane4's 2010 Motivation Survey email kelly.walsh@lane4.co.uk
2010-04-08