Motivation. We hear the term often. Generally we
associate the word with human behavior, meaning, a state of mind
that moves us to action. And even though few of us have had formal
training in it, it�s one of those characteristics of life that seems
to fit the old adage, �I know it when I see it.�
For most of my years working in the field
of workplace collaboration, this word has held a place of stature
and importance, because it has been, perhaps, the most significant
outcome of worker involvement. As the collaboration trend, and more
specifically, the use of employee teams continues to grow, one
question that is taking on greater importance is how to keep the
team motivated over the long haul.
What are the ingredients or
characteristics of teams that seem to sustain high levels of
motivation?
I posed this question to a group of
people recently and found that it tapped into some deeply held
beliefs about what makes us do what we do. So for those of you
working with teams, here are some thoughts that might
help:
What Makes Us
Do Anything? Probably the first question to be
answered in a discussion of motivation is �What makes us do
anything?� Why am I writing this article? Why are you reading it?
Why did you get out of bed today and go to work? Why did you join
that volunteer organization last month? Why did you drop out of the
other one?
Each day brings with it an endless list
of decisions to be made. The process of making those decisions is
driven, in large part, by the hope of a benefit or the fear of a
consequence.
For example, I truly enjoy coffee and
donuts from Dunkin� Donuts. I pay them money for the benefit of
enjoying the taste and filling a void in my stomach. However, I
limit my intake of these donuts for fear of the consequences of too
much sugar and fat in my diet.
Literally, every decision we make is
filtered through this process. The industrial psychologists have
taken this further by defining these consequences as needs.
Our needs for sustenance, safety, security, belonging,
recognition, and a sense of growth and achievement become strong
drivers (motivators) of behavior.
The subject of motivation is, at once,
simple and complex. Simple, in that it explains much of what we see
happening in human behavior, yet complex when it poses
contradictions.
For example, the need to nourish
ourselves is strong, and hunger will drive us to extreme actions,
particularly in the case of extreme hunger. However, how does one
explain a hunger strike? How can you explain the actions of someone
who has died because they chose not to eat? The psychologists will
say that a higher level need took over....perhaps the need to make a
point about an issue that, to the person, was larger than life
itself.
So as we attempt to understand
motivation, we need to appreciate the subtleties that exist in human
behavior, and focus our attention on general principles of
motivation that have wider application. At least if we can
understand some of these principles, we might be better prepared to
lead or facilitate a long-term, highly motivating team
experience.
Why Be Part
Of A Team? You�ve been asked to participate on a
team to accomplish some task. Immediately your decision-making
process begins.
- What is the purpose of the
team?
- Is it a topic that interests
me?
- Who will be on the team with
me?
- What kind of authority will we
have?
- Is it important to management?
- What is the reward for
participating?
- What is the risk (perceived as
punishment) for not participating?
- How long will it run?
- Will I be better off as a result of my
participation?
These are some of the questions we ask
ourselves when faced with an invitation to participate in some kind
of team. Are they typical questions?...of course. Do they relate to
our motivation to participate?... certainly.
Sometimes, however, we are not given the
opportunity to refuse participation on a team: for example, a work
group or an organization that has restructured itself into
self-directed work teams. In these cases, by default, we are part of
the group or team.
Nevertheless, in either case, motivation
can rise or fall depending on a myriad of factors. Let�s look at
some of them.
Factors That Influence Team Motivation
I.
Purpose I have asked people for years to
describe the characteristics of their most successful and rewarding
team experiences. At the top of almost everyone�s list is a clear
purpose, focus, or mission. But further, for long-term motivation,
it must be a purpose or mission that they find aligns with their
personal wants and needs.
One can be asked to participate on a
temporary task force. If the mission is clear, he might be able to
sustain motivation for the duration if he feels it is important.
However, if it is a topic that is not in line with his wants and
needs, his motivation to continue may diminish.
Many years ago on a construction project,
I had assembled a group of electricians to streamline the process of
making cable terminations. Since they were all electricians, I
thought there would be great interest in working on a process that
was frustrating people the way it was designed.
About a month into the group�s work, they
were having great difficulty maintaining momentum and focus. When I
asked them why, they said that some of the electricians were conduit
specialists and some were cable tray specialists, and that those not
working directly with the cable terminations simply couldn�t get
interested in the subject. What a lesson for me! Motivation
in this case was lacking because the team�s purpose was not in line
with some of the members� wants and needs.
So one strategy with a lethargic team
might be to stop the process, re-visit the team�s purpose or
mission, and see if there�s alignment on it. Even with a team that
seems well-motivated, it still is a good strategy to recheck once in
a while.
II.
Challenge Another term that I hear frequently
when I ask about team motivation is challenge. The human species, as
with most animals, has been given a survival mechanism called fight
or flight syndrome. When presented with a challenge, our defenses
are alerted to move us to action....to run away from danger or
address it directly.
Many people will say that their most
rewarding team experiences resulted from some sort of challenge.
I�ve heard the stories often of mediocre groups that responded to a
challenge with heroic success. The challenge itself was the
motivator.
In the workplace, these challenges occur
infrequently. Teams are not presented with stimulating challenges
every day. So the question becomes how to provide challenges to the
team at more frequent intervals.
An additional criteria for a challenge is
the level of difficulty. If a challenge is too
difficult, perhaps perceived as impossible, then team members may
give up before they start. However, the same result may occur if the
members perceive the challenge as too easy. Little energy is
required to accomplish something so easily obtained.
So for ongoing teams, periodic
stimulation in the form of a worthy challenge is another method of
maintaining motivation.
In 1983, I was managing a work group for
a large construction organization. It was a long-term project (10
years), and senior management had discussed conducting an open house
for the workforce. Management, however, had always nixed the
idea--fearing the difficulty of coordinating an event that would
encompass seven thousand workers and their families.
My work group heard about the idea,
however, and asked to take on this assignment. There was enormous
interest in conducting this event within the workforce, so with much
support, my group planned and successfully coordinated an open house
that ultimately attracted over 10,000 people.
The challenge for my group was
enormous....but achievable. The challenge created high levels of
motivation while planning the event; and the sense of accomplishment
after the event sustained motivation even longer.
I don�t suggest by this example, that
every work group take on such a formidable task, but simply
think about the implications of taking on a new challenge
periodically.
III.
Camaraderie Seldom, if ever, in our MBA programs
(which purport to be leadership development programs) have we seen
courses of study in team development and motivation. That is
changing now and will continue to change in the future.
If one studies highly effective groups,
one finds that the most successful groups over the long haul tend to
address both the technical needs and human needs. These groups are
at the same time competent in the work they perform and highly
functional in their interpersonal relationships. The group is well
balanced in both technical and human skills.
Another factor that emerges from my
queries about successful teams is camaraderie, meaning comradeship,
fellowship, and loyalty. The people on these teams genuinely like
each other and work hard to develop and maintain their
relationships.
Although they are probably not aware that
research supports this behavior, they just seem to understand that
it�s a lot easier to support your team member when you have a good
relationship. The fallout from this kind of relationship
building is open and direct communication, frequent praising of each
others� contributions, and mutual support.
So, you will say, that is all well and
good for teams whose members like each other, but what if
they don�t like each other?
Much of the time we like or dislike
someone, it relates more to how well we understand them. And since
our formal training has not addressed this, most of us enter
adulthood ill-equipped to deal with the myriad of personalities,
temperaments, cultures, values, beliefs, ideologies, religions, and
idiosyncratic behaviors of those we meet.
One way to break down these barriers is
to expand one�s understanding of his own species.
Training is available to address most of the topics above, and
exercises can be beneficial if they move us to another level of
understanding.
But don�t overlook the simple solutions.
Designing an off-site activity for the team,
sometimes just to play together, is a powerful way of building
camaraderie. For more thoughts on this, see our article "Celebrations
and Events to Build the Team".
IV.
Responsibility In general, people and teams are
stimulated by being given responsibility. Having ownership of an
identifiable block of work is a long-held tenet of motivation in
groups.
Responsibility can be tricky, however.
Implied in this concept is the understanding that the responsibility
comes along with authority to make the necessary changes. Teams that
have both the responsibility and authority tend to
maintain motivation over longer periods of time.
Responsibility can be
demotivating if the consequences of error or failure are too
great. If the organization, for example, has a history of
punishing mistakes, then the giving of responsibility is viewed more
as a negative. The short-term performance may be good (remember fear
is a motivator), but long-term motivation will suffer. It is
difficult to sustain high performance when energy is being sapped by
fear.
V.
Growth Finally, personal and team growth can
provide another basis for sustained motivation. When people feel
they are moving forward, learning new concepts, adding to
their skill base, and stretching their minds, motivation
tends to remain high. Personal growth adds value to the individual,
enhancing self-esteem and self-worth.
Accordingly, team members and team
leaders should look for opportunities that help add knowledge and
skills. A good technique is to simply ask members
what they would like to get from their association with the team,
then listen for areas of possible
growth.
VI.
Leadership A good leader can be a catalyst for
motivation in the short term, but the best leaders create the
conditions for the team to motivate itself.
We have all seen examples of how leaders
inspired teams to accomplish some phenomenal task. History books and
Hollywood are full of these stories, and we come to honor these
leaders.
But the charismatic leader that can be so
effective in the short term, cannot necessarily sustain motivation
indefinitely. Motivation is inherently intrinsic, residing within
oneself. Therefore, if one depends continually on another for their
source of motivation, eventually it ends.
Great leaders have a knack for
helping others see the best in themselves, providing the
stimulus for self-actualizing behaviors.
But great leaders also understand
the importance of team purpose, challenge, camaraderie,
responsibility, and growth, and focus much of their time on creating
the conditions for these to exist.
Great leaders understand that
their team members have needs, and that for motivation to
grow and continue, the activities of the team must help in some way
to meet these needs.
Summary A team whose members are
aligned with its purpose, feel a challenge in their task, have a
strong sense of camaraderie, feel responsibility for the outcome,
and experience growth as a team and in their personal lives, will
tend to sustain motivation over the long haul.
This is not to say that they will not
have difficulties at times, or that members� wants and needs won�t
change over time. In these cases, sometimes changes will have to be
made. A member who no longer feels the team is meeting his or her
needs may have to leave the team to continue on their own
path.
But, in as much as it is possible to
sustain motivation indefinitely, the factors above will tend to
create the best possible environment for it.
(originally appeared in
EI Network January, 1998)
Want to know more about
team motivation?
Team
Motivation: Ideas to Energize Any Team by Peter B. Grazier A collection of 54 of the best
motivational ideas for teams collected over a 25 year career in
teambuilding. Purchase
this book online from Teambuilding, Inc. - $19.95 plus
shipping and taxes, or downloadable
copy for $15.95. Click HERE for more
information.
If
I Ran the Zoo - The most innovative,
morale-boosting, attitude-shifting, talent-endorsing, and downright
fun workshop you've ever seen. Sometimes people need a boost,
and this session will do it!
See related catalog item:
Essence
of Team - A highly motivational exercise that unlocks the
secrets of great teams. |