Understand Better What Motivates Your Team

Application of Two-Factor Motivation Theory at work.

What motivates you to get up every day and go to work? Why do you what you do? Do you like it? Do you feel you have no other choice? Are you comfortable? As a manager, you work with your motivation and with the motivation of your team. It is difficult to make other people happy. Yet your job is to understand your team’s motivation and work with it.

Motivation is a motor

It is a desire to achieve things. Often, we are motivated to set on a journey, as in the end there is a reward. So, we do things to gain something. We behave in a certain way that is beneficial and aligned with a sort of reward we want.

Motivation is a mindset. It is said that successful people know well how to motivate themselves. They know what works for them. From a position of manager, you need to build your ability to assess and test the motivation of others. Learn what works for them. So, you can give them what they want. In other words, reward them in a meaningful way.

It varies for every person. Your team members are in their different life stages. Their values are constantly developed. If you have a person in his 20s, their motivation lies in a quick promotion. While if you have a person in his 30s, he values time and freedom. Basic knowledge of their situation is the first step to understand what they need.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

Professor Edward L. Deci developed a theory of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation triggers a behavior driven by external factors. These are either earning a reward or avoiding punishment. Intrinsic motivation is in place if the behavior comes from the ‘inside’. People genuinely enjoy behaving like that without expecting anything in return.

In relation, Frederick Herzberg analyzed organizations and professionals. He described two factors that influence motivation at work. They are aligned with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. He called them ‘hygiene factors’ and ‘motivators’.

Hygiene factors

Hygiene factors are essential for the existence of motivation in the workplace. They are extrinsic. If the job basics are not in place, employees are dissatisfied and frustrated. Hygiene factors are often associated with rewards or avoiding punishment. Since they are considered basic, they don’t have to motivate people in the long-term. They should be there. Examples are:

• Salary (I am adequately rewarded for my work.)
• Company policies (I am treated equally.)
• Working conditions (I can perform quality work.)
• Conflicts (I can express my opinion freely.)

Motivators

Motivators are intrinsic. They drive satisfaction and job appreciation. They lead to the extra mile. Employees are interested in working for a sake of company growth. They care about others. They enjoy challenging work as it is meaningful for them. They are motivated to succeed. They like what they do. Examples are:

• Meaningful work with impact (My work contributes to the company growth.)
• Skill growth (I develop my abilities and skills.)
• Recognition (I am seen successful.)
• Responsibility (I take on responsibility for decisions).

What to do with your team

Now the investigative phase starts. I hope you like playing a bit of the Sherlock Holmes game. I am sure you discover a lot by analyzing what motivates your team.

1. Preparation

Set important factors for your company and team. Divide them into hygiene and motivators. Some occur only when you start talking with your team members. But it is good to have a draft ready as material for conversation. Create a list of questions you are going to ask all your team members. For instance:

Hygiene:

• Are you satisfied with your current salary? (salary)
• Do you miss any benefit which you believe the company should provide? (benefits)
• How do you like the office? (working conditions)
• Is your laptop working fine for you? (working conditions)
• How satisfied are you with the home office policy? (company policies)
• How satisfied are you with the promotion policy? (company policies)

Motivators:

• Do you find your work meaningful? (impact)
• What knowledge do you feel you need? (opportunity for growth)
• Do you feel like you are praised enough for your work? (recognition)
• Do you feel like the system of delegation is working for you? (responsibility)

Besides, I did a short questionnaire to get a glimpse of how people felt. Then used it for a deep one-to-one talk with them. A short questionnaire is great for comparison. You will value it, even more, when you have a large team.

2. Data collection

The best way to check the motivation of your team members is to speak openly with them. Explain why it is important for you to understand how they feel and what is important for them. While doing so, make loads of notes. More is better, so listen to them carefully.

While discussing different topics, see how makes your team members excited. Notice if they are happy about their work and conditions. Take a note when they do not want to speak about something. They tell you what you want to hear rather than what they think.

Interesting is to listen to their suggestions. They can have ideas about some of the topics. So, you don’t have to come up with solutions yourself. Collaborative work leads to higher employee engagement and also higher motivation. See that potential when collecting data.

3. Evaluation and next steps

Finally, you have your data. Now you need to create buckets of topics your team mentioned. These should be generally related to all of them (e.g., the fairness of treating, promotion conditions, etc.). But also related to a person (e.g., one likes being publicly praised, the other not).

The outcome should be openly shared with your team. Thank them for their inputs. If there is room for it, involve them in some topics. For instance, in planning team activities for boosting relationships. Be transparent in your one-to-one meetings and speak regularly about motivation. Since it’s changing, it is necessary to revisit the topic from time to time.

Your interest helps to build quality relationships with your team. This can significantly influence their motivation. Yet, again you show you care about them. There will be things that you cannot change — a system of salary increase or promotion criteria). But by explaining them to your team you get some credibility. Moreover, there are other things which motivate your team. So, focus on understanding the motivators factors.

Final thought

Motivation is a complex topic. I recommend you break it into parts that you can work with. By understanding what people like and dislike, you are close to knocking on their motivation door. You have a lot of possibilities.

Let them leave the office earlier on Fridays. Involve them in cross-functional projects. Delegate some of your management reporting to them. Support their innovative ideas. Stand by their side when they feel others don’t treat them fairly.

Little things make difference. Motivation is not always about a higher salary. Keep that in mind. Quality relationships and equal opportunities can keep your employees engaged. Engaged teams tend to work longer for your company. So, aim for having a happy team. At the end of the day, you have the power.