Motivation and recruitment search

You need to understand what makes people work - and what would make them work harder.

FOUR THEORIES ON MOTIVATION

Different employees have different needs, and therefore before you can motivate someone you need to identify what drives them. Four main theories attempt to do this.

1. We're all lazy. Fred Taylor's study of American steelworkers (Scientific Management) concluded that there was only one way to motivate the workforce: cash. The only reason people got out of bed was to earn their wages, and therefore to improve productivity you needed a combination of wages and bullying. The workforce comprised lazy, selfish, cloned beings. Throw cash at the problem and it would disappear.
   
   
2. Poles apart. Taylor's theory may well apply to low-paid manual industries, but does not provide an ideal model for labour relations. This was recognised by Douglas McGregor, who identified two extremes of the spectrum - 'Theory X' and 'Theory Y' workers.
   
   Theory X workers correspond to Taylor's steelworkers - they are lazy, work-shy and fearful of change. These workers have little ambition, preferring to be led. The only way to increase output is through coercian and pay.
   
   Theory Y workers are an opposite extreme - to them, work is 'as natural as play'. Because they are ambitious, they cannot be motivated merely by cash. It is the employer's responsibility to help the individual to achieve his own goals (responsibility? social needs?) through work.
   
   Most importantly, McGregor suggested that failure to identify Y's needs would have a demotivating effect. In other words, if you treated Y as if he were X, the end result would be a Theory X employee. You have turned the model employee into one of little value.
   
   Back to reality, and most employees would probably place themselves somewhere between McGregor's extremes. And we have yet to identify the real driving forces behind our Theory Y employees.
   
   
3. Satisfaction and motivation. Herzberg's 'hygiene theory' returned to the difference between satisfied and motivated workers. A satisfied worker doesn't mind working for his own ends, but the satisfied and motivated worker positively relishes working harder. A satisfied worker is loyal, comfortable at work and takes pride in the business (those company umbrellas aren't given away to distant relatives for once): a motivated worker provides (and demands) feedback, has a sense of urgency, is committed to increased productivity.
   
   
   1. Hygiene factors. Ask yourself this: what are the minimum standards you expect from your job? A minimum salary? A pleasant working environment? 20 days' holiday? A creche? These are your 'hygiene factors' - if they are not satisfied, neither are you. If your employer failed to provide a basic wage, or comfortable chairs, you wouldn't work. But does the mere fact that you have the salary, or the chair, or the holiday, motivate you to work harder? Of course not. The fact that the photocopier works today does not excite you - it's supposed to be working. You are driven by promises of extra rewards.
   2. Motivating factors. To encourage staff to work harder, we need not only to satisfy their hygiene factors, but also to identify their 'motivating factors'. These will differ for each individual: people may be seeking praise, promotion through merit, a partner's office, or even performance-related pay.
      
      
4. Maslow's 'hierarchy of needs'. Maslow took the idea of motivating factors a stage further, suggesting that all behaviour is need-driven. His hierarchy attempted to identify five levels of needs that the average person faces (see figure below). Maslow argued that, once the level of need is satisfied, a worker is motivated by attempting to attain the next level.

Maslow's 'hierarchy of needs'

Self-fulfilment
Ego
Social
Safety / security
Basic

There are two important implications of Maslow's theory:

1. Money is only seen as a secondary motivator - it may help to achieve your primary goals, but is not a goal in itself.
   
2. Employers need to be aware of workers' goals, both inside and outside of the workplace, and to reward them accordingly.
   

Example. Buck Rogers returns to Earth in the 25th century, having been reawakened from his cryogenic chamber. Dr Theo, his new employer, wishes to motivate Buck to work for the Earth Council, and seeks your advice.

Applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs:

Basic needs - Buck will initially be driven by the need for shelter, food and clothing.

Safety/security needs - once he has his basics, Buck's needs will be longer-term - to obtain better quality work from him, he could be offered the chance of a pension or a longer-term contract with guaranteed salary. Medical insurance could be an incentive if he meets his performance targets.

Social needs - once he is convinced that his future with the Council is secure, Buck may turn to his social life. He may be motivated by the promise of extra shore leave or the chance to gain membership of the golf club.

Ego needs - Buck now has friends, but this is no longer enough. He wishes to achieve respect within the Council, and feels demotivated by the lack of status. Appointing him as ambassador to Draconia could help to restore his ego.

Self-fulfilment - Buck finally tires of the endless receptions, and feels he is not worthy of his reputation. The Council could suggest that he take time out for a sabbatical working with the deprived peoples of New Earth.