Tips for “Motivating” Individuals
Appeared in Dr. Ruth’s monthly column, “Workforce & Leadership Development,” in the Independent Funeral Directors of Florida’s weekly e-newsletter, Independent Weekly, Vol 7 Iss 11, on March 15, 2024. www.ifdf.org
Motivation significantly influences an individual's productivity. Motivation is "the psychological forces that determine the direction of people's behavior, their level of effort, and level of persistence." One of the important responsibilities of managers, supervisors, or team leaders is to maintain motivation among their employees, peers, or team members, so they can fulfill organizational tasks.
Leaders cannot directly influence individuals' motivation, as it is inherently a personal, internal state that propels them toward their goals and aspirations. Motivation is either intrinsic or extrinsic and is governed by the individuals' needs and objectives. Intrinsic motivation is when individuals have a passion for their work, finding joy in the tasks themselves and considering monetary compensation as a bonus. Conversely, extrinsic motivation drives individuals to act based on external rewards, such as financial gain or social recognition, or to avoid negative outcomes.
Tips for "Motivating" Individuals
Leadership can:
understand that individuals are motivated by different needs—physiological, security, affiliation, self-esteem, or self-actualization—and seek different rewards (Are they intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?);
direct the individuals' motivation towards the tasks that further the organizations' aims;
collaborate with individuals to nurture their expectations that their motives will be satisfied by the organizational work they perform, and that the organization will deliver the rewards that fulfill their needs; and
cultivate a workplace where motivation thrives by establishing explicit performance criteria, aligning individual needs with job responsibilities and with rewards, and by consistently awarding good performance fairly.
These tips can help increase individuals' productivity at work as well as increase the organization's profitability and improve its customer service.
Author's Bio:
Dr. Ruth earned her Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale. She is the founder of Bedell Consulting, LLC. She is also the Associate Director for Outreach of the IFDF.