Motivating Others

                            Topic: Motivating Others


Today we review some
leadership and motivational
theories including Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs and
Adair’s Action Centred
Leadership. Motivation is an
important part of an
executive’s job and understanding what motivates
people is the first step.
From this article, we shall considers some
leadership theories and models, leadership philosophies
and leadership styles. It also covers motivation,
discussing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Adair’s
Action Centred Leadership.
As a manager and leader one important aspect of your
work is to motivate your team. Some people are
motivated to work because they love their job and feel
they are doing something useful, others do it simply
because they need the money it brings them.
In some cases motivating staff is easier than others.
For example if you have interesting work to offer and
can develop your team, then it is not too difficult to
provide motivation and keep employees engaged. On
the other hand if you are managing a team that is
responsible for repetitive tasks such as cleaning or
running a production line, where work is boring, then
this is much more of a challenge.
Here some ideas to motivate people include;-
Make tasks as interesting as possible, maybe
include several elements of the task
Rotate tasks so staff are not doing the same thing
all day every day
Set goals
Offer rewards
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs model was developed in
1940-50s, but is still valid for understanding human
motivation and personal development, and is used for
management training, Maslow says that employers are
responsible for providing a workplace environment that
enables employees to fulfil their potential.
He says that people have levels of need which have to
be satisfied in order, starting from the bottom with
Biological basic needs and moving up towards Self-
actualisation.
The model illustrates that we are motivated by meeting
these needs, and need to satisfy each level of need
one at a time, beginning with the need for survival
itself. Once the basic needs of physical and emotional
well-being are met, we turn our attention to higher
order needs of influence and personal development.
Conversely, and importantly, if the basic needs are not
met, we are not motivated by the higher order needs.
In Maslow’s hierarchy the needs include;-
1. Biological and Physiological needs – such as food
and drink, shelter and warmth
2. Safety needs – such as protection from the
elements, security, law and order
3. Social, Belongingness and Love needs – such as
work and family groups, affection and relationships.
4. Esteem needs – such as self-esteem and
achievement, status and prestige such as managerial
responsibility
5. Self-Actualization needs – such as realising
personal potential, seeking personal growth
Some examples of how this works are;-
An employee will not be motivated by a better office
(level 4) when their basic salary is not enough to
pay the family bills (level 1)
A team member is unlikely to achieve a
performance target (level 4) when they’re
experiencing personal problems (level 3).
An employee will not be an effective team member
(level 3) when they have lost their home because
they didn’t meet mortgage payments (level 2).
Maslow’s theory is a useful model to help us
understand, explain and manage human behaviour. It
proposes that that once a need is met, a person moves
to the next level, and this is often the case, although
analysing people and motivation is a complex task.
Everyone is different and has different motivations
So while it provides a simple illustration of how people
move up or down the Hierarchy depending on their
situation, most people’s motivation at a point in time
will include components of all of the motivational
drivers.
Some examples of how this works are;-
Some who is a self-actualizer (level 5) is still
motivated to eat (level 1) and develop relationships
(level 3).
Someone who is homeless will mainly concentrate
on finding food (level 1) and shelter (level 2) but
may also be motivated by social interactions (level
3) and their friends perception of them (level 4).
Maslow’s theories illustrate the challenge employer’s
face to provide meaning and purpose to their
employee’s lives. He shows that the most junior
employees have basic human needs as well as the right
to aim for self-actualisation, in just the same way as
do the company directors and owners.
Today, Companies who value their employees and aim
to attract the very best and keep them, tend to
encourage personal growth towards self-actualisation
They demonstrate commitment to helping their
employees identify, pursue and reach their potential,
enabling them to become more effective and valuable
employees. They know that personal growth produces
new skills and attributes that can drive the company
success.