Four Levers to Increase Employee Motivation

Employee motivation is an integral part of performance and excellence for a business or company. No magic can replace the efforts your staff put in the company, as they are the centerpiece of the organization. Their attitude and diligence in duty ensure that everything flows daily.

Being self-motivated is an important quality to have in the workplace. It means that you know exactly what needs to be done and will do it without having to be asked twice. You may even go beyond what is asked for you because you enjoy your job so much or because you want to achieve success in your career.

Motivation comes from within. Individuals have the capacity to motivate themselves...or demotivate themselves. Leaders can help them see the way by creating and sustaining the kinds of conditions that help them bring their best selves to work every day.

Nitin Nohria, Boris Groysberg, and Linda-Eling Lee developed a model for increasing motivation which is comprised of 4 primary levers:

Job Design – This includes:

• Design jobs that have distinct and important roles in the organization
• Design jobs that are meaningful and foster a sense of contribution in the organization

The culture – This includes:

• Foster an alliance and friendship among co-workers
• Value collaboration and teamwork
• Encourage sharing of best practices

Performance management and resource allocation – This includes:

• Increase the transparency of all processes
• Emphasize their fairness
• Build trust by being just and transparent for rewards and work assignments

The reward system – This includes:

• Sharp differentiators between good, average, and poor performers
• Tie rewards clearly to performance
• Pay as well as your competitors

So, carefully consider and implement these four motivators in ways that work well for your business and you will have the best possible chance of building a truly motivated workforce that will serve you well for months and years to come.