What Does the Term “Motivation” Mean?
For people, there are two main drivers: the need for 1) achievement and 2) belonging. Everyone wants to feel valuable or useful (the achievement driver). People are motivated by the impact they can make or the results they can achieve, whether at work or in play. The specific circumstances that satisfy these drivers vary from person to person, but the drivers themselves are always present.
Some individuals seek recognition from people they respect, while others are satisfied with a smile or a word of approval for their efforts. There are also those who can appreciate and benefit from goals they achieve on their own. However, the sense of satisfaction that both groups experience is always there.
Of course, the most common factor we use to satisfy the need for “motivation” is money (bonuses, rewards, lack of penalties, promotions, etc.). Unfortunately, in our “transitional market,” most managers believe this is the most important thing and should fulfill employees’ motivational needs. Employers often say or imply: “If you want motivation, you have to earn it.” The idea is: “Make the company more money and you’ll get a raise or a bonus for your efforts.” In the short term, this is often minimally effective, but in the long term—and for more productive employees—this approach quickly becomes counterproductive.
The Need for Belonging
The need for belonging is also a powerful driving force in our lives. Everyone wants to be part of something bigger and better than themselves. In this pursuit, we often turn to religion, sports clubs or teams, hobbies, college or school friends, and of course, our families and relatives. Companies that understand and leverage this important driver know that work is the group in our lives that takes up more time than all other groups combined. If work provides a sense of value and belonging, our lives become more complete and fulfilling.
Successful companies in competitive markets understand that employees who regularly achieve success and feel like they belong to something meaningful (the company) make better decisions, perform better, and achieve better results than employees in companies where these “motivational” needs are not met.
The Consequences of Ignoring Motivation
If a company does not provide employees with behaviors that satisfy their accompanying drivers and needs, employees often choose paths that are destructive to the company and often to themselves. They strive to feel valuable and to belong. If a company fails to create positive motivational behaviors in daily activities, old habits from previous markets start to dominate. To feel valuable, employees may sabotage, steal, join “complainer” groups, or stop caring about their responsibilities and do as little as possible. Most of these alternatives are common in the Ukrainian market and are symptoms of companies that have not yet learned to meet the basic motivational needs of their employees.
On top of the lack of positive motivation, many of our managers today use familiar behaviors from the past market, which actually increase harm and lead to employee demotivation. These demotivational habits run deep and are extremely destructive. Hostile interactions, personal insults, penalty systems, public criticism, difficult tasks without proper authority and resources, and failure to keep agreements and promises are just some of the demotivational behaviors often found in our companies.
Building a Motivated and Productive Company
If we want to create productive companies that can compete in today’s open market, we must understand the principles of highly competitive businesses and make sure we use motivational behaviors that take into account the human need for achievement and belonging. These are the fundamental ideas that make the best companies the best. They understand that happy, successful, engaged, and valued employees with a sense of self-worth make the company more money. Of course, that’s not all. The best companies have many important skills and disciplines that contribute to their success, but positive motivational behaviors are the foundation on which everything else is built.