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Motivation:
A Whistlestop Tour of Research Findings

How Do You Motivate People to Change, Do or Perform?

In the 21st Century Motivation trumps Management.

Many managers want to know how to get people to do what they're supposed to do, to change their way of working,
to develop their performance - lift their game - especially when they can't offer a bonus, a pay rise or
other financial incentive to motivate them.

The belief that money is the only motivator is as widespread as it is flawed

Here's an Executive Summary of the findings of research on motivation. You might also find our related articles helpful: Normal Expectations, Tale of Two Managers, Challenging & Changing Team Norms, Behaviour & The Traffic Light Concepts, Why People Don't Do What They're Supposed To Do The GAP Movie, Perils of Punishment, Bullying Report, and Bullying Quiz

 

1. Behaviour is repeated when it is reinforced – ie when behaviour delivers 'feedback' from the environment (reactions, responses, experiences, results or consequences) that the behave-er finds rewarding/satisfying - for example: it gets dark, you flick a light switch, light comes on! Your behaviour (flicking the switch) is reinforced because your need for light is satisfied.

On the other hand, motivation dies... it's extinguished... when

• There is NO reinforcing feedback (I flick the switch and nothing happens, my need for light is not satisfied)
  
  
• There is a LONG DELAY between the behaviour and the reinforcing feedback (I flick the switch but the light doesn't come on until after I've left the room... I get tired of waiting for my need to be satisfied)
  
  
• Unwanted feedback outweighs the reinforcing feedback ( I flick the switch and get a very unpleasant shock as well as a dim light... the cost of satisfying my need is outweighted by the cost or pain I suffer), or
  
  
• When the reinforcing feedback cannot be counted on ( I flick the switch and sometimes it comes on, but so infrequently and after such a delay that I have little faith in it happening when I need it - even worse, sometimes I get a nasty shock and no light!)

Financial rewards are just ONE possible way to reinforce wanted behaviour – when financial rewards are offered to buy specific behaviours that must be repeated over and over again, or to motivate changes that must be sustained over time, they are subject to the 'law of diminishing return' . This means that the first few times you 'buy' my motivation, I'm keen; the third or fourth time, I'm less keen... the seventh or eighth, I'm saying 'It's not worth it' and I ask for MORE.

So you’d better have deep pockets if you’re going to use this method!

Worse still, by offering me a reward or incentive EVERY time you want me to do or change something, you're training me to EXPECT an incentive or rewards - in other words, you've set up a ‘transactional mentality’.

No point then in getting frustrated if every time you ask me to do or change anything, I ask,
‘How much will you pay? What do I get for that? What's in it for me?'

2. People are motivated when behaviour is rewarding and/or rewarded (ie it is reinforced) - the most motivating tasks, work or changes are both rewarding AND well rewarded.

While managers may not be able to change how well rewarded something is they too often overlook the fact that they can and do make it more or less rewarding!

Behaviour is rewarding when

• it is more satisfying than it is frustrating, draining, boring or painful
• it satisfies our needs, interests, values and/or preferences,
• it brings us closer to our goals and/or enables us to access the means to do so.

The less rewarding behaviour is, the more rewards/compensation you have to provide to get the behaviour.

So work hard to make things as rewarding as possible and to identify, minimise and eliminate all those things that make them wonder, 'Why bother?'

In other words, find out what bores, frustrates, drains, pains people and do everything you can to eliminate or at least minimise or balance these things, and make sure that your efforts and results are real and visible to them.

3. Rewarding behaviour with adequate financial and non-financial incentives delivers satisfaction NOT motivation; providing more than adequate rewards can produce a sense of entitlement, as people adjust their self-evaluation upwards to justify
(in their own minds) the extra rewards – it rarely results in increased motivation!!

So first make sure that you identify and eliminate, minimise or compensate for the causes of dissatisfaction…
then make sure you make it rewarding to do the things you want them to do - to make it worth their while

4. People are motivated when they

• know & understand specifically what’s expected/required;
• expect that, if they put in the effort, they WILL succeed;
• expect that succeeding will be rewarding and/or rewarded in ways and in a timeframe they value
  

So work hard to

• communicate specifically what’s expected/required,
• resource the expectations you set by providing resources, practical and social support and to
• track, build & sustain their self-efficacy re each expectation
• make it worth their while NOW or SOON to deliver on expectations, and to
• ensure that you don't inadvertently reward people for failing or refusing to change, follow instruction or perform - unwanted behaviour/performance is as UNrewarding and UNrewarded as possible (without threatening or resorting to punishment because the law of diminishing return and transactional mentality apply equally when you try to coerce motivation as when you try to buy it - see our article on The Perils of Punishment. If you want the full version of the Perils article- please email us)

4. People’s motivation shifts when they believe they are putting in, or are expected to put in, more than they get in return, or when they believe that someone else is getting, or has been offered, a better deal.

While getting a fair deal doesn’t motivate people, it DOES ensure that they will focus their efforts on the task rather than on ‘making things fair’.

So first make sure things are fair…then make sure they’re worth their while!

If you want to read more, the research models behind these points are (Herzberg’s hygeines and motivators, Bandura’s triadic reciprocal determinism, Skinner’s behaviourism, Deci’s intrinsic & extrinsic motivation, Vroom & Lawler’s expectancy-valence theory, Adam’s equity theory, and Porter & Lawler's Human Performance model - the MARS model outlined in the article on Why Don't People Do What They're Supposed to Do

And of course if you want some help with training your supervisors and managers to lead and motivate rather than trying to coerce and control...please contact us!

You are person number to read our articles
Remember to exercise judgment and discretion in choosing whether, when and how
to use any of these concepts and suggestions to inform your consideration of issues.

Nothing in this article constitutes advice for specific matters or issues you may be considering -
so please ensure that you source appropriate, professional advice on specific matters you confront.

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