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Team
Motivation
Motivation.
We hear the term often. Generally we associate the word with human
behavior, meaning, a state of mind that moves us to action. And
even though few of us have had formal training in it, it’s
one of those characteristics of life that seems to fit the old adage,
“I know it when I see it.”
For most of my years working in the field of workplace collaboration,
this word has held a place of stature and importance, because it
has been, perhaps, the most significant outcome of worker involvement.
As the collaboration trend, and more specifically, the use of employee
teams continues to grow, one question that is taking on greater
importance is how to keep the team motivated over the long haul.
What are the
ingredients or characteristics of teams that seem to sustain high
levels of motivation?
I posed this
question to a group of people recently and found that it tapped
into some deeply held beliefs about what makes us do what we do.
So for those of you working with teams, here are some thoughts that
might help:
What Makes
Us Do Anything?
Probably the first question to be answered in a discussion of motivation
is “What makes us do anything?” Why am I writing this
article? Why are you reading it? Why did you get out of bed today
and go to work? Why did you join that volunteer organization last
month? Why did you drop out of the other one?
Each day brings
with it an endless list of decisions to be made. The process of
making those decisions is driven, in large part, by the hope of
a benefit or the fear of a consequence.
For example,
I truly enjoy coffee and donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts. I pay
them money for the benefit of enjoying the taste and filling a void
in my stomach. However, I limit my intake of these donuts for fear
of the consequences of too much sugar and fat in my diet.
Literally,
every decision we make is filtered through this process. The industrial
psychologists have taken this further by defining these consequences
as needs. Our needs for sustenance, safety, security, belonging,
recognition, and a sense of growth and achievement become strong
drivers (motivators) of behavior.
The subject
of motivation is, at once, simple and complex. Simple, in that it
explains much of what we see happening in human behavior, yet complex
when it poses contradictions.
For example,
the need to nourish ourselves is strong, and hunger will drive us
to extreme actions, particularly in the case of extreme hunger.
However, how does one explain a hunger strike? How can you explain
the actions of someone who has died because they chose not to eat?
The psychologists will say that a higher level need took over....perhaps
the need to make a point about an issue that, to the person, was
larger than life itself.
So as we attempt
to understand motivation, we need to appreciate the subtleties that
exist in human behavior, and focus our attention on general principles
of motivation that have wider application. At least if we can understand
some of these principles, we might be better prepared to lead or
facilitate a long-term, highly motivating team experience.
Why Be Part
Of A Team?
You’ve been asked to participate on a team to accomplish some
task. Immediately your decision-making process begins.
What is the
purpose of the team?
Is it a topic that interests me?
Who will be on the team with me?
What kind of authority will we have?
Is it important to management?
What is the reward for participating?
What is the risk (perceived as punishment) for not participating?
How long will it run?
Will I be better off as a result of my participation?
These are some of the questions we ask ourselves when faced with
an invitation to participate in some kind of team. Are they typical
questions?...of course. Do they relate to our motivation to participate?...
certainly.
Sometimes,
however, we are not given the opportunity to refuse participation
on a team: for example, a work group or an organization that has
restructured itself into self-directed work teams. In these cases,
by default, we are part of the group or team.
Nevertheless,
in either case, motivation can rise or fall depending on a myriad
of factors. Let’s look at some of them.
Factors
That Influence Team Motivation
I. Purpose
I have asked people for years to describe the characteristics of
their most successful and rewarding team experiences. At the top
of almost everyone’s list is a clear purpose, focus, or mission.
But further, for long-term motivation, it must be a purpose or mission
that they find aligns with their personal wants and needs.
One can be
asked to participate on a temporary task force. If the mission is
clear, he might be able to sustain motivation for the duration if
he feels it is important. However, if it is a topic that is not
in line with his wants and needs, his motivation to continue may
diminish.
Many years
ago on a construction project, I had assembled a group of electricians
to streamline the process of making cable terminations. Since they
were all electricians, I thought there would be great interest in
working on a process that was frustrating people the way it was
designed.
About a month
into the group’s work, they were having great difficulty maintaining
momentum and focus. When I asked them why, they said that some of
the electricians were conduit specialists and some were cable tray
specialists, and that those not working directly with the cable
terminations simply couldn’t get interested in the subject.
What a lesson for me! Motivation in this case was lacking because
the team’s purpose was not in line with some of the members’
wants and needs.
So one strategy
with a lethargic team might be to stop the process, re-visit the
team’s purpose or mission, and see if there’s alignment
on it. Even with a team that seems well-motivated, it still is a
good strategy to recheck once in a while.
II. Challenge
Another term that I hear frequently when I ask about team motivation
is challenge. The human species, as with most animals, has been
given a survival mechanism called fight or flight syndrome. When
presented with a challenge, our defenses are alerted to move us
to action....to run away from danger or address it directly.
Many people
will say that their most rewarding team experiences resulted from
some sort of challenge. I’ve heard the stories often of mediocre
groups that responded to a challenge with heroic success. The challenge
itself was the motivator.
In the workplace,
these challenges occur infrequently. Teams are not presented with
stimulating challenges every day. So the question becomes how to
provide challenges to the team at more frequent intervals.
An additional
criteria for a challenge is the level of difficulty. If a challenge
is too difficult, perhaps perceived as impossible, then team members
may give up before they start. However, the same result may occur
if the members perceive the challenge as too easy. Little energy
is required to accomplish something so easily obtained.
So for ongoing
teams, periodic stimulation in the form of a worthy challenge is
another method of maintaining motivation.
In 1983, I
was managing a work group for a large construction organization.
It was a long-term project (10 years), and senior management had
discussed conducting an open house for the workforce. Management,
however, had always nixed the idea--fearing the difficulty of coordinating
an event that would encompass seven thousand workers and their families.
My work group
heard about the idea, however, and asked to take on this assignment.
There was enormous interest in conducting this event within the
workforce, so with much support, my group planned and successfully
coordinated an open house that ultimately attracted over 10,000
people.
The challenge
for my group was enormous....but achievable. The challenge created
high levels of motivation while planning the event; and the sense
of accomplishment after the event sustained motivation even longer.
I don’t
suggest by this example, that every work group take on such a formidable
task, but simply think about the implications of taking on a new
challenge periodically.
III. Camaraderie
Seldom, if ever, in our MBA programs (which purport to be leadership
development programs) have we seen courses of study in team development
and motivation. That is changing now and will continue to change
in the future.
If one studies
highly effective groups, one finds that the most successful groups
over the long haul tend to address both the technical needs and
human needs. These groups are at the same time competent in the
work they perform and highly functional in their interpersonal relationships.
The group is well balanced in both technical and human skills.
Another factor
that emerges from my queries about successful teams is camaraderie,
meaning comradeship, fellowship, and loyalty. The people on these
teams genuinely like each other and work hard to develop and maintain
their relationships.
Although they
are probably not aware that research supports this behavior, they
just seem to understand that it’s a lot easier to support your
team member when you have a good relationship. The fallout from
this kind of relationship building is open and direct communication,
frequent praising of each others’ contributions, and mutual
support.
So, you
will say, that is all well and good for teams whose members like
each other, but what if they don’t like each other?
Much of the
time we like or dislike someone, it relates more to how well we
understand them. And since our formal training has not addressed
this, most of us enter adulthood ill-equipped to deal with the myriad
of personalities, temperaments, cultures, values, beliefs, ideologies,
religions, and idiosyncratic behaviors of those we meet.
One way to
break down these barriers is to expand one’s understanding
of his own species. Training is available to address most of the
topics above, and exercises can be beneficial if they move us to
another level of understanding.
But don’t
overlook the simple solutions. Designing an off-site activity for
the team, sometimes just to play together, is a powerful way of
building camaraderie. For more thoughts on this, see our article
"Celebrations and Events to Build the Team".
IV. Responsibility
In general, people and teams are stimulated by being given responsibility.
Having ownership of an identifiable block of work is a long-held
tenet of motivation in groups.
Responsibility
can be tricky, however. Implied in this concept is the understanding
that the responsibility comes along with authority to make the necessary
changes. Teams that have both the responsibility and authority tend
to maintain motivation over longer periods of time.
Responsibility
can be demotivating if the consequences of error or failure are
too great. If the organization, for example, has a history of punishing
mistakes, then the giving of responsibility is viewed more as a
negative. The short-term performance may be good (remember fear
is a motivator), but long-term motivation will suffer. It is difficult
to sustain high performance when energy is being sapped by fear.
V. Growth
Finally, personal and team growth can provide another basis for
sustained motivation. When people feel they are moving forward,
learning new concepts, adding to their skill base, and stretching
their minds, motivation tends to remain high. Personal growth adds
value to the individual, enhancing self-esteem and self-worth.
Accordingly,
team members and team leaders should look for opportunities that
help add knowledge and skills. A good technique is to simply ask
members what they would like to get from their association with
the team, then listen for areas of possible growth.
VI. Leadership
A good leader can be a catalyst for motivation in the short term,
but the best leaders create the conditions for the team to motivate
itself.
We have all
seen examples of how leaders inspired teams to accomplish some phenomenal
task. History books and Hollywood are full of these stories, and
we come to honor these leaders.
But the charismatic
leader that can be so effective in the short term, cannot necessarily
sustain motivation indefinitely. Motivation is inherently intrinsic,
residing within oneself. Therefore, if one depends continually on
another for their source of motivation, eventually it ends.
Great leaders
have a knack for helping others see the best in themselves, providing
the stimulus for self-actualizing behaviors.
But great leaders
also understand the importance of team purpose, challenge, camaraderie,
responsibility, and growth, and focus much of their time on creating
the conditions for these to exist.
Great leaders
understand that their team members have needs, and that for motivation
to grow and continue, the activities of the team must help in some
way to meet these needs.
Summary
A team whose members are aligned with its purpose, feel a challenge
in their task, have a strong sense of camaraderie, feel responsibility
for the outcome, and experience growth as a team and in their personal
lives, will tend to sustain motivation over the long haul.
This is not
to say that they will not have difficulties at times, or that members’
wants and needs won’t change over time. In these cases, sometimes
changes will have to be made. A member who no longer feels the team
is meeting his or her needs may have to leave the team to continue
on their own path.
But, in as
much as it is possible to sustain motivation indefinitely, the factors
above will tend to create the best possible environment for it.
by
Peter Grazier, Team Building
Inc
(originally appeared in EI Network January, 1998)
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