UNIT 2. MOTIVATION

 

STARTING POINT

Task 1▐ Discuss the questions.

Which of these things motivate you in your job / study?

·     colleagues

·     interesting tasks / work

·     gifts for achieving targets

·     promotion

·     training

·     money

·     flexible hours

·     job security

What else would you add to the list?

Have you ever worked for no money? What was your motivation?

 

READING

Task 2▐ Read the article addressing common motivation challenges and answer the questions:

1. Why is motivation considered crucial in the workplace?

2. What are the two major myths of motivation that organizations need to be aware of?

3. How do positive and negative motivations differ from each other?

4. What factors contribute to pleasure as a motivator in the workplace?

5. How can managers differentiate between positive and negative motivation in their employees?

6. Who carries the responsibility for generating workplace motivation according to the text?

7. What role does human behavior play in understanding motivation in the workplace?

 

Motivation Challenges: The Manager’s Role In Workplace Motivation

By Alex Jones, Forbes

 

Among global professionals today, 70% lack motivation and energy and are disengaged in the workplace. The million-dollar question that comes in from executives across organizations around the world now is “How do I engage and motivate my employees?” The answer to that is not as simple as we think. Yet, at the same time, it is not complicated to answer. Every person has a motive for what makes them come to work and why they have to go to work that is driven by personal or professional aspirations. We all need to realize that motivation is the key to the success of any organization. Hence, measuring it is important.

Many factors may affect motivation, and at the foundation of it is studying human behavior in the workplace. We are going to learn the basic principles of motivation in this article.

What are the myths of motivation. There are two major myths of motivation that organizations need to pay attention to:

Myth 1: Motivation is just energy.

Some organizations, leaders and managers have the misconception that motivation is just getting out the energy in people. This is somewhat true, yet it is not the complete picture. It is more about the level of quality that you will get your associates to perform at — potentially at a capacity of beyond a hundred percent. You as a manager and a leader are responsible for the drive that gets people to want to come to work. You carry the same amount of responsibility when the opposite is true and your people are lacking motivation.

Myth 2: Motivation is one-size-fits-all.

Once again, some managers and leaders in organizations think that employees are not motivated. They also think that doing one thing only will motivate the whole team. That’s a myth that has no truth to any extent. The reality is that motivation is not one-size-fits-all.

Most employees are motivated but need the factor of inspiration: the inspiration to come to work and a reason behind spending any amount of effort at the workplace.

What are the major types of motivation?

There are two primary types of motivation: positive and negative motivation.

Type 1: Positive Motivation

Positive motivation is a productive force brought to work by those individuals who enjoy socializing, doing something after work and engaging with people. The major drive of such individuals is socializing and doing anything that excites them at work and outside of it. They like to be set free to do what they like and avoid what they dislike.

Type 2: Negative Motivation

Negative motivation is a counterproductive force brought by negative people who carry the baggage of negativity with them. They bring toxic behavior anywhere they go. They thrive on toxicity in the workplace. They enjoy making hurdles for others, and they make sure they are creating roadblocks toward any progress. Yet these individuals have the potential to grow.

How can managers and leaders differentiate between positive and negative motivation in their employees?

The two are making a balance at work. The balance is driven by increasing productive motivation and decreasing counterproductive motivation.

When constructing teams within departments or across organizations, take extra measures to make sure assembling a healthy team is the main goal.

We are hardwired as individuals to connect with others. Studies have found that our brains operate at a higher capacity when we are surrounded by healthy groups. The opposite is also true: our brains cannot function at full capacity when surrounded by toxic environments and people.

When put in a group, top performers are often dragged down by low performers. That’s because the latter creates a toxic and negative environment. Hence, the low performers tend to impact the top performers' energy, drive and attitude. This impacts overall motivation and engagement in the workplace.

What are the factors of motivation?

There are two main factors of motivation:

Pleasure

Factor one is pleasure. In this factor, there are two components: ambition and accountability. Pleasure brings along with it a window of opportunity: People who are highly self-driven and self-motivated see every task as an opportunity to grow and thrive.

Pain

Factor two is pain, and one component of this factor is avoiding risk. Pain brings along with it the power of noticing what might go wrong upon implementation. People who focus on the avoidance of pain as a motivator are good at minimizing risks in organizations. They are driven by the inner motivation of wanting to protect and preserve what they have at the current moment.

How can managers and leaders differentiate between positive and negative motivation in their employees?

We are hardwired to have a balance of both positive and negative motivation. Yet one is often tipping the scale higher than the other. The important thing to notice is that what works with one factor is not necessarily going to work with another. The pleasure factor has certain types of associated employees and approaches. The same is true for the pain factor.

As mentioned, the application of any method or approach comes from understanding human behavior in the workplace. Managers have a responsibility to oversee this.

Who carries the responsibility for generating workplace motivation?

Organizations have the responsibility of hiring for motivational fit. A can-do job attitude does not necessarily mean the person will (or must) be constantly motivated.

Most decisions to hire individuals are formed in the emotional side of the brain. Many of us tend to decide whether or not to hire someone within three to five minutes. Mostly, it is based on liking the individual.

The core of the issue is investing in our people. Organizations, leaders and managers have the responsibility of developing and training talents. The more they do so, the better results will be toward achieving organizational goals. Training, developing and investing in your team means organizational growth. Make it a main goal in your organization today.

 

VOCABULARY

Task 4▐ Study the concepts and match each concept with its correct definition:

Concept 1.      lack of motivation 2.      self-motivation 3.      drive 4.      positive reinforcement 5.      motivation 6.      don't care attitude 7.      self-actualization 8.      motivators 9.      Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 10.  Self-starter 11.  fair treatment 12.  rewards 13.  job performance 14.  effective discipline 15.  setting clear goals

Definition a. Factors that make an employee feel positive about their job and enhance performance. b. The opposite of motivation, conveying a feeling of listlessness. c. Behavior displayed by a person with poor motivation. d. A classic model of motivation theory, starting from basic needs to higher-level aspirations. e. The innate ability to produce a good performance when required, without external influence. f. Someone with good self-motivation who can work independently. g. The ability to push oneself to achieve success and reach goals. h. A combination of motivation and ability to perform tasks effectively. i. Sanctions against underperforming employees that actually work.  j. Rewarding desired behavior to encourage its repetition. k. Development of relevant and clearly communicated objectives for an employee. l. A corporate ethos where individuals are treated with fairness and sensitivity. m. Things received as a result of doing a job well. n. Often used to describe salary and associated perks to motivate employees. o. A management system alternating threats and promises to manage employees. p. Factors necessary for workplace satisfaction, absence of which is demotivating.

 

Task 5▐ Complete the sentences with your ideas.

1.   When considering workplace motivation factors, it is important to…

2.   One key factor that influences motivation in the workplace is…

3.   An effective strategy for improving workplace motivation could be…

 

GRAMMAR USE ▐ -ing and -ed Adjectives

-ing and -ed adjectives are used to describe feelings and characteristics:

1.        -ing adjectives:

·         Describe the characteristics of a person, thing, or situation that causes a feeling (e.g. The presentation was interesting).

2.        -ed adjectives:

·         Describe how someone feels about something (e.g. She was interested in the new project).

Common -ing and -ed adjectives

·            Boring / Bored

·         The meeting was boring. (characteristic)

·         I felt bored during the meeting. (feeling)

·            Exciting / Excited

·         The merger is exciting news. (characteristic)

·         The team is excited about the merger. (feeling)

·            Tiring / Tired

·         The conference was tiring. (characteristic)

·         They were tired after the conference. (feeling)

·            Confusing / Confused

·         The instructions were confusing. (characteristic)

·         He was confused by the instructions. (feeling)

·            Satisfying / Satisfied

·         The project outcome was satisfying. (characteristic)

·         The client was satisfied with the project outcome. (feeling)

 

Task 6▐ Choose the correct adjective (-ing or -ed) to complete each sentence.

1.        The new policy changes are quite ______ (confusing / confused) for the employees.

2.        She was ______ (exciting / excited) to receive the promotion.

3.        The lengthy meeting left everyone feeling ______ (tiring / tired).

4.        The CEO's speech was ______ (inspiring / inspired).

5.        Many clients are ______ (satisfying / satisfied) with our services.

6.        The marketing campaign was very ______ (interesting / interested).

7.        He felt ______ (frustrating / frustrated) when the deal fell through.

8.        The training program is ______ (motivating / motivated) for the new hires.

9.        The analyst provided a ______ (convincing / convinced) argument for the strategy.

10.   They were ______ (amusing / amused) by the team-building activities.

 

VIDEO   Task 7▐ Watch the video about types of motivation [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R8wuGhc1M3oMDLmj4A_BWShB6KUOwkV2/view?usp=sharing] and fill in the gaps.

1.   Two main types of motivation: _______________(1).

2.   Extrinsic motivation is driven by _______________(2).

3.   Intrinsic motivation comes from _______________(3).

4.   Intrinsic motivation is _______________(4).

5.   Our brains evaluate tasks based on _______________(5).

6.   Some brain areas and chemicals control _______________(6).

7.   Understanding our motivations helps _______________(7).

 

COMMUNICATION PRACTICE

Task 8▐ Express your opinion towards the following statements.

·     What motivates you to perform well at work?

·     Given the choice between a pay rise accompanied by a demotion, and a promotion with no pay rise, which would you choose?

·     Apart from Human Resources, which department or departments can play a key role in employee motivation?

·     Name five things which motivate you and five things which demotivate you.

·     If a person working for you shows a lack of motivation, what steps could you take to resolve the issue?

 

WRITING

Task 9▐ Write a short essay (150-200 words) about what motivates employees at work. Use the questions below to guide your writing.

Introduction:

What is employee motivation? Why is it important?

Main Points:

What are some things that can motivate employees? (For example, rewards, recognition, interesting work)

How can managers help to motivate their employees? (For example, setting clear goals, treating everyone fairly)

Conclusion:

Why is it important for a company to have motivated employees?