recognize the motivational needs of yourself and …...maslow’s hierarchy of needs (in ascending...

1 The Travel Institute

Recognize the Motivational Needs of Yourself and Others

by

The Travel Institute


Overview One of the most significant challenges facing travel industry businesses today is keeping employees focused on achieving organizational goals. Productivity, or the need to maximize results by working smarter, is key to being able to compete successfully in a changing marketplace. But how do you keep your employees focused on organizational goals?

Most industrial psychologists and management experts will tell you that the answer lies in knowing how to motivate your employees. Highly motivated workers are not only happier but also significantly more productive. So the question becomes…how do you motivate your employees?

This paper will focus on

Recognizing the motivational needs of yourself and others

Applying the motivational principles to improve job performance

What Is Motivation?

The noun “motive” comes from the Latin word movere, meaning “to move.” In the dictionary, “motive” is defined as “an emotion, desire, or physiological need acting as an incitement to action.” In other words, motives are what cause a person to do something. For example, the need to appease your hunger may be the motive for you to go to the kitchen and grab a snack. The verb “motivate” means “to stimulate to action; to provide with an incentive or inducement.” Motivation, then, means providing an impetus that causes an individual to respond with a certain behavior.

This is a simple concept, but often a lofty goal. Why? Because often we as supervisors do not know or have not paid enough attention to what motivates our employees. Let’s look a little deeper into what motivates employees, especially what motivates them to work.

We’ll start by looking at our perceptions of what’s happening in the world around us. How do we become aware of, or even achieve an understanding of, the environment in which we live and work? Many of our perceptions come through observation; others through experience; and still others by using all or some of our five senses.

You do not always perceive things the way the person next to you does or, more importantly, the way your employees do. To motivate your employees, you need to be able to view the world the way they do, appreciate their values, and sense their needs. In short, you need to understand all the stimuli that cause your employees to perform at work.

Understanding Motivation and Need Satisfaction Abraham Maslow, author of Motivation and Personality, provides some insight into understanding what motivates individuals to act in certain ways. In Maslow’s view, human


behavior revolves around satisfying five types of needs, which he has arranged in a

hierarchy, or progression. Each level is of importance only if the more fundamental needs in the levels below it have been met. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (in ascending order) include

• Physiological needs, for food, water, sleep, and so on.

• Safety needs, such as the need for a secure income or a danger-free environment.

• Belongingness needs, for affection and love.

• Esteem needs, including needs for self-respect and the respect of others.

• Self-actualization needs, or the desire to become all that one is capable of.

These needs are not equal. Certain needs motivate people only if other, more fundamental needs have been largely satisfied. The most fundamental needs are physiological ones. If those are met for the most part, a person might be motivated by security needs. Next are the belongingness needs, then esteem needs, and finally self-actualization. If Maslow’s theory is correct, people will not be motivated by a desire for social status if they are constantly worried about keeping a roof over their heads.

Is this true? Research suggests that for the most part it is, but not always. Even when more basic needs are not met, people are sometimes moved by Maslow’s “higher” needs. Still,

Maslow’s hierarchy provides a useful framework for thinking about what motivates people.

Frederick Herzberg takes another view. According to Herzberg, job satisfaction, and therefore motivation, are driven by what he calls motivator factors. Motivator factors are intrinsic to the job itself, such as achievement, recognition for achievement, the work itself, responsibility, and growth or advancement. Factors extrinsic to the job are what Herzberg calls hygiene factors, such as company policy and administration, supervision, interpersonal relationships, working conditions, salary, status, and security. In his view, hygiene factors do not motivate employees. Believers in this theory would argue that to motivate employees, managers must seek out opportunities for growth and development, and provide employees with training, coaching and mentoring, and job enrichment.

Reasons for Nonperformance In the world of work, we are often more interested in understanding why people don’t work or, more accurately, why they don’t perform up to our expectations. Ferdinand Fournies, author of Why Employees Don’t Do What They Are Supposed to Do, surveyed 20,000 managers and asked them that very same question. Eleven of the most frequently given responses are listed here.


1. They don’t know why they should do it.

2. They don’t know how to do it.

3. They don’t know what they are supposed to do.

4. They think your way will not work or their way is better.

5. They think something else is more important.

6. There is no positive consequence for doing it. (For example, working longer hours to get the job done in a pinch goes unnoticed or unrecognized by the boss.)

7. They think they are doing it.

8. They are rewarded for not doing it. (For example, your spouse habitually leaves dirty dishes in the sink, and you habitually do them even though it is not your responsibility. Your spouse has learned that by not doing the dishes, you will assume responsibility for this chore.)

9. They are punished for doing it. (For example, your boss adds to your workload or gives you additional responsibilities because you are better or faster than your colleagues.)

10. Obstacles beyond their control prevent them from doing it.

11. Personal problems prevent them from doing it.

A careful look at the list reveals that many of the reasons given for nonperformance seem to be the result of a communication problem, a lack of direction or feedback. Conversely, many of the preventive solutions to the problem are within the manager’s or supervisor’s control. Communication, then, is an important component of motivating employees.

Why Do Workers Work? If we could understand what motivates our employees to come to work and to be productive while at work, we would be able to create an environment that could eliminate absenteeism,

costly turnover, and the costs of hiring and training new employees. This could prove to be a decided advantage over our competitors.

In years past, many employees were thought to have a deep concern for a secure job and steady income. In a post-Depression environment, this seemed a reasonable and understandable motivation for employees to work. But there have been many changes in the ensuing decades that challenge this rationale. The United States as a society enjoys a


considerably higher standard of living than our ancestors did, and the population on the

whole is more educated. No longer are we burdened with the need merely to provide food and shelter for ourselves and our families. We have progressed from our firm entrenchment at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy to a more sophisticated and perhaps more complicated level of needs that we seek to satisfy through work.

But what are those needs and how are they changing? Try the following exercise.

What Motivates My Employees? Look at the following 10 motivators and rank them in order of importance to your employees in the column labeled “My Rating.” Place a “1” after the item you think motivates employees most, a “2” next to the next most important motivating factor, and so on.

Remember: It’s not what motivates you, but what you think motivates your employees.

My Rating

Sympathetic understanding of personal problems ___________

Interesting work ___________

Good wages ___________

Job security ___________

Management loyalty to workers ___________

Tactful disciplining ___________

Full appreciation for work done ___________

Feeling “in on things” ___________

Good working conditions ___________

Promotion and growth in the company ___________

Social and environmental circumstances will impact how employees rank the importance of each item. The point is that what you think motivates your employees does not always accurately reflect what really motivates them. To know what motivates your employees,


you need to ask them. You may even want to give them the survey and compare your

answers with theirs.

Unfortunately, not all jobs are interesting, nor can they be made so. But even more relevant is the fact that what one employee finds interesting may not be of any interest to another employee. Every employee is different and will want different things from work and employers. Because managers are human, they will assume that what motivates them personally will also motivate their employees. But that is not necessarily true, and more importantly, it is a dangerous assumption to make.

In a similar vein, not everyone wants to be rewarded or recognized in exactly the same manner. Some individuals are characteristically shy and would be mortified at public

recognition. Others flower in the limelight and will seek it out. Some of us would be content with a personal note or gesture of appreciation; others would think that a “cop-out.” To

some a monetary bonus would speak loud and clear; to others time off or a more flexible schedule would be more motivating. No matter what the reward, it must be geared to the individual. Most organizations have established reward systems, which are defined by the organization’s culture and its values. Rewards might consist of any or all of the following: fringe benefits, promotion, status symbols, bonus or incentive plans, and the like.

Motivation and Productivity Erwin S. Stanton, author of Reality-Centered People Management, regards low employee work productivity as the “most worrisome problem facing American business today.” In the

travel business, productivity is one of the key issues for success. In an age of changing commission structures, the profitable travel agency is the one that can steadily increase the productivity of all agents. We are in an age where doing more with less is the norm, not the exception.

Our employees must work harder and smarter, often with less, in order for our businesses to prosper. A motivated employee—one who is happy at work, who feels the satisfaction of a job well done, and who thrives on the challenges that work presents—is productive. An employee who feels appreciated and rewarded and whose needs and goals are met through work is productive. Motivated employees will be absent less frequently and less likely to change jobs. Their job satisfaction is key to the health of our agency, our industry, and indeed our economy.

Our job as managers is to understand what motivates our employees, and to understand that what motivates our employees is different for each of them. And our job as managers is to provide that motivation—to find the stimulus that causes them to perform.


Are You a Good Motivator? It is one thing to understand motivational theories, and quite another to understand what motivates your employees. You should ask yourself, “Am I a motivator for my employees?” Try this self-assessment as a way to measure your ability as a motivator.

Indicate your agreement with each of the following statements using the following rating scale.

4 = always 3 = sometimes 2 = occasionally 1 = never

___ 1. I greet each employee pleasantly.

___ 2. I distribute work evenly.

___ 3. I listen to employees’ problems attentively.

___ 4. I solicit opinions and ideas from employees.

___ 5. I praise employees for work well done.

___ 6. I encourage skill and training development.

___ 7. I am successful at resolving employee conflicts.

___ 8. I keep everyone informed.

___ 9. I involve all employees in decision making and policy making.

___ 10. I am sensitive to my staff’s moods and personalities.

___ 11. I encourage my staff to accept new challenges.

___ 12. I take time to visit employees in their offices and work stations.

___ 13. I offer constructive criticism in private.

___ 14. I respond promptly to requests from my staff.

___ 15. I see myself as the captain of a spirited team.

Total points: ______


If your score was between . . . Then . . .

15–30 It is likely that your staff feels uncomfortable and unmotivated.

31–50 You are on your way to building a strong, spirited team.

51–60 You are already a strong team motivator.

Adapted from Motivation at Work, Jane R. Miskell and Vincent Miskell. Burr Ridge, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, Inc.

Tools for Understanding Behavior and Motivations Being a good motivator requires that you understand your employees’ needs, but even

more important, you should have a good understanding of your own needs and motivators.

A number of good tools exist to help you analyze behavior or look more deeply into the psychology of personality types.

Perhaps the most well-known psychological survey is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This survey analyzes behavior on four continuums—extroverted (E) versus introverted (I); sensing (S) versus intuitive (N); thinking (T) versus feeling (F); and judging (J) versus perceiving (P). The survey questions measure preferred behavior along the different continuums. The way individuals respond to the questions indicates their preferred behavior.

The survey is based on the theory that everyone has a dominant behavior pattern that

influences personality on each of the four scales. Of course, no one personality type is better than another, and ideally every work group should include all types and combinations. However, once managers understand their staff’s differing personalities, it is often easier for them to understand the unique character of each staff member and create an environment that utilizes these innate skills most effectively. A good manager will make employees aware of their differing types and work with them to understand and complement each other better on the job, thus creating harmony in the workplace. A harmonious workplace is one characteristic of a productive work environment.

Extroverts are energized by talking, socializing, and working with people. Introverts are energized by working quietly alone, reading, meditating or working in small

groups. Sensors are concerned with facts, experience, details, and reality. Intuitives are concerned with possibilities, visions and the future. Thinkers tend to see things impersonally and objectively. Feelers tend to judge situations according to what’s good for people and what promotes harmony.


Judgers prefer closure, deadlines, and conclusions.

Perceivers prefer flexibility, open options and artificial deadlines.

Relationship Awareness Theory Elias Porter and Sara Maloney have developed the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI), another useful tool for understanding your own motivators and those of your employees. The underlying theory of the SDI is the Relationship Awareness Theory, which asserts that “we act toward others as we do because we are seeking certain gratifications in our relationships with others: behavior patterns are simply tools that people use to reach valued goals.”

By observing behavior, the theory states, we can tell what gratifications we or others are

seeking. Hence the key to understanding our employees lies in looking beyond how they

act to what it is they are seeking. If we can understand what we want from others, and what others want from us, it is possible to change our behavior to achieve what we want more effectively. In the same vein, we can change how we relate to others and achieve a win-win relationship, in which we each get what we want.

According to the Relationship Awareness Theory, there are four basic patterns of motivations (or gratifications) and three blends. The four basic patterns are labeled and assigned to a color group for simplicity: Altruistic-Nurturing (Blue); Assertive-Directing (Red); Analytic-Autonomizing (Green); and Flexible-Cohering (Rainbow). The blends are Assertive-Nurturing (Red/Blue); Cautious-Supporting (Blue/Green); and Judicious-Competing (Red/Green). Once

again, each color symbolizes a preferred type of behavior. Here is a simplified explanation.

Blue (Altruistic-Nurturing) Motivated by helping, protecting the group, also, belonging to the group. Red (Assertive-Directing) Motivated by accomplishing tasks and getting results. Green (Analytic-Autonomizing) Motivated by self-reliance and self-dependence; logically sorts things out. Rainbow (Flexible-Cohering)

Motivated by being a part of a team working toward a common goal with clear lines of authority; very flexible and generous with their help. Red/Blue (Assertive-Nurturing) Motivated by promoting others by taking a leadership role. Blue/Green (Cautious-Supporting)


Responds to the needs of others in a controlled and orderly manner, yet remains

self-reliant. Red/Green (Judicious-Competing) Motivated by their need to win.

No one pattern or blend is better than another. Each pattern has its own set of personal strengths and weaknesses. In fact, the authors assert that a weakness is often “simply the overdoing of a strength.” To see what they mean, try the following exercise.

Identifying My Characteristic Strengths Review the list of personal strengths and rate them using the following scale. When you have

completed your rankings, choose the three strengths that most pertain to you and describe how they are strengths.

3 = Very much like me 1 = Somewhat like me

2 = Quite a bit like me 0 = Not at all like me

trusting ____ optimistic ____ loyal ____ idealistic ____ helpful ____ modest ____ devoted ____ caring ____ supportive ____ accepting ____ self-confident enterprising ____ ambitious ____ organizer ____ persuasive ____ forceful ____ quick to act ____ imaginative ____ competitive ____ risk-taker ____

cautious ____ practical ____ economical ____ reserved ____ methodical ____ analytic ____ principled ____ orderly ____ fair ____ persevering ____ flexible ____ open to change ____ socializer ____ experimenter ____ curious ____ adaptable ____ tolerant ____ open to compromise ____ looks for options ____ socially sensitive

The three strengths that most pertain to me How it is a strength

1. __________________________________ __________________________________


2. __________________________________ __________________________________

3. __________________________________ __________________________________

Now here is that same list of qualities, but this time they are grouped in pairs. Note that the terms in regular typeface are positive, and those in italic are negative. You may view yourself as having the positive traits listed. However, others may view those traits negatively. It is important to understand how others perceive you and your patterns of behavior and how what you consider to be your personal strengths may be affecting your behavior toward others. You can avoid personal weaknesses by recognizing that, in your staff’s view, your weaknesses may be overdone strengths.

trusting, gullible

optimistic, impractical

loyal, slavish

idealistic, wishful

supportive, submissive

accepting, passive

self-confident, arrogant

enterprising, opportunistic

ambitious, ruthless

organizer, controller

persuasive, pressuring

forceful, dictatorial

quick to act, rash

imaginative, dreamer

competitive, combative

risk-taker, gambler

cautious, suspicious

practical, unimaginative

economical, stingy

reserved, cold

methodical, rigid


Performance Analysis Model A third useful tool for understanding your employees is the Performance Analysis Model, designed by George Odiorne. The Performance Analysis Model uses a grid to categorize employees by measuring two criteria—performance and potential. Employees are assigned to a particular quadrant of the grid according to how they perform and what potential they show for further development. Let’s take a look at each of the four categories.

Performance

Workhorse Star

Deadwood Trainee/Problem Child

Workhorses do the required job. They have high performance, but low potential.

Stars are the outstanding performers on the team. They show initiative, and the quality of their work is consistently superior.

Deadwood employees are nonperformers. They demonstrate little or no potential.

Trainees/Problem Children show great potential, but they don’t perform up to expectations.

Theory Versus Practice Do these theories serve any useful, pragmatic purpose? Are they scientific tools that will provide insight into the deep-seated needs of your employees, or are they just smoke and mirrors? Although theories are no more than a system of organized assumptions or accepted principles, they can help you analyze, predict, or explain behavior, given a specified set of circumstances.

Applied in the spirit in which they are intended, theories can provide a framework for understanding. However, they are neither magic pills nor surefire antidotes for the ills that you face as a manager. If you are managing a staff of unmotivated individuals, you will need

to do more than just survey or catalogue your employees. You must observe their behavior, analyze it, respond appropriately, design a set of motivational techniques for each individual, and apply them.

Be aware of your environment, and that of your employees. Observe behavior—your own and that of the others around you. Employ some techniques for getting a better understanding of what your employees need or want. You may want to try some of the


suggestions and surveys mentioned here, or find out if your human resources department

uses or recommends other instruments not mentioned here.

As a manager, you have a responsibility to your employees and to your company to be an effective motivator. Motivated employees are productive employees, and having productive employees is a worthy goal for all concerned.

Top 10 Ways to Motivate Employees

1. Personally thank employees for doing a good job. Do it quickly, frequently, and sincerely.

2. Be willing to take time out to meet with and listen to employees—as much as they need or want.

3. Provide employees with specific and frequent feedback about their performance. Support them in improving.

4. Recognize, reward, and promote high performers; deal with low performers so that they improve or leave.

5. Provide information on how the company makes and loses money, on upcoming products and services, and on strategies for competing. Explain the employee’s role.

6. Involve employees in decisions, especially those decisions that affect them. Involvement equals commitment.

7. Give employees a chance to grow and to learn new skills; encourage them to be their best. Show employees how you can help them meet their goals while achieving the organization’s goals. Create a partnership with each employee.

8. Provide employees with a sense of ownership in their work and their work environment.

9. Strive to create a work environment that is open, trusting, and fun. Encourage new ideas, suggestions, and initiatives. Learn from—rather than punish for—mistakes.

10. Celebrate successes: of the company, the department, and the individuals in it. Take time for team- and morale-building meetings and activities. Be creative and fresh.

Source: Bob Nelson, vice president of Blanchard Training and Development in San Diego


Summary Motivating employees to perform the right activities at the right time with the right attitude is the responsibility of the manager. Employees work for many reasons: to provide for themselves and their families, to fulfill their needs, to achieve a sense of self, to be recognized and rewarded, and to grow personally and professionally.

Motivation is a complex and thorny issue that confounds many supervisors who have not taken the time to find out what their own employees need or want from work. It is not necessary to master motivational theory to understand what causes some workers to perform consistently above expectations and others to consistently underperform. All it takes is a basic understanding that people are motivated by many things, and that not everyone is motivated by the same thing. Observing your employees and communicating

with them will help you understand their needs and will help them understand what the company needs.

First you need to understand your own motivator factors. A number of psychological tools and self-assessments can help you identify these needs and your skills as a motivator of others. No one set of behaviors or behavior styles is better than another. The point behind understanding personality styles is to help you interact more effectively with people of differing personality types.

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