Back to Basics – Motivating Technical Teams

Covid-19 seems to be over. Many companies are calling people back to offices. Pandemic or not, motivating technical people to work smarter, not harder, continues to be a challenge for project managers. ?Applying some academic perspective here on organizational behavior, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory developed by Frederick Herzberg suggests that job satisfaction arises from two different sets of factors. Hygiene factors, such as salary, job security and working conditions can prevent dissatisfaction. Motivational factors are necessary for job satisfaction. Project managers have limited impact in the hygiene factors for team members in most companies. The article is focused on the motivational factors.

Here are a few strategies that you can use as a project manager to help encourage this mindset:

·??????Set clear expectations: It's important to communicate clearly with your team about the goals of the project and the expectations for quality and efficiency. Make sure everyone understands what is expected of them and what success looks like.

·??????Empower your team: Give your team members the resources and autonomy they need to make decisions and solve problems on their own. This can help them feel more invested in the project and motivated to find creative solutions.

·??????Encourage collaboration: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable collaborating and sharing ideas with one another. This can help to generate new ideas and approaches to problems, and can also help to build a sense of camaraderie among team members.

·??????Provide opportunities for professional growth: Technical people are often motivated by opportunities to learn new skills and technologies. Look for opportunities to provide training and development opportunities for your team members.

·??????Provide opportunities for professional growth, in the project: Additionally, even if the project forces the team to use an existing technology base, look for opportunities to do a technical refresh of a certain area using new technologies. There are such opportunities in areas of data file processing and user interfaces to inject a new capability such as a chat-bot.

·??????Invest in tools: Technical tools continue to improve. While we ask technical people to work smart, we also need to update our tools to support that. Perhaps it is time to update that old development environment, perhaps it is time to buy a module to better manage the requirements, and support Kanban boards visually instead of using Excel sheets. ?

·??????Celebrate successes: When the team achieves a milestone or completes a difficult task, take the time to recognize and celebrate their hard work. This can help to build morale and motivate team members to continue working hard.

·??????Provide feedback and recognition: Regularly provide feedback and recognition to team members who are working efficiently and effectively. This can help to reinforce positive behaviors and motivate team members to continue working smarter.

·??????Be sensitive to Covid-19 Habits: Covid-19 has a big impact on the working habits of many. Being in the office five days a week is no longer tolerated by some while others miss that discispline. You need to understand the team makeup and create expectations that make sense for your team.

Overall, motivating technical people to work smarter, not harder, requires a combination of clear communication, empowerment, collaboration, professional growth, celebration of successes, and feedback and recognition. By using these strategies, you can help to create a motivated and productive team that is focused on achieving the project's goals in the most efficient and effective way possible.