How can you retain your employees and keep them motivated for high performance?

It is a fact that companies with engaged and motivated employees are 20% more productive and profitable than their competitors.

For companies to increase their performance (and profit), it is crucial to keep their employees motivated while keeping their know-how in the company.

To find out what motivates, we have to understand what the real reasons are underlying the expressed behaviour, then we can make conscientious decision through which “goal –directed behaviour is initiated, energized, directed and maintained” (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010, p. 267)

Can leaders increase performance through motivation?

Leaders must realize that they cannot “force motivation” (Frick D. 2011) and understand that intrinsic factors (persons needs and motives) play a major role in motivation and support it by influencing extrinsic factors (job enrichment, being fair and creating valid expectations)

Peter Drucker defined knowledge workers as “employees that work with information and who develop and use knowledge in the workplace”, as “associates than subordinates” who want to be involved in making judgements and decisions (Drucker, 1973, 1999)

His study showed that the main positive motivating factors clearly were intrinsic and emotion based like relationships, meaning and values, the possibility to advance, learn and empowerment, while Money and compensation had lower priorities. The negative factors that can hinder motivation proved to be mainly external, out of the control of the employee, like bad managers, lack of support, resources, technology and planning.

This certainly has a high correlation with Herzberg’s finding?Source: Herzberg, 1968 (Study, 685 employees)?about Hygiene versus motivating factors. Hygiene factors (work conditions, salary and supervision) are extrinsic and can hinder job satisfaction while otherwise not contributing to increased performance.

The motivator factors are intrinsic from the inner will (achievement, recognition, growth and responsibility) and have a long term effect to create real increased job performance.

An experiment with the goal to create increased performance introduced one group (Achieving group) to motivator factors like responsibility, growth and recognition compared to the Control group which kept a status quo. The achieving group showed, after a short dip, a clear increase of performance while developing a more positive work attitude resulting in lower absenteeism.?Source: Herzberg, 1968

Herzberg also shows that?compensation or the promise of reward?have only a short term effect and are no long-term trigger of motivation.? It has also been called seduction and rape. (Herzberg, 1968)

Long-term motivation through multifaceted approach

The focus on motivation must be on a broad basis rather than single factors.? In 2 major studies (385 and 300 employees) it was proven that performance will increase when several drivers or emotions are satisfied and triggered.

Nohria N. and Groysberg B. (2008) created the 4 Drive model based on newer findings in neuroscience, which identifies 4 drives that underlie motivation and can be levered by leaders: Acquire (Reward system), Bond (Culture), Comprehend (Job design) and Defend (Performance and resource management).

The result from the study show that activating one drive has very little effect, while if all 4 are satisfied an amazing 38 percentile increase in motivation can be achieved. Source: Nohria N. & Groysberg B. (2008). It points out that for employees to stay motivated, they “expect their direct managers to do their best to address all four (drivers) within the constraints that the institution imposes”.

The above findings show that “leaders can mould an environment that allows workers to motivate themselves”, but to avoid placing too much emphasis on the typical “attempts to extrinsically motivate workers (which) are often counterproductive” (Frick D. 2011, p. 383). That doesn’t mean that pay-increase and rewards are not needed, they must be adequate and fair.

?The effort should be on removing any barriers to performance, like de-motivators that create dissatisfaction. “It would be better to use the time and resources to eliminate all the negative aspects that could hinder performance, like bad management, lack of resources” etc. (Sprenger, 2007)

Leaders must adopt Mc Gregors “Theory Y” assertion and really believe that “employees will seek out and accept responsibility, exercise self-control and self-direction, and will work well given the right conditions” (Frick D. 2011, p. 383), giving them accordingly the freedom and framework to thrive in.

Leaders should create an?open, fair and embracing culture?while?setting clear, specific and challenging goals?that enhance growth and get rewarded, taking into account individuality.

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Concluding with Collin’s advice:

“You cannot manufacture passion or ‘motivate’ people to feel passionate. You can only discover what ignites your passion and the passion of those around you” Collins (2001).