Motivation is our desire and energy to do something. Whatever we want to get through, be it a simple household chore or a big personal project, we need our motivation. So, what does this desire or energy depend on? What creates it and what takes it away?
The role of a leader is to activate human potential. And activating people also means skillfully addressing the motivation levels. First part that a leader must ensure is that the existing motivation of members of an organisation is not inhibited or suppressed. It may sound simple, but this result is not so obvious. Second part, which can also be seen as a kind of superstructure, is to realise and enrich that motivation. Let us look at some insights into motivation.
Fields of theories
First point I want to make comes from delineating among three fields of motivational theories. Motivation comes from three parts or sources: 1) from a nature of the task or challenge at hand (this one falls within the area of content theories), 2) from an environment in which we are set (area of contextual theories), and 3) from within (area of processional theories).
Content theories are about what motivates us. There are some universal motivators which are in general rule characteristic for everyone; e. g. if we feel injustice, a lot of energy turns up inside us to correct that injustice. Then there are specific motivators that for example say that some people are motivated by (possibility of) aquiring status or power.
Contextual theories are about factors of our environment. What leaders do and what other people around us do, can have an important affect on our motivation levels.
Processional theories are about a skill of self-motivation. A person can give up on accomplishing a task because of an inappropriate internal narration. This includes managing expectations, focusing energy onto proper elements, having a right interpretation of what happened, etc.
Some examples or insights into motivation
Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of needs
Abraham Maslow’s Pyramid of needs suggests that we have basic or lower-level needs and higher-level needs. That we invest our energy in satisfying lower needs first, and by satisfying them we move to a next level. According to this interpretation, if we as a leader take care of the basic needs (a well-organised physical work environment, job security and acceptance of an individual in the group), employees will strive to elevate at work (need for respect, esteem) and, later, to immerse themselves in the work to the point of giving it a certain personal touch (need for self-actualisation or self-fulfilment, expression through work).
Hygienists and motivators
This content area explains that work factors can be divided into two types. The first are the so-called hygienists. These are those factors (characteristics of the job) that influence dissatisfaction. When the physical working environment is not well organised, when there are poor relationships or when work is hindered by external factors (e.g. it is difficult to carry out the work because of technical problems with the equipment), dissatisfaction increases.
Others are so-called motivators. These have an impact on satisfaction. Rewards and bonuses, not only in the form of financial rewards, but also in the form of praise and other things that enhance the individual’s reputation, additional learning opportunities (e.g. working with a mentor), decision-making opportunities, the opportunity to contribute to the image of the organisation, etc. are therefore factors that increase satisfaction. It is the manager’s task to reduce the presence of hygienists and increase the presence of motivators.
Fairness
Adams’ theory of justice. According to this interpretation, human behaviour is a matter of personal calculations of justice. An individual compares the expected inputs to the expected outputs of an activity, and also compares this to others. He undertakes an activity when he or she believes that an increased input will lead to increased benefit. Conversely, if he/she does not believe in a fair reward, he/she does not undertake the activity and will reduce the current input if he/she perceives an unfairness in the value of the reward or benefit received for that input.
Five characteristics of the workplace
According to the authors in the field of motivation, there are 5 general (or, we can say, universally present) characteristics of workplaces that define how motivated people are. These characteristics are: skill variety, task identity, task meaning, autonomy and feedback. How an individual perceives his or her work is important for motivation. This takes place in the person through three thought processes: awareness of the importance or meaning of the work, perception of personal responsibility and awareness of the results of one’s own work.
Self-motivation
This part can be best presented with a use of words like skill or ability. Skill of self-motivation is a skill related to internal narration, i. e. internal thoughts about what we do. Contents like how we interpret various events and assess our progress, how we plan the process of doing the task at hand and what goals we set to ourselves, what thoughts we have about our own capability for accomplishing a given task, etc.; these all are highly impactful for our perceived level of motivation.
Internal balance
Another case that affects our motivation as our ability to achieve goals is our skill to balance our life and manage our energy. Are you aware of the processes that your body is going through? Are you aware when your mind is consuming energy to tackle some internal struggles? Are you aware of the cases in life when you have to excessively adapt to person around you? You know that self-awareness (i. e. knowing what is going on is a certain situation) and self-regulation (i. e. turning yourself towards a different and unnatural pattern of behavior) are two of the most energy consuming activities that we do?
Conclusion
Those are some of the main views on the content of motivation. It is a body of knowledge and awareness, that can help us both in personal matters (i. e. personal awareness and tackling challenges in life) and professional role (one of the most crucial topics to understand for a professional leader). To bring to work characteristics like innovation and creativity, there is no way to it but to address and to enable fulfillment of higher-level needs. So, understanding the concept of motivation (in depth) should not escape a today’s leader’s attention.
Paradim 