How To Motivate Workers

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction and Definitions of Motivation

2. Intrinsic Process - Motivated By Fun

3. Instrumental - Motivated By Rewards

4. Self-Concept-External - Motivated By Reputation

5. Self-Concept-Internal - Motivated By Challenge

6. Goal Internalization - Motivated By The Cause Or Purpose

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITIONS OF MOTIVATION

To start with, what is the meaning of motive? A motive is a stimulated need which is so pressing that a person's attention is directed towards the goal of satisfying that particular need. It is a driving force within individuals that impels them to action; it is the desire towards a certain goal. A person need is the primary force behind every motive.

Therefore, we could define motivation as the process of using some factors to move the subordinate into action. However, there may be no definition of motivation which commands universal acceptance hence; it has been define differently by different authors. To further elucidate the definition of motivation, it could still be define as an incentives, inducement, encouragement etc given to a worker to boost his productivity in an organization in order to achieve the organizational goal. Perhaps, we could refer to all these definitions as motivation from a management point of view. But motivation in its strict terms could be said to mean a drive towards an outcome. Economically, motivation could be said to mean efficiency of labour - the ability of a worker to produce a maximum output with a given quantity of input and with a given period of time.

It is quite important to note that people will only be motivated to act when they have a reasonably expectancy and conviction that their performance will lead to desired outcome.

What motivates an individual differs depending on the particular individual situation/needs. Moreover, needs differ significantly among individuals, and individual vary in the ways in which they translate their needs into action. Thus, there is no consistency in the ways people act on their needs or the needs that motivate actions at any given time (Stoner 1978:407-409). Cultural background and economic standard of a society influence people's perception of their needs. In other words, the need that motivates a Nigerian may differ from that which motivates an American because the two persons are culturally different.

The quest to increase production which is gain from workers strength when he is motivated dated back during the days of Frederick Winslow Taylor when he along with others, formulated the scientific management theory. The main preoccupation of the contributors of this theory was what to do in order to increase employee's productivity so that the entrepreneur could realize enough revenue.

For space and time factor, we shall stop here to exploit the various ways to motivate Nigerian workers. Therefore the next chapter and the subsequent chapters explain the different ways people are motivated and suggest strategies leaders can use to get the best performance from their subordinate. In other words, it provides a list of ways to motivate workers by tapping into each of the five sources of motivation: FUN, REWARDS, REPUTATION, CHALLENGE, and PURPOSE.

No longer can leaders hire workers and expect to get motivated individuals. Learning how to motivate is now one of the most relevant and essential skills leaders can possess in today's ever-changing workplace.

Before the 1980s, good leadership was usually synonymous with assertive decision-making. Leaders were celebrated for their courage and risk-taking when shaping corporate strategies. Those times have changed. Today, leaders must go beyond the day-to-day operations and "tough decisions." Leaders in today's society are expected to be social scientists and the great leaders of today and tomorrow are those gifted individuals who have mastered the art of motivation. The ability to understand people and to be able to tap into their respective motives is the skills that make the difference in today's society.

What about making good decisions and tough choices? These are still central to what leaders must do, but today the leader's job doesn't stop there. Once the decisions have been made, today's leaders must be able to motivate their workers to accept and embrace organizational decisions. What separates exceptional leaders from ordinary leaders is the ability to inspire and motivate employees

CHAPTER 2

INTRINSIC PROCESS - MOTIVATED BY FUN

There are some workers that really want to enjoy the work they do. Many who enjoy the activities they participate in at work look forward to the day each morning. The opposite also can be true when workers don't enjoy the tasks they perform at work, but they may like their social activities after work (golf, softball leagues, shows, movies, going out with friends, community events). These are the individuals that get excited at the end of the day - knowing that the fun can now begin. Leaders should take notice of these signs. If your workers are more excited at the end of the day (to leave) than they are at the beginning of the day (to arrive), then there is probably a lack of motivation taking place in the area of intrinsic process - or FUN.

Here are some things leaders can do to make the workplace and the experience of working more enjoyable:

1. Find out which tasks is each of your employee's favorites.

2. Find ways to assign more of the tasks they enjoy and fewer of the ones they don't like to do.

3. If you are a good joke teller, tell lots of them.

4. If you aren't much of a joke teller, buy a joke book and learn one joke a day to tell to your workers (keep them appropriate for your work setting).

5. Many people love to laugh on the job - a happy worker is a good worker - so let there be laughter in the workplace.

6. If you know of a worker