A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This statement can be considered in many ways but in regards to business it has a special meaning. Look at any organization and it is broken down into divisions within divisions and then, most times, comprised of teams. Imagine that you are on one of these teams and you have a co-worker who is not pulling their weight. You have a few options, you can pick up the slack yourself and do more work while receiving the same amount of credit for the job done, you can rat the co-worker out but that only makes you seem immature in front of your boss, lastly you can motivate this co-worker and make them a productive member of the team. There are many tips out there of how you can motivate this co-worker and they vary from the ingenious to the plain dumb. However, the best way to motivate a lazy co-worker is to make them feel valued as a part of the team. I read an article all about tips that will help to motivate this person into doing their best for the team and the number one tip was to make them feel like a valued member. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it logically, the more valued that you feel in an organization the more motivated that you become to do well not only for yourself but for the organization as a whole. This simple tip can help your team from being the weak link to being the driving force in your division. The stronger that your team is the stronger that you become. Motivating a lazy co-worker can help you advance in your organization and reach new heights.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Self Motivation
Self motivation is an important part of being a professional in a business environment. Sometimes a manager won't have time to cater to you specifically and give you the motivation that you need on a one to one level. In these times its important to know how to self motivate. The best way to do this is by applying self motivation techniques to other aspects of your life. One way that is popular is to set reasonable deadlines for projects that you are working on and achieve those deadlines. Not only will this boost your self motivation skills but it will also boost your self confidence, which is always a good thing. Along with setting realistic deadlines another tip is to set realistic goals and achieve them in a timely fashion. By setting goals you are creating a list of tasks that you want to accomplish and by completing them in a timely fashion you give your self the confidence to complete more. Having self confidence is critical in self motivation. The more confidence that you have in yourself to get a job done the easier it will be to motivate yourself to do it. Self motivation is what sets apart powerful leaders from the mediocre managers. When you reach the top of the chain there is nobody above you that will be trying to motivate you and the motivation has to come from within.
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing- thats why we recommend it daily." This quote by Zig Ziglar sums up self motivation pretty well in order to be good at self motivating you have to do it daily. Self motivation is not a one time deal where you can do it and be set for life. You have to be able to motivate yourself every day if you want to succeed in business. Beyond that it is important that while you are self motivating you also look for others perhaps people that you don't even know to motivate you and this will give you the best results and allow you to reach your maximum potential.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing- thats why we recommend it daily." This quote by Zig Ziglar sums up self motivation pretty well in order to be good at self motivating you have to do it daily. Self motivation is not a one time deal where you can do it and be set for life. You have to be able to motivate yourself every day if you want to succeed in business. Beyond that it is important that while you are self motivating you also look for others perhaps people that you don't even know to motivate you and this will give you the best results and allow you to reach your maximum potential.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Managers Not Ready
I read this article about how many managers felt that when they got their management position they were not ready for it. It was surprising to me that over a quarter of the managers that they surveyed felt they were not prepared for their management positions. While the number one problem that the managers said they struggled with was dealing with issues between co-workers motivating their team members was the second biggest reason. This really makes me appreciate what we learn about motivation in school. This article also talks about other people that they interviewed such as the employees under these managers. In these surveys it was clear that the employees also felt that the managers were not ready for the tasks at hand. Another shocking statistic in this article was that over half of these mangers never even received management training. This seems to be very poor decision making. While the company might save a few bucks not having to pay for management training programs they will lose money in the long run when they have ineffective managers. Not only will managers be ineffective in this system but that also means that whole divisions that these managers control will not be motivated to do a good job and that will result in poor performance and in the long run a worse bottom line for the company. It is clear from this article that there needs to be a change in corporate america today. Managers need more training and they need it specifically in the motivation area. Without motivated employees the companies can't hope to keep up with the competition.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Tough Times become Tougher for Employees
Other ways to get Employee's attention
With the economic crisis hurting a lot of companies and also the employees that work for them it is hard to find the money employees are looking for to motivate them. So companies are trying to find ways to motivate employees without the money that they are looking for. Some ways in which companies are doing that is by giving employees stock options that they can cash out and then buy other stocks. Other companies will give their employees gift cards that are as much as $50 for something that they enjoy. For example, if someone is really into music they might get the i Tunes gift card. This customizes the rewards that employees can earn and they also are not that much money and a cheaper alternative for employers. Although, it says that sometimes extrinsic awards can hurt an employees motivation because they are only focusing on the extrinsic rewards and not the work itself. I don't think I agree with that because employees have to do the work correctly and make sure its correct before getting the reward. Employers don't just simply hand out rewards to employees if the work gets finished. Otherwise, employees would finish it as quick as possible and not care how it looked or if it was correct.
We discussed in class the different way to motivate employees and how there are other things to motivate employees besides just money. For example, the video in class we watched talked about how communication can effect an employee and how well they do the work. It showed that positive communication can go a long way and actually improve how an employee works. Compared to if an employee is talked to negatively that would make them not want to work as much. This is just another way employees could get motivated when employers don't have the resources to motivate their employees in other ways.
What do you think? Does simply talking to an employee more positively effect the way an employee works?
-Brian Cullum team 7
With the economic crisis hurting a lot of companies and also the employees that work for them it is hard to find the money employees are looking for to motivate them. So companies are trying to find ways to motivate employees without the money that they are looking for. Some ways in which companies are doing that is by giving employees stock options that they can cash out and then buy other stocks. Other companies will give their employees gift cards that are as much as $50 for something that they enjoy. For example, if someone is really into music they might get the i Tunes gift card. This customizes the rewards that employees can earn and they also are not that much money and a cheaper alternative for employers. Although, it says that sometimes extrinsic awards can hurt an employees motivation because they are only focusing on the extrinsic rewards and not the work itself. I don't think I agree with that because employees have to do the work correctly and make sure its correct before getting the reward. Employers don't just simply hand out rewards to employees if the work gets finished. Otherwise, employees would finish it as quick as possible and not care how it looked or if it was correct.
We discussed in class the different way to motivate employees and how there are other things to motivate employees besides just money. For example, the video in class we watched talked about how communication can effect an employee and how well they do the work. It showed that positive communication can go a long way and actually improve how an employee works. Compared to if an employee is talked to negatively that would make them not want to work as much. This is just another way employees could get motivated when employers don't have the resources to motivate their employees in other ways.
What do you think? Does simply talking to an employee more positively effect the way an employee works?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Given More Freedom
More freedom for Employees
Employees at most jobs are given tasks and objectives that they have to complete by a certain time. This can put a lot of stress on an employee because it is a repetitive job that can cause a lot of stress and demotivate an employee to work. The article breaks down the groups of people into two types: person X and person Y. Person X is the one who will try to avoid work at all costs and is also the one who has to be punished, warned, and threatened at all costs to keep them working. Person Y is the one who works hard all day and doesn't mind putting in a hard day's work. They also are very committed to the objectives they have to complete and want to finish them in a timely matter. It turns out that people are more likely to want to come to work and commit to their job if they are given more freedom in their job. The article states that people will be more positive towards their work if they had some self direction instead of a standard format of tasks that they would have to complete.
In chapter 7 we discussed the different types of acting: surface, deep, and genuine. I think these connect well to what the article is talking about because if people are not wanting to go to work then they are simply going to act in a way that isn't how they really feel or surface acting. Which could cause an employee to feel a level of burnout and begin to display negative emotions resulting from the continued dissatisfaction from their job. I agree that employees do need a little freedom in the way they do their job because it gives them a challenge and motivates them to want to do the job that much more efficiently. We also talked theory X and theory Y in chapter 12, which discussed how X people are the ones who are lazy and don't want to put energy into their work. Whereas Y people aren't lazy and enjoy the work that they do. The biggest question to answer to how to get people to go from X to Y. I think by giving employees more freedom in how they do their work can get them to change over from X to Y.
What do you think cause to people to act like X or Y people? Has this ever happened to you? If yes how did you overcome it?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Employees at most jobs are given tasks and objectives that they have to complete by a certain time. This can put a lot of stress on an employee because it is a repetitive job that can cause a lot of stress and demotivate an employee to work. The article breaks down the groups of people into two types: person X and person Y. Person X is the one who will try to avoid work at all costs and is also the one who has to be punished, warned, and threatened at all costs to keep them working. Person Y is the one who works hard all day and doesn't mind putting in a hard day's work. They also are very committed to the objectives they have to complete and want to finish them in a timely matter. It turns out that people are more likely to want to come to work and commit to their job if they are given more freedom in their job. The article states that people will be more positive towards their work if they had some self direction instead of a standard format of tasks that they would have to complete.
In chapter 7 we discussed the different types of acting: surface, deep, and genuine. I think these connect well to what the article is talking about because if people are not wanting to go to work then they are simply going to act in a way that isn't how they really feel or surface acting. Which could cause an employee to feel a level of burnout and begin to display negative emotions resulting from the continued dissatisfaction from their job. I agree that employees do need a little freedom in the way they do their job because it gives them a challenge and motivates them to want to do the job that much more efficiently. We also talked theory X and theory Y in chapter 12, which discussed how X people are the ones who are lazy and don't want to put energy into their work. Whereas Y people aren't lazy and enjoy the work that they do. The biggest question to answer to how to get people to go from X to Y. I think by giving employees more freedom in how they do their work can get them to change over from X to Y.
What do you think cause to people to act like X or Y people? Has this ever happened to you? If yes how did you overcome it?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Motivation is Different to All
Specializing in Motivation
I recently came across this story of motivation in the workplace and how different people have different ways of being motivated. I at first thought that employees simply would work better for any incentive based or other motivational programs that are put into place. Although, it says that incentives are the number one motivational technique. The article also talks about how to customize each incentive program to various employees. Not everyone is going to work the same amount for the same amount of motivation. Some people may work harder while other may work the same amount as before. It made me better understand that employers need to customize their programs so that they can get the most out of each employee.
In chapter 5, we discussed the SMART goals and how they show how to develop an attainable goal. This is the same way in which employers in this company should base their motivation techniques off of. By giving employees something specific that is attainable and something they genuinely care about could help them become that much more motivated. Also it was talked about how employees should want to come to work and not have the mindset that they don't want to go to work. In class we talked about how giving people more empowerment at work or by rotating their job and giving them more to do would give them some motivation to want to keep coming to work. I think that is an important aspect of the job because sometimes people will lose interest in going to work and sometimes it you have to come up with way to keep people wanting to come to work.
What do you think? Do you think motivational techniques should be specialized for all people or is their only one way that should work for all employees?
-Brian Cullum team 7
I recently came across this story of motivation in the workplace and how different people have different ways of being motivated. I at first thought that employees simply would work better for any incentive based or other motivational programs that are put into place. Although, it says that incentives are the number one motivational technique. The article also talks about how to customize each incentive program to various employees. Not everyone is going to work the same amount for the same amount of motivation. Some people may work harder while other may work the same amount as before. It made me better understand that employers need to customize their programs so that they can get the most out of each employee.
In chapter 5, we discussed the SMART goals and how they show how to develop an attainable goal. This is the same way in which employers in this company should base their motivation techniques off of. By giving employees something specific that is attainable and something they genuinely care about could help them become that much more motivated. Also it was talked about how employees should want to come to work and not have the mindset that they don't want to go to work. In class we talked about how giving people more empowerment at work or by rotating their job and giving them more to do would give them some motivation to want to keep coming to work. I think that is an important aspect of the job because sometimes people will lose interest in going to work and sometimes it you have to come up with way to keep people wanting to come to work.
What do you think? Do you think motivational techniques should be specialized for all people or is their only one way that should work for all employees?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Commitment = Motivation
What Drive You - Commitment or Motivation?
Although this article does not have much motivation for how managers can motivate their employees is does give tips on how you can motivate yourself. In most situations it is very easy to motivate yourself and then start a certain task but it seems as if starting a task, becoming commited, and then gaining motivation might be a better tactic to staying motivated for the long run. By started a task and from the beginning thinking about the end result, you will be motivated to continue no matter what. Success brings motivation but when success and results are not there yet, envisioning them will bring the same result...motivation.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
Although this article does not have much motivation for how managers can motivate their employees is does give tips on how you can motivate yourself. In most situations it is very easy to motivate yourself and then start a certain task but it seems as if starting a task, becoming commited, and then gaining motivation might be a better tactic to staying motivated for the long run. By started a task and from the beginning thinking about the end result, you will be motivated to continue no matter what. Success brings motivation but when success and results are not there yet, envisioning them will bring the same result...motivation.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
The Master Motivator
How to Inspire Workers in Tough Times
Usually the first tactic managers go to when trying to motivate their employees is bonuses, promotions, or extra responsibilities but these are not necessarily the best ways to motivate employees right now. "Master motivators" find that it is much more important to connect with employees on an emotional level along with emotionally connecting them to their work. If an employee is connected and understanding of the full purpose of their work, they will be much more inspired to do better.
Managers and leaders need to spend more time connecting with their employees by means of the informal elements of their organization. They should get a better understanding of what is important to employees outside of work, what the employees truly value, and what makes them tick. If a manager can get a good grasp on the emotional needs of employees, there is a better chance that they will be able to connect and in turn motivate.
Although it is still important for managers to focus on the formal elements of the organization during tough times for the sake of their cost structure and stakeholders, that is just not enough anymore. When managers take the time to combine insight into their employees lives combined with the organization itself, they will ultimately get the best results and improve overall company morale.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
Usually the first tactic managers go to when trying to motivate their employees is bonuses, promotions, or extra responsibilities but these are not necessarily the best ways to motivate employees right now. "Master motivators" find that it is much more important to connect with employees on an emotional level along with emotionally connecting them to their work. If an employee is connected and understanding of the full purpose of their work, they will be much more inspired to do better.
Managers and leaders need to spend more time connecting with their employees by means of the informal elements of their organization. They should get a better understanding of what is important to employees outside of work, what the employees truly value, and what makes them tick. If a manager can get a good grasp on the emotional needs of employees, there is a better chance that they will be able to connect and in turn motivate.
Although it is still important for managers to focus on the formal elements of the organization during tough times for the sake of their cost structure and stakeholders, that is just not enough anymore. When managers take the time to combine insight into their employees lives combined with the organization itself, they will ultimately get the best results and improve overall company morale.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
Value-Based Motivation
Value-Based Motivation
In the article, Value-Based Motivation, it states that employees value different rewards as motivation factors and how it will affect employees performance with their current jobs. I for one can agree with this because different rewards would motivate me differently depending on what the reward is, such as a bonus versus a free dinner at a particular restaurant. Rewards have to be highly valued by employees in order for them to be successful motivating factors. In recessions, the article states that job security and financial rewards seem to be high motivating factors due to people working for less income and the job market being rough. I would work harder especially just to keep my job in order for me to "survive" because chances are it would take awhile for me to find another job unless I was one of the best employees where other companies would almost definitely want to hire me right away. I like the fact how the article states that stock incentive plans are a good idea for motivation in recessions because stocks are generally lower and employee can buy them at a discounted market value price. This in turn can make employees more committed to their organization and work harder in order for the stock price to increase in the long run which gives the employee more money than what they bought it for. Job security can be a high motivating factor for employees if there is a correct policy in place based on their performance. Employees will not want to lose their jobs so this in turn makes them want to be the best employee so they do not get laid off by the organization. These two factors are value-based motivation because it depends on the particular employee and how they envision the rewards. Some employees will not care about job security if they know that they can get a job at another organization right away so this will not motivate them to work harder. Rewards still seem to be a high motivating factor for most employees because of the recognition of performing well by their company. Overall, employee values truly depend on what is a reward and what is not depending on what they actually have to do and the actual "value" of the reward to the employee that is offered.
Have you ever been offered rewards or incentives at a job? If so, did you view that particular reward as "valuable" to perform better? If not, do feel that different rewards motivate different individuals based the particular "value" of the reward?
-David Harbeck
In the article, Value-Based Motivation, it states that employees value different rewards as motivation factors and how it will affect employees performance with their current jobs. I for one can agree with this because different rewards would motivate me differently depending on what the reward is, such as a bonus versus a free dinner at a particular restaurant. Rewards have to be highly valued by employees in order for them to be successful motivating factors. In recessions, the article states that job security and financial rewards seem to be high motivating factors due to people working for less income and the job market being rough. I would work harder especially just to keep my job in order for me to "survive" because chances are it would take awhile for me to find another job unless I was one of the best employees where other companies would almost definitely want to hire me right away. I like the fact how the article states that stock incentive plans are a good idea for motivation in recessions because stocks are generally lower and employee can buy them at a discounted market value price. This in turn can make employees more committed to their organization and work harder in order for the stock price to increase in the long run which gives the employee more money than what they bought it for. Job security can be a high motivating factor for employees if there is a correct policy in place based on their performance. Employees will not want to lose their jobs so this in turn makes them want to be the best employee so they do not get laid off by the organization. These two factors are value-based motivation because it depends on the particular employee and how they envision the rewards. Some employees will not care about job security if they know that they can get a job at another organization right away so this will not motivate them to work harder. Rewards still seem to be a high motivating factor for most employees because of the recognition of performing well by their company. Overall, employee values truly depend on what is a reward and what is not depending on what they actually have to do and the actual "value" of the reward to the employee that is offered.
Have you ever been offered rewards or incentives at a job? If so, did you view that particular reward as "valuable" to perform better? If not, do feel that different rewards motivate different individuals based the particular "value" of the reward?
-David Harbeck
Motivating Your Managers
Motivating Your Managers
In the article Motivating Your Managers, it is greatly stressed that keeping managers motivated from senior leadership is crucial to an organizations success, especially in tough economic times. One of the key factors is that managers, and employees as well, want to be heard and listened to with proper two-way communication. This is crucial because as stated, they set the "tone" for the entire work group that they are in. Managers want to know how they are performing (feedback) and if they need to make any changes to perform better; furthermore, they also want to be listened to my senior level management about the recommendations they have to perform better as they see fit such as a change in a work procedure to create a more healthy and productive work environment. I feel that all of these facts are ideal in order for a manager to perform best because I myself have seen ways to change work procedures from past jobs that seem to be more efficient and it could be a struggle sometimes to implement these changes when my managers did not want to listen to me about what I had to say. Furthermore, in order to keep employees engaged in their work, "open communication, teamwork, and employee appreciation" play an important role in doing this. I feel that this is important because it is important for employees and managers to communicate new ideas new ideas to each other in a circular flow. This provides great trust between each other which means they should work better in a team environment. Overall, I feel that keeping managers motivated will keep their employees motivated because managers definitely will set the "tone" for the working environment.
Do you feel more motivated when managers are actively engaged in their work so that it makes you feel that you have perform your best like them?
-David Harbeck
Monday, April 18, 2011
Leaders
A huge motivator for workers is their leaders. Employees look at leaders for motivation. The leaders are the ones giving directions so if the employees believe in the leader and agree with them, they will be motivated to work hard. Where I work the manager is more of a people-oriented leader. This is good because the employees realize that our manager cares for hi employees. We are motivated by this and want to please him. At the same time sometimes it is better to be task oriented so the employees have clear instructions that increase their performance. An article that i recently read said that the trouble leaders have with motivating employees is that they believe the same thing that motivates themselves will motivate everyone else. This can be a problem because every person is different and what motivates employee A can be different than what motivates employee B. So a big part of leading is figuring out what specific things motivate each employee and change your style of leading accordingly. At my job the manager has an advantage for motivation because he can schedule good employees on busier nights. He uses this tactic to his advantage and creates almost an in-house competition to get everyone motivated to work hard. He is also a supportive leader because he listens to employees scheduling conflicts and tries to give them days off when they need them. This motivates employees to work hard so he is always considerate to their feelings. Its almost as if they are motivated to keep him happy. Leaders style has a lot of impact on how much an employee is motivated to work and they need to use that to their advantage.
What kind of leader motivates you at your job?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
What kind of leader motivates you at your job?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Googles Unique Work Environment
Everybody has heard of Google, and most likely use on a daily basis. I know I use it probably about 10 -15 times a day. One of the reasons Google is so successful is because they have great employees and leaders. Google was rated the number 1 place to work in 2007. The work environment that Google has created keeps employees motivated and excited to work. Google allows employees to eat gourmet food at work, for free. Google provides 4 months of paternal leave with 75% full pay and also offers $500 dollars for take out meals for families with newborns. On site at the Googleplex in Mountainview, California employees have access to gyms, shower facilities, video games, child care, and doctors. Employees are encouraged to be innovative and to take risks.
All of these things allow for Google to be a place where people want to come to work. Employees are motivated to continue to work hard because they realize that most places do not give perks like these. The employees do not want to lose their jobs. These perks would excite me to work at Google.
What kind of perks do you guys look for when searching for jobs?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
All of these things allow for Google to be a place where people want to come to work. Employees are motivated to continue to work hard because they realize that most places do not give perks like these. The employees do not want to lose their jobs. These perks would excite me to work at Google.
What kind of perks do you guys look for when searching for jobs?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Sunday, April 17, 2011
If You Feed Them, They Will Work
I am sure we have heard of all the incentives to get employees motivated. Money, promotions, time off, all the other basic ones that supposedly get people to work harder. Well this article had something a little bit different, it claimed that a stocked kitchen was the way to go. According to the article, 73 percent of employees said a well-stocked kitchen would make them happier at work and 57 percent indicated that kitchen amenities could lead to a more productive work force. 73 percent is a big number. I guess I could understand that good food would make a person happier. With that said, I never considered it to be a motivator. I mean don’t get me wrong I love food, but who doesn’t. All I am saying is that I would have never thought to myself, as a manager, “I bet if we stock the kitchen our employees will work harder.” I guess you never know what will make people work harder. At the jobs I have worked there was always food nearby so it was not an issue. In the article it also says that having a nice break room helps keep motivation high. That makes sense because everyone needs time for breaks and it would be nice to have a comfortable place to relax for a while when you need a break. The stocked kitchen is definitely a new motivation tactic that I did not think of before.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Nucor in Businessweek
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982075.htm
This is an article from BusinessWeek Magazine that I thought was interesting. It talks about the motivation techniques used by the steel company Nucor. Nucor uses strategies that most in the industry consider to be risky. They have made headlines before when they changed how their pay scale works. Nucor adheres to the philosphy that you should treat your employees like owners of the company and through this model they have achieved a great deal of success. The article talks more in detail about the different strategies that Nucor has used in the decades that it has been in business. Read the article, it's one of the best that I have found on motivation.
Michael Ziegler
This is an article from BusinessWeek Magazine that I thought was interesting. It talks about the motivation techniques used by the steel company Nucor. Nucor uses strategies that most in the industry consider to be risky. They have made headlines before when they changed how their pay scale works. Nucor adheres to the philosphy that you should treat your employees like owners of the company and through this model they have achieved a great deal of success. The article talks more in detail about the different strategies that Nucor has used in the decades that it has been in business. Read the article, it's one of the best that I have found on motivation.
Michael Ziegler
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Communication
In my work experiences there have been plenty of factors that motivated me. Obviously money is a big motivator, especially for a college kid. Another big one for me was always communication. For me this means communicating with managers, other employees, and customers. When working it is imperative for my manager to communicate with me and give me clear direction. When the manager or person in charge takes the time to tell me how to do something it motivates me to want to perform the task as close to his/her instructions as I can. Also the manager needs to tell me when I am doing well or when I am doing bad. If the manager takes the time to tell me that I am doing a good job, it will motivate me to continue to perform at a high level. Then there is the other end of the spectrum, where I am performing poorly and the manager takes the time to tell me I am performing below standards. This will motivate me to perform better so I do not get fired and because frankly it is embarrassing to be told your doing bad. Communicating with other employees is very important as well. The other employees can tell you when your not doing something right or wrong which has obvious motivation factors. The same goes for the customers, in my case I work at a bar so customer feedback is a huge motivator. If I do well my tip will be higher which motivates me to continue working hard. If the tip is low I know that I did not perform well so I need to step up my game. So overall communication is a very important part of my job. Managers need to communicate with all employees in a way to get them motivated and keep them motivated.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Microsoft Motivates
Microsoft is one of the largest and most profitable companies and it is this way for a reason. Microsoft adheres to 4 basic principles to keep their thousands of employees motivated from the bottom all the way to the top. The first of these principles is they establish an "Action Plan". The Action Plan consists of setting goals for employees that they need to strive to achieve and also reward these employees once they reach their goals. By doing this they demonstrate both internal and external motivation for the employees which we learned about in class. The second principle that Microsoft follows is to have their rewards be creative. Monetary rewards are nice but they don't motivate everyone. This is why it is important to find what motivates your employees. Also it is important that you decide what the reward is beforehand so that you never miss an opportunity to encourage good work. Third on the list, is to give rewards that show that you (the manager) had a direct hand in it. For this Microsoft tries to make sure that managers give their own "personal touches" to the rewards. By doing this Microsoft both allows more creativity from the managers as well as making the employees believe that they are being cared for on an individual level. The last principle states, that group rewards can be beneficial as well. Awarding a group for a good performance can be one way that the company shows that group work is just as beneficial to the company as individual work can be.
Michael Ziegler
Michael Ziegler
Engaging Employees
Obviously there are many studies on motivation, and one obvious way is money. The way this article looks at it is a bit different. Yes money is important, but its not that people are motivated by constantly increasing their pay. This article says that people just want to get paid for how worthy they view themselves. The article also says at first having an excess amount of money is a great thing, but eventually it becomes a norm and is not going to continually motivate people.
The article points out a 5-point plan for motivation: consult your staff, pay people enough, praise them, create a champions network, and think sustainability. The one that seems the most relevant in my eyes is consulting your staff. This is important because as a manger everyone looks up to you as the leader. Consulting people and keeping them involved will give the employees a greater self worth. If people feel worthy they will most likely stay motivated and perform at a high level. Paying people enough is also important because you want people to know they are being rewarded for their work. At the same time you do not want to over reward people to the point where money becomes and obsolete motivator. Obviously praising your staff is important so they continually feel good about working for you. Having a network within work can be important as well. If people talk about how good one person is doing, this may motivate other people to work harder.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
The article points out a 5-point plan for motivation: consult your staff, pay people enough, praise them, create a champions network, and think sustainability. The one that seems the most relevant in my eyes is consulting your staff. This is important because as a manger everyone looks up to you as the leader. Consulting people and keeping them involved will give the employees a greater self worth. If people feel worthy they will most likely stay motivated and perform at a high level. Paying people enough is also important because you want people to know they are being rewarded for their work. At the same time you do not want to over reward people to the point where money becomes and obsolete motivator. Obviously praising your staff is important so they continually feel good about working for you. Having a network within work can be important as well. If people talk about how good one person is doing, this may motivate other people to work harder.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Keep Employees Incentivized, Align Pay With Performance From The Bottom Up
Keep Employees Incentivized, Align Pay With Performance From Bottum Up
In this article that I read, providing incentives to employees such as pay or stock programs can boost motivation, retention of employees, and having competitors a lower chance of recruiting a company’s employees. Due to the fact that employees pay is very less than executives and CEO’s, companies have offered employees equity based compensation arrangements, which can boost employee motivation so that they work harder to earn more and if they work less they earn less. I feel that this concept is true due to the fact if working a commission job, I would work harder and put in longer hours knowing the benefits of that would increase my paycheck, or at least hope. The article also talks about linking employee compensation to the overall performance of the company kind of a like a bonus for all the team members. I feel that this would be a strong motivator for employees because that potential bonus will constantly be in the back of their minds for them to perform better. Also, employee stock purchase programs are great because the employees can purchase the stock usually at a lower price and the harder they work, chances are the price of the stock would go up. This means the employee gets more money in the long run by having that stock. In general, I do feel incentive programs to boost motivation for employees as long as the employee himself sees that the incentive is attainable and not just there to fool them.
-David Harbeck
-David Harbeck
Employee Motivation You Can't Buy
Employee Motivation You Can't Buy
-David Harbeck
In the article I read, the author takes looking at how to motivate employees in the working environment from an American general, Dwight Eisenhower. He was a great leader and had to motivate his soldiers without increase in salary and he did this with two key qualities, concern and honesty. Concern for employees is a key quality for every manager that is in charge of any size team of employees. I feel that this is true because I would want my managers to have concern for my safety in the working environment, making sure everyone is on task by being productive, and also that everyone is treated fairly. After all, it does feel good knowing your manager or boss does actually care about your well being. When I was a supervisor and the manager on duty, I took into consideration how all the employees were feeling. If I noticed one of them to be very sick, I would go up to them, speak to them about their health, and send them home because I rather have them come back the rest of the week in full health to perform at their absolute best. As for honesty, it’s a pretty straight forward concept to understand. Never lie to your employees about benefits, raises, promotions, or other opportunities that could excite them and then not follow through with them. If someone does lie, this can demotivate an employee and have them perform at a lower level or even start looking for a new job. Employees want their bosses to “have their back” as the article states. This means even taking blame for the outcome of a team’s job if it has a negative effect. Overall, I do feel that these two qualities can keep your employees happy without a pay raise or other incentives that cost money for a company. After all when I felt these qualities from my previous managers, it really made me appreciate my job better and to work harder.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A simple gesture can go a long way
A Simple Thank You
This is more of a story, but has a lot to do with motivating employees and noticing the little things. The story talsk about a bus driver who drives the elderly around town to various places. One day it was pouring and the employee didn't get out of his truck to help the elder man. Instead, five strangers helped the man on to the bus. This first hit me as the driver being an inconsiderate person, but reading more into the article a clear concept emerged. It said "When you interact with someone, you're playing a role in her story. And whatever you do, or whatever she does, or whatever you want her to do, needs to fit into that story in some satisfying way" (1). This became a key concept to me because people want to feel a sense of accomplishment and it is our jobs to make sure we give that person the accomplishment that they want. Simply acknowledging it can go a long way and make the employee that much more motivated. By not noticing people's work can cause a negative behavior and also more stress. A good way of putting this would be the GAS model. First the alarm phase states that something needs to get done. Then the resistance phase where fats and sugars find a way to adjust to the demands of the work. Then the exhaustion phase talks about fats and sugars are depleted causing the individual to weaken. This is the type of resistance that can occur if employees feel they are not getting the recognition they deserve. Without any recognition employees may simply go about their day and not really care about their role in the company. These stressors that can cause a person to not want to work is something that should be addressed in a company quickly because otherwise an employee may bring negative publicity towards a company. Do you think that by simply acknowledging someone will motivate employees?
-Brian Cullum
This is more of a story, but has a lot to do with motivating employees and noticing the little things. The story talsk about a bus driver who drives the elderly around town to various places. One day it was pouring and the employee didn't get out of his truck to help the elder man. Instead, five strangers helped the man on to the bus. This first hit me as the driver being an inconsiderate person, but reading more into the article a clear concept emerged. It said "When you interact with someone, you're playing a role in her story. And whatever you do, or whatever she does, or whatever you want her to do, needs to fit into that story in some satisfying way" (1). This became a key concept to me because people want to feel a sense of accomplishment and it is our jobs to make sure we give that person the accomplishment that they want. Simply acknowledging it can go a long way and make the employee that much more motivated. By not noticing people's work can cause a negative behavior and also more stress. A good way of putting this would be the GAS model. First the alarm phase states that something needs to get done. Then the resistance phase where fats and sugars find a way to adjust to the demands of the work. Then the exhaustion phase talks about fats and sugars are depleted causing the individual to weaken. This is the type of resistance that can occur if employees feel they are not getting the recognition they deserve. Without any recognition employees may simply go about their day and not really care about their role in the company. These stressors that can cause a person to not want to work is something that should be addressed in a company quickly because otherwise an employee may bring negative publicity towards a company. Do you think that by simply acknowledging someone will motivate employees?
-Brian Cullum
Best Ways to Motivate Employees
The Best Ways to Motivate People
Since the economy has not been at its best within the past five years managers have had to find ways, aside from money, to motivate their employees. Although it is proven that employee motivation and morale has declined in a majority of companies, employers will be able to get all of that, and more, back by simply using a few motivation tactics on their employees. If a company is unable to motivate their employees with money, managers need to start taking the time to directly praise employees, make an effort to have one-on-one conversations while also doling out more responsibility. If employees are given positive reinforcements, whether it involves money or not, they will be motivated to continue doing a good job at work.
Although the economy is showing signs of improvement employers need to continue using other ways to motivate employees outside of money. When an employee is happy at work and with their accomplishments in the workplace, they will continue to perform to the highest of their ability. Employees need to know from their managers that they are doing a good job and that their efforts are appreciated. If managers take the extra time to recognize the successes of their subordinates, performance will improve without an increase in expense.
Would you be more motivated by praise and responsibility or money?
Posted By:
Lesley Pfeifer
Since the economy has not been at its best within the past five years managers have had to find ways, aside from money, to motivate their employees. Although it is proven that employee motivation and morale has declined in a majority of companies, employers will be able to get all of that, and more, back by simply using a few motivation tactics on their employees. If a company is unable to motivate their employees with money, managers need to start taking the time to directly praise employees, make an effort to have one-on-one conversations while also doling out more responsibility. If employees are given positive reinforcements, whether it involves money or not, they will be motivated to continue doing a good job at work.
Although the economy is showing signs of improvement employers need to continue using other ways to motivate employees outside of money. When an employee is happy at work and with their accomplishments in the workplace, they will continue to perform to the highest of their ability. Employees need to know from their managers that they are doing a good job and that their efforts are appreciated. If managers take the extra time to recognize the successes of their subordinates, performance will improve without an increase in expense.
Would you be more motivated by praise and responsibility or money?
Posted By:
Lesley Pfeifer
Is Praise motivating or counterproductive?
Is Praising Employees Counterproductive
According to "Is Praising Employees Counterproductive" by Liz Ryan, it is important for managers to celebrate their employee’s successes but it is possible for that same praise to go too far. The point of this article is not to say that managers and leaders should not let their employees know when they're doing a good job, but it does reveal that managers should tread softly in this area. In order for employees to stay motivated and understand that what they are doing is successful, managers should congratulate their successes; positive reinforcement has proved to be a motivator. But while an employer needs to keep that in mind, he/she should also combine it with constructive criticism in order for employees to keep improving and reach their true potential.
When managers are handing out praise, it is important for them to be clear that a compliment does not necessarily mean a raise, that the employee can now slack off, or that improvements and further developments are no longer necessary. If praise and compliments are given in the right way, employees will not only feel good about their accomplishments up to that point but will be motivated to keep improving and reach their true potential.
Posted By:
Lesley Pfeifer
According to "Is Praising Employees Counterproductive" by Liz Ryan, it is important for managers to celebrate their employee’s successes but it is possible for that same praise to go too far. The point of this article is not to say that managers and leaders should not let their employees know when they're doing a good job, but it does reveal that managers should tread softly in this area. In order for employees to stay motivated and understand that what they are doing is successful, managers should congratulate their successes; positive reinforcement has proved to be a motivator. But while an employer needs to keep that in mind, he/she should also combine it with constructive criticism in order for employees to keep improving and reach their true potential.
When managers are handing out praise, it is important for them to be clear that a compliment does not necessarily mean a raise, that the employee can now slack off, or that improvements and further developments are no longer necessary. If praise and compliments are given in the right way, employees will not only feel good about their accomplishments up to that point but will be motivated to keep improving and reach their true potential.
Posted By:
Lesley Pfeifer
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Money isn't always the answer
Money isn't everything
I recently came across an article that stated that money doesn't have to be the only incentive for employees. At first, I thought that was kind of crazy because money is usually the biggest incentives that will motivate employees more then any other option. Although, after reading the article I realized that there are more then just money incentives that can motive employees to do work. One that stuck out to me talked about how employees should develop goals and challenges that they should try to accomplish. This would be comparable to the SMART goals that we have talked about in class. you don't want to just make any goal, you want to be able and make one that is realistic and very specific. Anybody can just make up a goal they hope to accomplish, but there needs to be some thought put into it. For example, saying something like "I want to generate 10,000 dollars in sales within the next three months" could be something doable for a sales person. I think that is something that is worth doing because it narrows down your personal goals to something very specific and most importantly something that is attainable. I also believe that autonomy plays a major role in non-money based incentives. They are able to freely decide how they want to do their tasks regarding their job. I think that by giving employees more chances to have a say in their jobs will motivate them to work harder because it gives them the chance to do their job the way they want. Do you think that non money based incentives are just as good as money based incentives? What has worked better for you?
-Brian Cullum
I recently came across an article that stated that money doesn't have to be the only incentive for employees. At first, I thought that was kind of crazy because money is usually the biggest incentives that will motivate employees more then any other option. Although, after reading the article I realized that there are more then just money incentives that can motive employees to do work. One that stuck out to me talked about how employees should develop goals and challenges that they should try to accomplish. This would be comparable to the SMART goals that we have talked about in class. you don't want to just make any goal, you want to be able and make one that is realistic and very specific. Anybody can just make up a goal they hope to accomplish, but there needs to be some thought put into it. For example, saying something like "I want to generate 10,000 dollars in sales within the next three months" could be something doable for a sales person. I think that is something that is worth doing because it narrows down your personal goals to something very specific and most importantly something that is attainable. I also believe that autonomy plays a major role in non-money based incentives. They are able to freely decide how they want to do their tasks regarding their job. I think that by giving employees more chances to have a say in their jobs will motivate them to work harder because it gives them the chance to do their job the way they want. Do you think that non money based incentives are just as good as money based incentives? What has worked better for you?
-Brian Cullum
5 simple ways to improve motivation
5 simple tips to succeed in the workplace
I came across this article that gave a few simple tips to keep motivation in the workplace. While it doesn't contain nearly as much information as previous articles; it does get to the point and discuss exactly what is needed to motivate the workplace. Two of the steps that are discussed in the article are also discussed in great detail in chapter 6. Incentives are one of the biggest motivation techniques for employees. Piece rate incentives are one kind, where payment to employees is made on the basis of their individual output. Which mean the more work that you put into your job the better incentive that you will receive. Bonuses are a one time reward that follows specific accomplishments of employees. And merit pay is where a pay raise is based on past performance. I believe that these are the best incentives to give to employees because money is a big factor in how much work people are willing to get done. I think that pay says a lot about how much an employee is willing to work. Also communication is a big factor in the workplace because a good line of communication can increase the value of the job in the eyes of the employee. Communication can greatly reduce the stress of an employee because communication gives direct detail about how to do the job. I believe that communication and paid based incentives are the two biggest factors that will motivate workers to get their work done. What do you think? Are there any other incentives that would motivate you to work harder?
-Brian Cullum
I came across this article that gave a few simple tips to keep motivation in the workplace. While it doesn't contain nearly as much information as previous articles; it does get to the point and discuss exactly what is needed to motivate the workplace. Two of the steps that are discussed in the article are also discussed in great detail in chapter 6. Incentives are one of the biggest motivation techniques for employees. Piece rate incentives are one kind, where payment to employees is made on the basis of their individual output. Which mean the more work that you put into your job the better incentive that you will receive. Bonuses are a one time reward that follows specific accomplishments of employees. And merit pay is where a pay raise is based on past performance. I believe that these are the best incentives to give to employees because money is a big factor in how much work people are willing to get done. I think that pay says a lot about how much an employee is willing to work. Also communication is a big factor in the workplace because a good line of communication can increase the value of the job in the eyes of the employee. Communication can greatly reduce the stress of an employee because communication gives direct detail about how to do the job. I believe that communication and paid based incentives are the two biggest factors that will motivate workers to get their work done. What do you think? Are there any other incentives that would motivate you to work harder?
-Brian Cullum
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
You Can't Change People
You Can't Change People
This was an interesting take on how to deal with employees and people in general. The article said that you can't change people, but you can motivate them to change their behavior. The article says, "no you can’t change other people. But what you can do is change what they are reacting too and change the rewards structure that they receive." So basically it claims that only a person can change themselves not an outside source, but an outside source can direct them to act a certain way with certain motivators. In the article it also tells about a young boy who is late everyday. The teacher told the class that every morning at the beginning of the day she would give a question and answer to the next test. The boy was never late again.
Motivation plays such and important part in the workforce. No matter where you work there is going to be lazy employees or unhappy people who are not performing their jobs to the best of their abilities. So the manager needs to think of some ways to motivate those workers. Here are some suggestions from the article. First you need to identify the behavior that needs to be fixed. Then figure out what motivates that specific person, such as praise, special assignments, criticism, and if possible financial incentives. The article goes on to explain ways you can fix certain employee problems such as whiners, attention seekers, and Procrastinating employees.
Overall, this article is really informative on ways on motivate employees and it was interesting because it was sort of a different way to look at motivation. Obviously motivation is important and all managers need to know how to get their employees to perform their jobs as best as they can.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
This was an interesting take on how to deal with employees and people in general. The article said that you can't change people, but you can motivate them to change their behavior. The article says, "no you can’t change other people. But what you can do is change what they are reacting too and change the rewards structure that they receive." So basically it claims that only a person can change themselves not an outside source, but an outside source can direct them to act a certain way with certain motivators. In the article it also tells about a young boy who is late everyday. The teacher told the class that every morning at the beginning of the day she would give a question and answer to the next test. The boy was never late again.
Motivation plays such and important part in the workforce. No matter where you work there is going to be lazy employees or unhappy people who are not performing their jobs to the best of their abilities. So the manager needs to think of some ways to motivate those workers. Here are some suggestions from the article. First you need to identify the behavior that needs to be fixed. Then figure out what motivates that specific person, such as praise, special assignments, criticism, and if possible financial incentives. The article goes on to explain ways you can fix certain employee problems such as whiners, attention seekers, and Procrastinating employees.
Overall, this article is really informative on ways on motivate employees and it was interesting because it was sort of a different way to look at motivation. Obviously motivation is important and all managers need to know how to get their employees to perform their jobs as best as they can.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Employees Life Outside of Work
Former CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Brian G. Dyson takes an interesting view when thinking about his employees. In his own words each person has five parts of their life they have to juggle. Work, Family, Spirit, Friends and Health. The one that he views the least important, shockingly, is work. He compares these areas of life to juggling balls and that work is a rubber ball but the rest are glass. The connection that Dyson made was that you can drop the rubber ball and it will bounce back however you cannot drop the glass balls for they will never be the same.
Understanding that his employees have a life outside of work is one of the reasons why Dyson was successful as his role at CEO in the Coca Cola company. Dyson's belief led him to realize that the most important thing is to inspire and motivate skilled employees and to treat them as individuals. By doing so this motivates them to perform better because they believe that they are cared for both as professionals and as human beings.
I think that the strategy that Dyson applied to Coca Cola back in the 90's was a step in the right direction for major corporations all over the globe. By such a large company setting the precedent for the "right" kind of motivation it inspires other companies big and small to imitate them. If something is working for a competitor then why should you not copy it yourself.
Posted By: Michael Ziegler
Understanding that his employees have a life outside of work is one of the reasons why Dyson was successful as his role at CEO in the Coca Cola company. Dyson's belief led him to realize that the most important thing is to inspire and motivate skilled employees and to treat them as individuals. By doing so this motivates them to perform better because they believe that they are cared for both as professionals and as human beings.
I think that the strategy that Dyson applied to Coca Cola back in the 90's was a step in the right direction for major corporations all over the globe. By such a large company setting the precedent for the "right" kind of motivation it inspires other companies big and small to imitate them. If something is working for a competitor then why should you not copy it yourself.
Posted By: Michael Ziegler
The Importance of Combining Intrinsic and Extrinsic Incentives
The phenomenon that companies need to pay their employees for good performance has proved to not necessarily be true. Although all companies obviously need to pay their employees for the work that they do, it is not the most important factor in motivation. In order to receive the best performance from employees, companies should combine intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Not only should employees be compensated with payment for their performance but they also need to feel accomplished to truly be motivated.
Studies have been done that show employees who feel a connection with others at work along with a sense of accomplishment and achievement from completing tasks are much more motivated overall. It is no longer enough for companies to reward bonuses as compensation, these rewards do not speak to a person’s psychological needs. For companies to truly get the best performance out of their employees they need to tap into each individual’s creativity, allowing them to feel that their personal values are aligned with those of the organization. When intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are combined the outcome is much more effective to the organization than when either reward is given alone.
Which reward, intrinsic or extrinsic, is more important in motivating you to complete a task?
Posted By: Lesley Pfeifer
Motivation For Free
Employee Motivation You Can't Buy
As we have discussed in class, salary and other hygiene factors are usually enough to keep employees from becoming dissatisfied with their jobs but not enough to provide actual job satisfaction. In order for employees to truly become satisfied with their job, they need to feel a sense of pride for the work they are doing and appreciation from their co-workers and managers, among a few other things. When employees feel as if their managers truly appreciate the work they do and even have a personal relationship with those leaders, they are more likely to enjoy their job and be motivated to stay at the company.
Throughout this article, motivation to stay at a company is discussed. Although it is very tempting for any employee to leave a company for its competition, especially if the competition may be offering more compensation and better benefits, they are less likely to do so if they feel a personal relationship to their present manager. When managers remain honest and concerned for their employees, as Eisenhower did with his troops, both parties feel a better sense of equality and motivation. Both equality and motivation are factors that will indeed lead to job satisfaction.
As we have discussed in class, salary and other hygiene factors are usually enough to keep employees from becoming dissatisfied with their jobs but not enough to provide actual job satisfaction. In order for employees to truly become satisfied with their job, they need to feel a sense of pride for the work they are doing and appreciation from their co-workers and managers, among a few other things. When employees feel as if their managers truly appreciate the work they do and even have a personal relationship with those leaders, they are more likely to enjoy their job and be motivated to stay at the company.
Throughout this article, motivation to stay at a company is discussed. Although it is very tempting for any employee to leave a company for its competition, especially if the competition may be offering more compensation and better benefits, they are less likely to do so if they feel a personal relationship to their present manager. When managers remain honest and concerned for their employees, as Eisenhower did with his troops, both parties feel a better sense of equality and motivation. Both equality and motivation are factors that will indeed lead to job satisfaction.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Do Employee Incentives Programs Work?
Posted by: David Harbeck
The article starts out with “when businesses motivate and reward employees with incentive programs, both the management and staff win.” I feel that this statement is true, but it can also lead to poor performance as well. The positive effects of properly motivating employees include increase productivity as well as a nice work atmosphere; however, it can also have negative effects such as employees thinking the incentives only are attainable by certain employees. The features, types, effects, benefits, and the enforcement policy of incentives need to all be fair and in clear detail describing how to receive incentives. I feel that this is important so that all employees try to attain the incentives offered hence it would increase true productivity. The expectancy theory should be applied to this due to the higher outs of performance will lead to a desirable outcome. However, an employee can try their best and not receive the outcome desired. An incentives program should also have been based upon a “cost benefit analysis” so that the employees and the organization are actually both rewarded. Overall, I feel that if an incentives program is clearly defined and attainable through high productivity by employees, this should be a key factor in motivating the employees.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Motviaton Techniques from Fortunes 500 Companies
Fortune 500 motivation techniques
With so many motivational tools available, these tools really stood out to me because they are used by some of the biggest companies in the world. These companies know what it takes to get their employees motivated and keep them working. One technique they use is by making sure employees are balancing their personal and work life so that work doesn't dominate their entire life. Another big thing they do is that they reimburse a lot of employees who go to school and offer to pick up some of the tuition for employees who are going back to school. To me that would be a big incentive because with the costs of school going up each year it is nice to know that there are some ways to reduce the costs.
Other ways are they make pick up some of the employees living costs as an incentive for people who are performing really well. For example, they might give a discounted gym membership to employees who are really doing a great job. I think that this would be a big factor for me because if some of my personal living costs were covered by the company I work for I believe that would be a big incentive for me to want to work harder?
Do you agree with this article? What things motivate you to work harder?
-Brian Cullum team 7
With so many motivational tools available, these tools really stood out to me because they are used by some of the biggest companies in the world. These companies know what it takes to get their employees motivated and keep them working. One technique they use is by making sure employees are balancing their personal and work life so that work doesn't dominate their entire life. Another big thing they do is that they reimburse a lot of employees who go to school and offer to pick up some of the tuition for employees who are going back to school. To me that would be a big incentive because with the costs of school going up each year it is nice to know that there are some ways to reduce the costs.
Other ways are they make pick up some of the employees living costs as an incentive for people who are performing really well. For example, they might give a discounted gym membership to employees who are really doing a great job. I think that this would be a big factor for me because if some of my personal living costs were covered by the company I work for I believe that would be a big incentive for me to want to work harder?
Do you agree with this article? What things motivate you to work harder?
-Brian Cullum team 7
The Secret to Getting Employees to Worker Harder
Motivation Secret
Numerous articles are out there that discuss ways employees can be motivated and ways to keep their work moral up. Although, I cam across this article that talked about the best way to motivate employees. That way is to simply NOT motivate your employees. John Roulet explains it best by saying, "When work environments consistently fail to provide the direction, resources and respect employees require, their innate desire to achieve is suppressed or redirected. They experience frustration and a kind of learned helplessness. They become motivated to retain their jobs rather than to perform them in a way that delivers optimal value to the organization"
I believe this to be true because a lot of times it isn't the work that is the problem it is the work environment.
I had a job recently where I enjoyed the work, but the overall environment was demotivating. It was a dark building very dull and not really a place where you feel great to be there. I was basically working to keep my job because I felt very demotivated and felt that it affected my performance. Roulet also goes on to say a big motivation tool is salary. We already the motivation we need by getting paid to work. If that isn't motivation for someone then Roulet explains that it may be time to take that person off the payroll.
What do you think is money the only motivation for people? Or are there other factors as well?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Numerous articles are out there that discuss ways employees can be motivated and ways to keep their work moral up. Although, I cam across this article that talked about the best way to motivate employees. That way is to simply NOT motivate your employees. John Roulet explains it best by saying, "When work environments consistently fail to provide the direction, resources and respect employees require, their innate desire to achieve is suppressed or redirected. They experience frustration and a kind of learned helplessness. They become motivated to retain their jobs rather than to perform them in a way that delivers optimal value to the organization"
I believe this to be true because a lot of times it isn't the work that is the problem it is the work environment.
I had a job recently where I enjoyed the work, but the overall environment was demotivating. It was a dark building very dull and not really a place where you feel great to be there. I was basically working to keep my job because I felt very demotivated and felt that it affected my performance. Roulet also goes on to say a big motivation tool is salary. We already the motivation we need by getting paid to work. If that isn't motivation for someone then Roulet explains that it may be time to take that person off the payroll.
What do you think is money the only motivation for people? Or are there other factors as well?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Creating Motivators
I have worked at a bar for about three years now. Some nights you make a lot of money and other nights you don't make any. Your pay is mostly made through tips so sometimes when it is not busy it can be easy to slack off. Money is the main motivator in this job so when your not making any it can be hard to work hard. Then there is the nights where you just do not feel like working and you lose interest.
The managers at the bar began to notice that the employees were often not motivated at work and had to do something about it. Instead of punishing the employees they came up with some interesting, and effective ways of getting us to stay motivated. We began to have little competitions at work that both benefitted the bar and the employees. For example we had a contest to see which employee could sell the most of a specific product over a month long period. The winner got a gift card for Best Buy. The managers set up a competition this past year where whom they said was the most consistent employee got to go to Las Vegas for the Bar and Nightclub Convention in March. Little things like this definitely got us more focused and motivated to perform good at work.
Sometimes motivating employees with money is not always possible so managers need to think of other ways to get their employees to stay motivated. Employees will respond to other motivators other than money as long as they get some value. I think creating a competition among workers can lead to great motivation because competition gets people to perform better. So as you can see there are many ways to motivate employees and keep them motivated.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
The managers at the bar began to notice that the employees were often not motivated at work and had to do something about it. Instead of punishing the employees they came up with some interesting, and effective ways of getting us to stay motivated. We began to have little competitions at work that both benefitted the bar and the employees. For example we had a contest to see which employee could sell the most of a specific product over a month long period. The winner got a gift card for Best Buy. The managers set up a competition this past year where whom they said was the most consistent employee got to go to Las Vegas for the Bar and Nightclub Convention in March. Little things like this definitely got us more focused and motivated to perform good at work.
Sometimes motivating employees with money is not always possible so managers need to think of other ways to get their employees to stay motivated. Employees will respond to other motivators other than money as long as they get some value. I think creating a competition among workers can lead to great motivation because competition gets people to perform better. So as you can see there are many ways to motivate employees and keep them motivated.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Bonuses Are Not Always Motivating Rewards
Bonuses are not always motivating rewards
The study in this article was very interesting and gave light to some facts that sound pretty crazy. Not only did the experiment find that sometimes financial bonuses are not the best ways to motivate people, it even went as far to say it is an inefficient way, in some cases, of motivating employees. The study found that "workers tended to be less productive when they were being rewarded with bonuses, but put in more effort when poor performance could be fined".
This seems very strange to me because I always imagined that the best way to motivate people would be through some sort of financial compensation. To think that money is not always the biggest motivator was a strange notion to grasp when I first read this article. I am still young and have not yet had a career type job, but at the places I have worked, money was the main motivator for me. I think when you get into a job that you might be doing everyday for 10 or 20 years, money might not be the biggest motivator. The most important thing to me would probably be job satisfaction because I would never want to get stuck doing something I did not like. An interesting motivator the article pointed out was doing a clawback program, where when a bonus is given for good performance, it can also be taken away for poor performance. This is a different approach to motivation, but it actually sounds like a good idea to me. It will keep employees from slacking off after they get a bonus or promotion.
Overall, the article opened my eyes to a surprising but understandable view on motivation. It made me realize money may not always be the most effective motivator and companies are always creating new ways to get their employees motivated.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
The study in this article was very interesting and gave light to some facts that sound pretty crazy. Not only did the experiment find that sometimes financial bonuses are not the best ways to motivate people, it even went as far to say it is an inefficient way, in some cases, of motivating employees. The study found that "workers tended to be less productive when they were being rewarded with bonuses, but put in more effort when poor performance could be fined".
This seems very strange to me because I always imagined that the best way to motivate people would be through some sort of financial compensation. To think that money is not always the biggest motivator was a strange notion to grasp when I first read this article. I am still young and have not yet had a career type job, but at the places I have worked, money was the main motivator for me. I think when you get into a job that you might be doing everyday for 10 or 20 years, money might not be the biggest motivator. The most important thing to me would probably be job satisfaction because I would never want to get stuck doing something I did not like. An interesting motivator the article pointed out was doing a clawback program, where when a bonus is given for good performance, it can also be taken away for poor performance. This is a different approach to motivation, but it actually sounds like a good idea to me. It will keep employees from slacking off after they get a bonus or promotion.
Overall, the article opened my eyes to a surprising but understandable view on motivation. It made me realize money may not always be the most effective motivator and companies are always creating new ways to get their employees motivated.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Microsofts Way of Motivation
Microsoft Motivation Techniques
I came across this article on motivation and it really stood out to me on a bunch of different levels. First, this wasn't a typical article about motivation from a no name company. This is a way that Microsoft interprets how to motivate employees and goes into detail the different ways they are able to motivate them. This is also a different way of looking at motivation because it is more of a chart. This is something that would be appealing to visual learners because it would be easier for visual people to look at the chart and better understand it.
I believe, after reading this article, that it is true that there are certain levels of motivation. Not everyone is a skilled motivator and there are times where people who think they are motivating their employees are actually demotivating them. I agree with this chart in that that there are specific levels of motivation and that not everyone is on the same level. I think it was also a good idea to put ideas and warning signs that employees may be over motivating there employees. To run a successful business, one needs to be able and keep their employees moving and wanting to work.
While this may seem like an obvious answer, it is often difficult to find the correct and proper way to motivating employees. I believe that motivating your employees is essential for successful business practices. Microsoft gives a lot of great ideas about how to successfully motivate and also ways to not demotive your employees. The real question is if any of these methods are capable of working for every specific business/
What do you think?
-Brian Cullum team 7
I came across this article on motivation and it really stood out to me on a bunch of different levels. First, this wasn't a typical article about motivation from a no name company. This is a way that Microsoft interprets how to motivate employees and goes into detail the different ways they are able to motivate them. This is also a different way of looking at motivation because it is more of a chart. This is something that would be appealing to visual learners because it would be easier for visual people to look at the chart and better understand it.
I believe, after reading this article, that it is true that there are certain levels of motivation. Not everyone is a skilled motivator and there are times where people who think they are motivating their employees are actually demotivating them. I agree with this chart in that that there are specific levels of motivation and that not everyone is on the same level. I think it was also a good idea to put ideas and warning signs that employees may be over motivating there employees. To run a successful business, one needs to be able and keep their employees moving and wanting to work.
While this may seem like an obvious answer, it is often difficult to find the correct and proper way to motivating employees. I believe that motivating your employees is essential for successful business practices. Microsoft gives a lot of great ideas about how to successfully motivate and also ways to not demotive your employees. The real question is if any of these methods are capable of working for every specific business/
What do you think?
-Brian Cullum team 7
McDonald's Motivation
McDonald's Corp. has many reasons for its continued success throughout the globe over the past several decades but what they consider the most crucial is the people. This is not talking about the millions of people who buy their products everyday but instead about the millions of people who are working for the company. McDonalds considers their employee's well being to be a top priority in their business. They have built their empire on the simple foundation that nothing gets done without the people. Therefore McDonalds has adopted unique motivation methods to stay on top of the game in the fast food industry. An article discussing the various ways McDonalds motivates its employees, discusses the ranges from satisfaction of needs, to personal growth. McDonalds wants their employees to flourish in their company.
Within an industry that focuses most of its attention on streamlining and getting tasks done as efficently as possible it is important for McDonalds Corp. to make sure their employees do not become unsatisfied or even worse dissatisfied. McDonalds makes sure to take care of both Hygiene needs to prevent dissatisfaction and motivation needs to provide satisfaction at the workplace.
According to a 2007 article McDonalds bases its motivation strategy off of four key concepts
1. Motivation must be unique to every department of the corporation
2.Each person must have their own specific, and attainable, goals that they are aiming for.
3. The goals that the individuals have should change if necessary and new goals should be made when others are accomplished.
4. The employee's salary must reflect equally the work they have done within the organization
Based off of these four concepts McDonalds has become the top of the fast food industry not only in the United States but globally. For such a big corporation its focusing on the all of the individuals that make it up that is important.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Within an industry that focuses most of its attention on streamlining and getting tasks done as efficently as possible it is important for McDonalds Corp. to make sure their employees do not become unsatisfied or even worse dissatisfied. McDonalds makes sure to take care of both Hygiene needs to prevent dissatisfaction and motivation needs to provide satisfaction at the workplace.
According to a 2007 article McDonalds bases its motivation strategy off of four key concepts
1. Motivation must be unique to every department of the corporation
2.Each person must have their own specific, and attainable, goals that they are aiming for.
3. The goals that the individuals have should change if necessary and new goals should be made when others are accomplished.
4. The employee's salary must reflect equally the work they have done within the organization
Based off of these four concepts McDonalds has become the top of the fast food industry not only in the United States but globally. For such a big corporation its focusing on the all of the individuals that make it up that is important.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Little Chat Can Go A Long Way
A Talk Can Go A Long Way
If your boss came up to you and chatted with you for a few minutes would that motivate you to work harder? Adam Grant a Wharton School of Business Professor believes this to be the case. He did a case where he talked to a group of telephone operators trying to collect money for a school. Before he talked to them they made an average of $185 per day. He briefly talked to them asking them about their studies and over the next month average sales were up to over $500. This may seem hard to believe, but these people were unhappy with their job, worked long hours, and were paid little money. Although, once Grant interacted and talked to his employees and that was all they needed to keep their motivation up.
This is similar to the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs where people need a feeling of belonging. People need to be able feel like they are wanted and that they have a sense that they are wanted. Grant also goes on to say that by showing the employees what exactly the money they are bringing in is going towards; it will also give them a reason to continue bringing in that money. This type of act can be part of the expectancy theory because the effort that these employees are able to put in will will show their performance and in return bring the employees a reward.
I think that this is a creative way to show keep employees motivated because by showing employees what they are really working for will keep them working and continue to do their jobs at a high level. Especially if they know what they are working to accomplish.
My question to everyone is do you believe by simply interacting with employees will continue to keep them motivated? Would this type of motivation motivate you to keep working? Why or why not?
-Brian Cullum team 7
If your boss came up to you and chatted with you for a few minutes would that motivate you to work harder? Adam Grant a Wharton School of Business Professor believes this to be the case. He did a case where he talked to a group of telephone operators trying to collect money for a school. Before he talked to them they made an average of $185 per day. He briefly talked to them asking them about their studies and over the next month average sales were up to over $500. This may seem hard to believe, but these people were unhappy with their job, worked long hours, and were paid little money. Although, once Grant interacted and talked to his employees and that was all they needed to keep their motivation up.
This is similar to the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs where people need a feeling of belonging. People need to be able feel like they are wanted and that they have a sense that they are wanted. Grant also goes on to say that by showing the employees what exactly the money they are bringing in is going towards; it will also give them a reason to continue bringing in that money. This type of act can be part of the expectancy theory because the effort that these employees are able to put in will will show their performance and in return bring the employees a reward.
I think that this is a creative way to show keep employees motivated because by showing employees what they are really working for will keep them working and continue to do their jobs at a high level. Especially if they know what they are working to accomplish.
My question to everyone is do you believe by simply interacting with employees will continue to keep them motivated? Would this type of motivation motivate you to keep working? Why or why not?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Monday, February 7, 2011
Little Things That Motivate Employees
Posted by: David Harbeck
Motivating Employees in Tough Times
Even though it may be hard for some businesses to give incentives to their employees such as raises, bonuses, paid vacations, free trips, free gifts and so on, businesses can motivate individuals by doing the "little things." A simple "thank you" from the boss to an individual in front of the company gives that individual pride, a few minutes in the spotlight, and shows that the boss recognizes quality work. I feel that the "little things" make a bigger difference when it comes to motivating employees and these can include a simple award to put in their office, time off work when they need it (not paid), free food in the employee break room, and possibly investing in their education or health by paying for it if the company can afford it. By doing some of these free and cheap motivation tactics, employees are going to feel more motivated to work harder and take pride in the company they work for. This is important because the cost of hiring and training new employees is expensive and there is a temporary loss of productivity. As a former supervisor myself, I would always thank my coworkers for a job well done every night and this would bring a great working environment for days to come. Also, I feel that it is not hard to motivate employees because its simple, doesn't take up a lot of time or money, and just betters the working environment. After all, I probably would not work for a company where I was never recognized for the work I do.
Motivating Employees in Tough Times
Even though it may be hard for some businesses to give incentives to their employees such as raises, bonuses, paid vacations, free trips, free gifts and so on, businesses can motivate individuals by doing the "little things." A simple "thank you" from the boss to an individual in front of the company gives that individual pride, a few minutes in the spotlight, and shows that the boss recognizes quality work. I feel that the "little things" make a bigger difference when it comes to motivating employees and these can include a simple award to put in their office, time off work when they need it (not paid), free food in the employee break room, and possibly investing in their education or health by paying for it if the company can afford it. By doing some of these free and cheap motivation tactics, employees are going to feel more motivated to work harder and take pride in the company they work for. This is important because the cost of hiring and training new employees is expensive and there is a temporary loss of productivity. As a former supervisor myself, I would always thank my coworkers for a job well done every night and this would bring a great working environment for days to come. Also, I feel that it is not hard to motivate employees because its simple, doesn't take up a lot of time or money, and just betters the working environment. After all, I probably would not work for a company where I was never recognized for the work I do.
Motivation in a Different Light
Post by: Brian Cullum
How to Keep Employee's Eye on the Prize
When we think of ways to motivate ourselves what certain things come to mind? Usually it is some type of incentive that employees are striving to achieve. Although, there are many other ways to keep employees motivated and one of those ways was discussed in the article above and how employees stay interested in their work. The author Carmin Gallo says there are 3 words that hold the secret to motivating employees. They are Energized, Believe, and Understand. I found this to be surprising because it is not the typical way of trying to get employees motivated. This is more of a way to have employees better understand why they are working for that company and why they are an important asset to the team. It seems that former CEO of GE Jack Welch rather have employees be motivated by knowing they are contributing to something important. I know that motivation with incentive based techniques may soon lose focus for employees because once they achieve the incentive they have nothing else to motivate them so it's ends up being a temporary thing. Where as being able to appreciate the job you do can last a much longer time. Although, it makes me wonder if this can be useful in all companies. What if someone were already dissatisfied with their job would this technique motivate them? While not everything in life is going to work for everyone it makes me wonder if some motivation techniques could actually demotivate customers.
How to Keep Employee's Eye on the Prize
When we think of ways to motivate ourselves what certain things come to mind? Usually it is some type of incentive that employees are striving to achieve. Although, there are many other ways to keep employees motivated and one of those ways was discussed in the article above and how employees stay interested in their work. The author Carmin Gallo says there are 3 words that hold the secret to motivating employees. They are Energized, Believe, and Understand. I found this to be surprising because it is not the typical way of trying to get employees motivated. This is more of a way to have employees better understand why they are working for that company and why they are an important asset to the team. It seems that former CEO of GE Jack Welch rather have employees be motivated by knowing they are contributing to something important. I know that motivation with incentive based techniques may soon lose focus for employees because once they achieve the incentive they have nothing else to motivate them so it's ends up being a temporary thing. Where as being able to appreciate the job you do can last a much longer time. Although, it makes me wonder if this can be useful in all companies. What if someone were already dissatisfied with their job would this technique motivate them? While not everything in life is going to work for everyone it makes me wonder if some motivation techniques could actually demotivate customers.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Shake It Up- First Team Post
Hello all,
Our group has decided to talk about the blog topic "Shake It Up" which explains what type of methods companies use to motivate their employees. In this blog Jacob Cyscon, David Harbeck, Lesley Pfeifer, Michael Ziegler, and myself (Brian Cullum) will be sharing ideas of how employers find ways to motivate their employees and how we can take these ideas and use them to motivate ourselves in the future.We will also be sharing content and stories of how employers demotivate their employees and how we could improve them so that employees will be motivated.
The way companies succeed is by the work employees put into the company and sometimes employees need extra motivation to be able and accomplish all of their work. Employees sometimes have a hard time trying to to stay focused and being able to keep employees working might take some creative ideas. We hope to answer any questions and get feedback about whether you think that these motivation methods would be successful if they applied to you. We also would like to hear what kind of comments you have about the various stories that will be posted. If you agree with the methods employers used on their employees or if there was another reading you would like to share that connects with what we have discussed please feel free to share it. We will also be connecting the stories and ideas we find to the textbook and how what we have learned in class pertains to what techniques are used in the workplace. We hope you find this information useful and encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas!
-Take Care
Our group has decided to talk about the blog topic "Shake It Up" which explains what type of methods companies use to motivate their employees. In this blog Jacob Cyscon, David Harbeck, Lesley Pfeifer, Michael Ziegler, and myself (Brian Cullum) will be sharing ideas of how employers find ways to motivate their employees and how we can take these ideas and use them to motivate ourselves in the future.We will also be sharing content and stories of how employers demotivate their employees and how we could improve them so that employees will be motivated.
The way companies succeed is by the work employees put into the company and sometimes employees need extra motivation to be able and accomplish all of their work. Employees sometimes have a hard time trying to to stay focused and being able to keep employees working might take some creative ideas. We hope to answer any questions and get feedback about whether you think that these motivation methods would be successful if they applied to you. We also would like to hear what kind of comments you have about the various stories that will be posted. If you agree with the methods employers used on their employees or if there was another reading you would like to share that connects with what we have discussed please feel free to share it. We will also be connecting the stories and ideas we find to the textbook and how what we have learned in class pertains to what techniques are used in the workplace. We hope you find this information useful and encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas!
-Take Care
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