Strategies and guidelines for developing a motivational strategy

by Trish Smith

Happy New Year! Has the year started with a bang, full of passion and excitement? Or is motivation lagging?

Last month we explored the concept of motivation and why employees’ motivation is important. As the year brims full of potential, the timing is perfect to develop and implement a motivational plan for your employees.

While there is no one-size-fits-all plan for improving employees’ motivation, there are some proven guidelines that simplify the process and lead to success. There are five factors considered essential to a successful program:

• Flexibility
• Increase positive behavior
• Decrease negative behavior
• Provide constant feedback and a framework for teaching skills
• Be an overall positive approach

Is the problem really about motivation?

Before developing a motivational system, determine whether the problem is actually motivation. Could it be something else, such as lack of access to the tools needed to do the job, or the working conditions of the job itself?

These aren’t motivational issues and cannot be fixed with a motivational system. These and other environmental challenges need to be addressed beyond motivation.

No Limits?

Improving motivation is an investment. Investments have limits – so what is the organization is willing to do to improve employee motivation? While this often boils down to cash, sometimes other investments can be beneficial, too. Regardless of the answer, it is essential to ask.

There is nothing more demotivating than to be promised something, only to find out afterwards that the company can’t or won’t do it.

Steps to create a motivational system

1. Analysis

The analysis is focused on determining what factors are in scope. Will efforts be to:

• Implement a program based on performance?
• Develop new ways to satisfy employees’ needs?
• Change discipline policies?
• Create new opportunities for employee learning?
• Make the organization more receptive to employee feedback?

These are starting points – and the program will likely be a blend. The key during the analysis is to focus on where improvements will occur.

Without focus, the risk is of turning the program into just another ineffective “flavor of the month”, and making the chances of any future, well-intended change programs less successful.

Including employees in this process is critical to its success. After all, they’re the ones who best explain what would improve their motivation. Making them allies in the effort to create a workplace where they can bring their best will increase the chances of program success.

2. Development

This is the nuts and bolts of the system. Use all the resources at hand to develop the actual motivation strategies and specific methods, such as developing a new feedback system for employees to share ideas, a new continuing education program, or a recognition system for outstanding customer service. Make sure to involve relevant managers, executives, decision makers and influencers in the plan. Buy-in is important: the last thing the company wants is to roll out a new program without approval, only to have it shut down before it even gets a chance to work.

3. Materials

What materials are needed to support the program and engage people? Does it require new forms (electronic forms might be a strong option), a new company wiki, or a new guidebook?

Make sure to enlist the skills and talents of anyone who can help you in this area, including HR, IT, and administrative support. Michael often talks about finding and amplifying the good; when it comes to developing an effective program that truly engages people, this can be accomplished by letting them participate in the development and improvement of the materials.

4. Monitoring

The goal is to get it right the first time. But even if that happens, monitoring is an important, often overlooked, element. Monitoring provides insights and guidance necessary to make changes and help the system evolve.

When considering what and how to monitor, include goals, objectives, and criteria for their success. If possible, set dates by which the goals and objectives must be met.

Develop methods for people to track their progress in the program, or by which others (for example, their supervisor) can track progress.

Remember to focus on effectively tracking behaviors, not attitudes; goals and objectives need to be things that are quantifiable, not vague concepts. “Number of staff attending afternoon meeting” can be more easily tracked than a vague concept like “employee attitude”.

5. Training

Conduct training with management staff. After all, they are the ones primarily responsible for employee motivation, and the ones who can best observe motivation levels. Make sure the team understands the purpose of the program; that it’s not to punish employees, or to create a falsely positive atmosphere, but rather to deliver those things that employees feel are most important to their work, in order to create a workplace that employees can do their best work in.

6. Implementation

Simply put, it’s time to roll out the program. In smaller organizations, it’s possible to do this in a centralized manner, but for larger organizations it requires a phased approach. Regardless of how, it’s vital to initiate the program in a way that shows people it’s fully supported and an integral part of the organization’s processes.

7. Follow-up

Hold regular meetings to evaluate the program’s progress. Incorporate employee feedback in the program, and make changes to it as needed. The program will need adjustment as time goes by, as motivation is a journey, not a destination, and what works for one employee at one point in time may not work for them six months later.

Flexibility – the first of the five criteria – is key to success.

Implemented a motivational program? Starting one? Leave us a comment – we’d love to hear about your own journey.

Sources:

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:S4_J9QwXOJYJ:slo.sbcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/motivation.pdf+how+to+develop+motivational+system&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AHIEtbTiEUmbld3vu7u73h2v5wNcLi3N0Q&pli=1

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ltZWfJqyQIQJ:www.mooseheart.org/pdf/PacketOfEffectiveSkills.pdf+how+to+develop+a+motivational+system&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AHIEtbQ-2Sr1PVmIJi7fvM2NstQPZX0ZhA