Understanding people’s motivation at work is a key element of any change initiative.

 

We often assume that everyone is motivated by what motivates us.  And particularly in the voluntary and community sector there can be an assumption that all staff are solely motivated by a shared understanding and commitment to the cause or vision.  In reality though,  people are complex and tend to be motivated by a whole range of factors.

 

Understanding people and what motivates individuals at work is crucial to the success of any change programme.   For example, if someone is motivated by the status and kudos of their role, they may object fiercely to a change in job title whilst quite happily accepting a change in location.  Someone who is motivated to work because they enjoy the company of the people they work with may shrug off lightly a change in job title but will resist any change to their work team.

 

Some of the more common motivations for people at work are:

 

Social  People are often motivated by the social aspect of their work.  They come to work and enjoy their job because they get on well with their team and colleagues.  Coming to work is a social opportunity.  For these people, their job might stay the same but if as a result of a change initiative they were separated from the people they work with they might become seriously demotivated.

 

Status  People who are motivated by status will seek public recognition and symbols of worth.  These people will be motivated by status symbols such as having their own office, their job title and their place in the hierarchy.  For these people as long status symbols remain secure they might be relatively happy with changes.

 

Finance For many people, financial reward is extremely important.  Many other aspects of their job may change but if they feel the financial compensation is adequate they will maintain their motivation.

 

Independence  Some people are motivated by being given freedom and autonomy over their everyday work.

 

Power People who are motivated by power are excited by being in charge and will want to control resources to get things done.

 

Stability For some people,  the security and familiarity of their job, their colleagues and their environment are extremely important motivations.  Many different aspects of their job might change but as long as they are working with their friends at the same location they will be motivated.

 

 

Want to Know More?

If you want to know more about what motivates people, take a look at Charles Handy’s book: “Understanding Organisations”. Easy to read this popular book gives an overview of motivation as well as many other aspects of organisational life.

 

Understanding different personality traits is very useful in understanding how people might perceive and react to change.  One of the most famous inventories of psychological types is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).  There are many good books about MBTI.  One of the more popular is Type Talk: The 16 Personality Types by Otto Kroeger and Janet M Thuesen.

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Article by Stella Smith

Stella has an MBA from the Open University and is an Associate Lecturer for the Open University Business School.   She is a volunteer Refugee Mentor for the Time Together mentoring scheme and a trustee of the Greenleaf Centre for Servant-Leadership UK.  

 

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