Motivating Employees and Teams

Work itself must be satisfying; motivation comes from passion for the work, not the surrounding environment.
Motivating employees is key to leadership success, as losing an employee is costly.
Motivating the right people to join and remain in a company is a significant management function and a competitive advantage.
Employees want to feel their work makes a difference and is appreciated.
Motivation is the drive to satisfy a need or want, influencing behavior.
Motivation comes from within the individual, and managers must encourage commitment and focus on common goals.
Intrinsic motivation arises from personal satisfaction when performance is good, and goals are met. This includes pride and a sense of achievement.
Extrinsic motivation involves outside recognition, such as salary increases, promotions, and public recognition.
Early perspectives on motivations include four principles: scientific approach to elements, scientific selection and training of workers, encouraging worker-manager cooperation, and dividing work by responsibility.
Productivity can be increased through studying efficient task completion methods and teaching workers effectively.
Motivation factors are often psychological and social needs.
The Hawthorne effect is the phenomenon where employees perform better when management shows concern for their well-being. This is based on attention.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory sequencing human needs from self-actualization (fulfilling potential) to physiological needs (food, shelter).
Esteem needs include respect from others and a sense of accomplishment.
Alderfer's ERG theory suggests needs exist, for basic materials, relatedness (interpersonal relationships) and growth (personal development).
Theory X assumes employees dislike work and require strict control, whereas Theory Y assumes employees are responsible and work toward organizational goals and benefit from personal rewards.
Theory Z combines North American and Japanese management practices, emphasizing teamwork and individual accountability.
Herzberg's two-factor theory proposes separate dimensions of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Motivation factors include achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, growth and the work itself. Maintenance factors include supervision, and working conditions.

Reinforcement theory suggests rewarded behaviors are likely to be repeated. Functional behaviors are encouraged by positive reinforcement (praise, recognition) and discouraged with negative reinforcement (reprimands).
Equity theory posits that people are motivated to maintain fair treatment.
Employees compare their input/output ratio with others. If perceived inequity exists, they may change habits and behaviors or distort their perceptions.
Expectancy theory suggests employee effort depends on expected outcome value, perceived performance level, and the link between rewards and performances.
Goal-setting theory proposes motivating employees by achieving challenging, attainable, specific goals established by the manager and employee, along with receiving feedback throughout.

Functional teams consist of members from the same department, supervised by a manager.
Cross-functional teams consist of members from different departments, overseen by a functional manager or team manager.
Self-managed teams work with the ability and skill to manage themselves and are monitored but not actively led by a manager.
Virtual teams are geographically dispersed but communicate electronically, like other teams.

Motivation is based on employee education, training, employee ownership and work-life benefits. Recognition and empowerment are non-monetary motivators.
Piece-rate plans, profit sharing, gain sharing, bonuses, and stock options are monetary motivators.

Labor unions represent workers in negotiations with management, regarding wages, hours, and working conditions.
Strikes are a form of protest in which workers refuse to work as pressure.
Objectives of unionization include fair compensation, improved work rules and working conditions, increased job security, and defined grievance procedures.
Labour contracts are agreements between labor and management, with a set period.
Grievance procedures are formal courses of action for resolving employee complaints.
Labour management legislation includes laws protecting applicants and employees from discrimination with fair treatment requirements, compensation and promotion decisions.

Unions form when employees express interest and apply for certification.
Collective bargaining negotiates agreeable labor agreements, mutually acceptable to both the union and management.
Negotiation tactics include publicity, work slowdowns, boycotts, and strikes for labour and workforce quality and controlled costs and flexibility for management.

There are methods for dispute resolution available during and after negotiation, these include conciliation and mediation.
Arbitration involves a neutral third party making a decision on an unresolved dispute.