Have you ever felt that no matter what you say, your team have stopped listening? The light’s out…Elvis has well and truly left the building. You want to get your team switched on, but you just cannot work out what you need to do. Team days, casual clothes Friday, movie tickets…what can you do to turn things around? How can you reach in deep and make sure that your team is more than motivated – that every member is committed to the cause, heart and soul? What is the secret to successfully motivating teams…to switching the lights back on?

Motivating teams is central to Project success – we all know that – but do quick fixes like Christmas parties, team lunches and pay rises really give us lasting benefits? Buzzwords and catch phrases get people motivated…for a time. But the effect can quickly wear off, UNLESS the people are emotionally connected to the cause.

As Project Leaders, our success depends on us getting the best out of our teams – we need to reach beyond the temporary and cultivate a long term sense of attachment, ownership and belonging with our team. If we want to kick our teams’ engagement up a level, we need to find out how to scratch below the surface and target enduring behavioural changes.

A great place to start is to go back to the Grand Masters of behavioural research and see what they can tell us about how best to reach out to our people and make that all important, enduring emotional connection.

Maslow – “Hierarchy of Needs”

Maslow gives us a great place to start, with his theory on the Hierarchy of Needs (1954) saying we typically seek satisfaction by moving through a hierarchy of 5 ascending levels. Maslow says that we need to satisfy our most basic needs before we can move on and seek higher levels of satisfaction.

Image source: Creative Corner Blog

Take a simple example – our immediate need is to make sure we have sufficient food and shelter before we move up the hierarchy and look for steady work, then enduring friendship and intimacy, before developing self-confidence, peer acceptance and finally, higher levels of creativity and personal growth.

Now, I know there is a deeper debate about Maslow’s methods or findings, but that is not important here. As Project Leaders, it is far more exciting for us to focus on a couple of really useful conclusions that we can draw:

1. A person will only aspire to their highest level of satisfaction (Self-Actualisation) once they have taken care of their lower level needs. This is important – it means that while salary is important in satisfying the lower, more survival-oriented needs, it will not provide higher levels of long term personal satisfaction.
2. A person will inevitably seek higher levels of satisfaction as they move through the hierarchy. Again, this is also important – it means that while salary is certainly motivating, its impact will be temporary and will diminish as we meet our material needs – we will inevitably look for something more fulfilling.

This model does not give us a perfect answer, but it does point us in a useful direction.

Salary will provide temporary motivation but in the long term, we will look for something more satisfying than material wealth

We know that people have different priorities and are influenced by individual circumstance, culture and context. For example, we can expect that a financial bonus or flexible working hours will provide different outcomes for employees in First World and Third World countries. However, Maslow helps us understand that in general, long term motivation is only satisfied after lower, more survival-oriented needs have been met. Salary will provide temporary motivation but in the long term, we will look for something more satisfying than material wealth.

The next step is to take this framework and look for clues that help us understand how individuals respond to motivators on a case-by-case basis.

Herzberg – “What Keeps Us Satisfied?”

Herzberg’s “Two Factor Theory” (1959) is a really useful next step on our quest – it argues that we need to differentiate between those workplace factors that lead to job satisfaction (Motivators) and those that cause job dissatisfaction (Hygiene Factors).

• Hygiene factors generally describe the workplace context – the things that we need to provide to avoid dissatisfaction and keep employees happy.
• Motivators are those things that lift the employee to a higher level of engagement and fulfilment.

Deep seated, long term satisfaction derives from the “motivators” that allow us to reach a higher level of personal fulfilment and meaning

This Theory appeals to me because it feels intuitive – people will strive for the “hygiene” needs because life is difficult without them, but that once they have been achieved, any satisfaction gained is temporary and the effect soon wears off. Deep seated, long term satisfaction derives from the “motivators” that allow us to reach a higher level of personal fulfilment and meaning.

Herzberg called out the key motivators that led to both satisfaction and dissatisfaction – these present a consistent case that motivation derives from within a person rather than through the threat of punitive measures or short term incentives. Again, we need to take into account situational variables – working conditions and job security will mean different things to people in different contexts (white collar/blue collar workers, developed/developing countries), but regardless, as Project Leaders, this overall conclusion remains compelling.

Image source: Research Methodology

Herzberg’s key motivators are consistent with a higher state of personal fulfilment – they emphasise that overall, we are more likely to be fulfilled by motivators that are consistent with Maslow’s higher levels of need – a useful point to remember.

The next step is to think about the sort of leadership approach that is best at supporting these “higher level motivators”.

McGregor – “Assuming the Best in Our People”

I want to use Douglas McGregor’s work to change direction a little and think instead about how WE see our team members and how OUR attitude affects the team’s motivation.

McGregor (1960) gave us two contrasting theories of workforce motivation – imaginatively named Theories X and Y. Boring names, but great ideas.

Here’s how McGregor works:

1. Theory X - Leaders see employees as inherently lazy and willing to evade work and responsibility at almost any cost. Under this model, we need to impose a top-down, command and control type leadership framework, with team members being motivated through a carrot/stick approach. The incentives under this approach really only satisfy the lower levels of the Maslow hierarchy, on the basis that we doubt our team members will be consistently inspired by anything other than money in the bank.
2. Theory Y – Leaders assume that employees are self-motivated, ambitious and given the right conditions, willing to accept responsibility and do their best. Now we are talking.

   McGregor argues quite simply that managers are more likely to create a positive working environment with all that entails, where they adopt Theory Y – for example, by fostering collaboration, opening communication channels, reducing the effect of superior/subordinate relationships and providing a nurturing atmosphere.

Now, here’s the really interesting point.

• Theory X provides short term motivation only by reinforcing the lower levels of the Maslow hierarchy and Herzberg’s “hygiene” factors. We incentivize our team by providing material rewards – cash, tokens, vouchers and the like, which gives that short term kick because it makes life a little less uncomfortable…but actually, this only provides short term solution and we assume they will drift back to their lazy ways unless we keep pumping in the money.
• Theory Y provides a path for longer, enduring motivation by appealing to the higher Maslow levels (Self Actualization and Esteem) and Herzberg “motivator” factors. We give our team opportunities to build their skills, take on more responsibility, own their space and grow into a more fulfilling role. We trust them to do a good job and so we invest our time and effort in nurturing them and providing a positive, supporting environment. McGregor’s view is that if we do all this, we are far more likely to keep our team motivated.

Motivating Teams – Flicking the Lightswitch

I love that all three Grand Masters are pointing us in the same direction, with some fabulous signposts that we can follow straight away. Let’s recap for a moment.

1. Maslow tells us that our team have basic, fundamental needs that must be met before they will aspire to anything further. They will appreciate material rewards insofar as they help meet the urgent, lower level needs – food, shelter, material comfort…but they will not provide long term satisfaction. Sooner or later, our team members will aspire to something more – something that leads them towards longer term fulfilment and self-realization.

   Herzberg helps us understand what those motivators are.

2. Herzberg points out that our team members will seek two types of motivation – things that keep them happy and things that inspire them to go further. We can offer inducements such as cash, tokens or changes to working conditions – these will provide temporary motivation but ultimately, that effect will wear off and our team will again seek a higher level of fulfilment. This longer term fulfilment comes from motivations such as recognition for achievements, trust, opportunities for advancement and meaningful, responsible roles.

   McGregor takes us on the final step, by helping us understand OUR role in providing this motivation.

3. McGregor says that we are likely to get the best long term motivation from our people if we create a positive working environment – open, collaborative, supporting. We need to trust our team and give them the opportunity to aspire to those higher levels of fulfilment.

   McGregor’s lesson is that our team will always seek those higher, lasting levels of self-fulfilment and Project Leaders can reap the benefits – tap into enduring, emotionally connected and motivated staff, where they create an open, embracing, supportive environment.

So What Can We Do?

While the three Grand Masters have set out the keys to motivating our teams in a meaningful way, it is up to us as Project Leaders to translate the signposts into real, meaningful strategies.

We know what the signposts tell us. We also know that everyone is different and we need to think of people on a case by case basis.

So, putting it all together, let’s consider some simple ideas to tap into those higher levels of fulfilment.

1. Create a positive working environment - Joni Mar presents a wonderful plan for bringing the team together, encouraging ideas, brainstorming and collaborating as a group to chart a team vision for the year ahead. Absolutely beautiful imagery and a fabulous exercise.
2. Create a “community of ownership” – Karl Stark and Bill Stewart offer profound advice – understand that your people each have their own ideas and ambitions, look for opportunities to embrace them and in the process, create a community of ownership – a hub of motivated, ambitious team members, each ready to speak to their ideas adn to actively get involved in bringing them to the table.
3. Celebrate team success - Actively look for ways to celebrate individual and team achievements; put up a team notice board and give stars when significant steps are reached, celebrate milestones, set goals as a group and come together to track your progress.
4. Ask team members for ideas - I love this. Aileron writes simply about the powerful effect on motivation where we encourage our team members to tell us what needs to change. Do it. Listen to them and have the courage to take action – what a sure way to bring your team on board.
5. Share Your Vision - Ali Hale hits the nail on the head. Bring the team together and talk about the vision. Reflect together. Track progress. Help your team members understand how their actions are contributing to the greater solution.

We know that it is not enough to keep our team excited for a week, or until we have delivered the first milestone – we need to engage them from the heart. We need to connect with those things that truly inspire them, to lift themselves to the highest level they can. We know that everyone responds differently, but importantly, we know how we expect people to respond. The challenge is there for us. Bring it on.

What do you think? How do you motivate your teams? How do you keep their lights on?

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