The psychology of motivation

Kirsty Dean, Client Services Director at THA Group, discusses motivational programs, the psychology behind these and how one of the most powerful, yet underused, tools is that of good, targeted communication campaigns that cut through everyday ‘noise’ and ensure every team and individual receives the right message.

Clarity about who you are trying to motivate and the emotional and financial benefits is essential to drive performance and impact the bottom line; so is obtaining an accurate picture of the audience demographics and understanding their priorities. However, there is no ‘perfect performance’ solution, and what may work for one client is not guaranteed to work for another.

In devising an effective motivation and recognition program, every organization is unique. It is imperative there is a clear understanding of the style of messages that will work, the preferred communication channels and any potential complications within each individual organization. It is simple to apply motivation theory and past experience, but a solid foundation is central to the success of a program and implementation of the correct solution – you need an understanding of the organization, its objectives, audience and culture and a measurable, well planned program.

A bespoke program can be developed once there is an understanding of the target audience, their demographics, priorities, objectives, the purpose of the motivational program and the emotional and financial benefits this will bring. This could be a long-term strategic plan with the aim to change the mindset of the sales force, a short-term tactical such as an increased sales volume over the next quarter, or a mixture of both.

Gaining participant ‘buy-in’ is central to the success of any motivation or recognition program, and the opportunity for employee contribution in both the initial and ongoing development of a program is an important step in achieving this. Management-level buy-in also ensures it is viewed as a ‘must have’ and an addition of real value to their management suite of tools and to performance.

Previously the territory of sales teams, motivation campaigns are increasingly used to drive performance across entire organizations, meaning target groups include a variety of different roles. There is therefore a need to establish fair and objective measurements for what are often subjective, difficult to define behaviors: measuring a sales person’s performance against target is relatively straightforward, but how can you measure an office administrator on their contribution to the organization?

A commonly used technique for measuring the performance of non-targeted teams is the nominations of managers and/or colleagues. Performance criteria are set by the program planners and nominators define why they believe an individual has achieved against that criteria. More sophisticated programs may include an adjudication phase, where senior managers review nominations, deciding who should receive specific recognition and rewards. Success largely depends upon consistency in their frequency and quality, clear understanding of what is being measured and an open, clear process of adjudication.

Many incentive programs focus on techniques for driving objective, measurable performance criteria, such as sales revenue targets or units sold. Truly motivational campaigns also need to focus on the longer-term, strategic objectives and measure performance against desired behaviors or cultural change. Including standards and values in a performance measurement program provides a more valuable ‘holistic’ approach. The difficulty lies in establishing objective and fair measurements for what are often subjective behaviors.

So, how do you effectively measure performance against values such as ‘delighting customers’ or being ‘helpful’, ‘inspiring’ or ‘human’? Performance measurement programs that aim to change behavior must form part of a long-term, strategic commitment, with organizational values established and clearly communicated. The motivation campaign will then have to recognize, reward and communicate individual and team behaviors that demonstrate the company values.

It is also worth noting here that any program developed should be kept simple – in an age where people are increasingly busy, constantly pressed for time and often stressed, the program needs to complement. The old proverb “tell me, I will forget; show me, I may remember; involve me, I will learn” rings true in modern communications and sums up the approach that should be adopted – inspire people and engage with them to achieve results.