Motivating Today's Employees: A Practical Approach

Motivating Today's Employees: A Practical Approach

The basic rationale of this course is that “motivation is more the removal of obstacles than the inspiring of people.” This concept is based upon research and observation which indicates that most people are already desirous of doing a good job, as they see it and that de-motivated behavior comes about not through lack of desire, but because of barriers to achieving the goal of a “good job well done.”

To date, most training in motivation has been too psychologically oriented, implying that people are motivated only through manipulation of their psyche by their managers. Such programs may have added to the understanding of human nature, but have produced little actual improvement in higher performance among employees. In fact, the psychological approach to motivation often does not MOTIVATE —it DE-MOTIVATES!

This 1-day session begins with identifying fallacies in the current motivation theory. If most people want to do a good job, then what causes “De-Motivation?” Inharmonious concepts of a “job well done” and obstacles to performance prevent people from doing their best. Managers also have to bring organization and employee concepts of a “job well done” into agreement.

You will learn a practical, as opposed to a theoretical, approach to the two motivational jobs of the supervisor. You will have realistic techniques for fulfilling these responsibilities with usable skills that you can apply immediately back on the job.

By applying a practical approach to motivation, supervisors can have an immediate, positive impact on the performance of their subordinates, thus improving productivity. Their morale will be higher because of a clear understanding of how to improve subordinates’ dedication to the work. They will also be able to apply, consistent with Company policy, a practical approach to handling non-performers who do not respond to a motivating work environment.

Based on actual experience — not “theory”, all concepts will be documented through case examples and by analysis of participants’ experiences. Participants will learn firm, tested, proven, practical approaches to getting results.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will gain the ability to be able to:

  • Identify the most common fallacies of employee motivation that lead to problems rather than higher performance
  • Define and get concurrence with the employee on what constitutes a “Job Well Done”, distinguishing the difference between the organization’s definition and the employee’s definition of a “Job Well Done”
  • Recognize the difference between true obstacles to performance and simply “dissatisfiers”
  • Differentiate between true obstacles to performance and obstacles to work gratification
  • Use four tools in a disciplinary action to insure that everything possible has or will be done to improve employee’s performance and take action if improvement does not occur

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The more of your management team that attend this program together, the greater the on-the-job impact will be. Widespread results will be more immediate and longer lasting if a significant number of your management team are applying the same concepts at the same time — reinforcing each other’s performance.

PREREQUISITE

This course has no prerequisite.

MATERIALS

You will receive a course binder containing a copy of the presentation slides.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Motivation and Performance

  • Fallacies in current motivation theory
  • Why most people already want to do a good job
  • What caused de-motivation?
  • Inharmonious concepts of a “job well done”
  • Obstacles to performance

 

Your First Job
  • Obstacle removal or reduction
  • Types of obstacles
  • Identifying obstacles on the job
  • True “obstacles” vs. mere “gripe targets”

 

Your Second Job
  • Bringing organization and employee concepts of a “job well done” into harmony
  • Obstacles created by inharmonious work goals
  • 3 necessities for a work environment to produce high level performance

 

Your Third Job
  • Handling the fringe of employees who are truly unmotivated to do good work
  • The phenomenon of the “gradually declining minimum standards”
  • Upgrading group performance