★ Hi everyone, happy Friday ★
Welcome to The Contrarian. In my last analysis, To Hack Growth, Hack Company Culture, I dove into the relationship between employee well-being and company performance. And in my last personal essay, I wrote about Why I Took a Career Break and How I Spent It. Today, we talk about how to use employee motivators to build an amazing culture. Find me on Instagram and LinkedIn.
☆☆☆ A REVELATION ☆☆☆
Let's start with a quick revelation I've had in recent years. Every single person we meet and encounter throughout our lives is one-of-a-kind. You will never meet the same two people, ever. Even in the span of history. People can grow up in the same town, hold similar opinions, have the same friends, can be siblings, hell, they can even be twins, but they will never have all the same exact experiences, thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. Each interaction with each person is incredibly unique. It can be so beautiful if you really think about it. Like when you meet someone or when someone meets you, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience. Those moments in time, the exact words shared, and the stories exchanged can never be replicated ever again in time nor can be replicated with anyone else.
I genuinely feel a deep sense of joy when I interact with people because I can connect and learn about all different types of individuals. I get to hear about their experiences and ask them questions about their lives and who they are. It doesn’t matter if it’s a child or an adult or an employee or a CEO of a company or someone with a completely different viewpoint than my own. All that matters is that they are them.
•.¸¸.•* BACK TO THE WORKPLACE .•*´¨`*•
I began to reflect on my experiences at work, and I found that I find conditional environments, where there is a strong sense of authority, to be so… limiting.
I thought about why that is. And I think a large part of it is because an organization’s culture dictates what you can and cannot do; the work you do, who you can talk to, how you act, how you feel, and how engaged you are. As an employee, your growth, development, attitudes, and emotions are at the mercy of the structures put in place for you.
It strips the beauty away. Instead of embracing each person for who they uniquely are and what they individually bring to their roles, we box them into our organizations. We try to get them to fit into roles assigned to them, which limits employees from exploring their natural curiosity and creativity. In turn, destroying our organization’s culture and hurting employee satisfaction.
It extends beyond embracing our individuality and role design, our titles give us access to some people but not everyone since there is a chain of command, we can't explore our nature curiosities, like wanting to understand how another department operates, without permission, and when we want more responsibility, like a promotion, we’re often told to wait months if not years for managers to realize our potential. It's so weird!
I understand that a different set of rules apply in the workplace as status, ego, money, and livelihood are all at play. Elements of these structures will always be in place at work, but we only have one life and a finite amount of time.
It makes me question…
If we spend one-third of our (life)time working, can we create organizational cultures that are based in our individual uniqueness and strengths?
So, I decided to look at the research.
˚.✦.˳·˖✶⋆THE RESEARCH⋆✶˖·˳.✦.˚
✶ LEADERSHIP: WHAT DO MANAGERS THINK OF EMPLOYEES? ✶
First, I examined how assumptions about employees by managers or organizations dictate management practices in traditional workplace structures. I reviewed Douglas McGregor's concept of 'Theory X and Theory Y' from his 1960 book 'The Human Side of Enterprise,' which directly addressed how managers' assumptions about employees determine their management approach.
According to McGregor, these assumptions fall into two categories:
Theory X: Assumes that employees are inherently lazy and dislike work. Employees do not want to assume responsibility or be directed, and they value safety above all. Due to this assumption, managers feel they need to exert control and threaten employees with punishments to ensure they work adequately. Managers who believe in this theory think external control is necessary to handle irresponsible people.
Theory Y: Assumes that employees are self-directed and creative. Employees are not considered lazy, in fact, they are self-motivated and excited to go to work. Supervisors believe that these employees thrive under supportive leadership, and managers focus on aligning an individual’s goals with the organization’s goals. Productivity and performance are typically high under this management structure.
Studies indicate that labeling Theory X as inherently negative and Theory Y as inherently positive would be an oversimplification. While it is generally advisable for organizations to adopt Theory Y principles in their management practices, there are situations where a more structured and guided approach is necessary to support employee growth and development until they reach a level of self-direction and enhanced creativity.
McGregor, D & Cutcher-Gershenfeld, J. (2006). The human side of enterprise, annotated edition. New York: McGraw Hill.
✶ MOTIVATORS: WHY DO EMPLOYEES GO TO WORK? ✶
Next, I explored research that could shed light on the factors that drive an employee's motivation to work. Frederick Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory caught my attention, as it suggests that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are influenced by two distinct sets of factors: motivators and hygiene factors.
Motivator Factors: Known to enhance employee performance and satisfaction. These factors relate directly to the work itself and provide opportunities for personal growth and achievement. When these factors are present, employees will feel more motivated to complete their tasks. It’s important to note that each person’s motivators are different, therefore, leaders must ask their staff what is most important to them (more on that in the ‘Takeaways’ section).
Examples of motivator factors: recognition, achievement, possibility for growth, work itself, responsibility, meaningful work, etc.
Hygiene Factors: Considered the basic requirements or "bare minimum" that employees expect from their job and workplace. These factors don't necessarily lead to satisfaction or motivation when present, but their absence can cause feelings of less satisfaction or even dissatisfaction.
Examples of hygiene factors: salary, relationships (with supervisor, peers, subordinates), working conditions, company culture, work-life balance, status, job security, administration, etc.
For instance, an employee that receives a fair salary, has good relationships with his/her supervisor and peers, and has job security may not feel more motivated or satisfied at work. However, if one of these elements is missing or inadequate the employee will begin feeling less satisfied or even dissatisfied.
Each employee has a “bare minimum” expectation for their organizations, and if those basic hygiene factors are unmet, employees might be considered ‘at-risk’ for leaving the organization simply because they are not as satisfied as they could be. Employers can increase employee satisfaction by focusing on motivator factors and directing employees to the work itself, but the basic needs still must be met.
Herzberg, Frederick (January-February 1964). The Motivation-Hygiene Concept and Problems of Manpower. Personnel Administrator (27): pp. 3–7.
✶ HOW CAN LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES COME TOGETHER? ✶
A few months ago, I watched a lecture at Google conducted by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor, authors of “Primed to Perform - How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation”. The researchers addressed the types of employees that predict the best job performance and what companies can do to build their cultures.
Doshi and McGregor began the lecture by defining performance, they stated that there are two types of performance that are seen in organization’s:
Tactical Performance: Following directions and executing on a plan provided for you. This type of performance is created by strategy and executed by following a plan step by step. Think Theory X.
Example: You work at a customer service center, and the company gives you an estimate of the number of calls that will come in, gives you a script to read, reading a script, tells you how long to spend on the phone with each customer, etc.
Adaptive Performance: Diverging from the plan provided for you creating new areas for growth. This type of performance is focused on creating, and it is bred in culture. Think Theory Y.
Example: You work at a customer service center and encounter a recurring issue not covered in your training. Instead of sticking to the script, you take initiative to develop a new approach, improving customer satisfaction and benefiting the company.
We know that productivity and performance is higher with adaptive performance, however most companies hold metrics and KPI’s that drive tactical performance. It’s a negative correlation; the higher tactical performance, the lower adaptive performance. So, the stricter the rules and guidelines, the less room for play and creativity.
But is play and creativity really that important? Well, Doshi and McGregor found that it matters if it matters to the employee - the ‘why’ behind an employee’s work determines how well an employee works. In other words, based off everything we’ve reviewed thus far - yes, it really is that important. Let’s get into it.
An individual’s ‘why’ stems from one of three places:
The work itself
A person’s identity (their values and beliefs)
External factors (like your parents or your in-laws)
Direct Motives: These are the motives that relate directly to the work itself, and these motives increase adaptive performance.
Play: Strongest indicator of performance. You work because you love the work, and the work feels like play. You are curious, excited, experimental, creative, and adaptive about the work.
A teacher enjoys creating lesson plans, seeing student development, and engaging with students.
Purpose: You work because you want to produce an outcome.
A teacher works because he/she (or they) believes in educating children.
Potential: You work because the work enhances your potential.
A teacher wants to be a principal someday and knows that this role is a stepping-stone to get there.
Indirect Motives: These motives do not relate to the work at all, and they will destroy all adaptive performance.
Emotional Pressure: You work because you feel some type of negative emotion like fear, guilt, peer pressure, disappointment.
A teacher feels guilty that students are under-performing, so he/she decides to tutor them after school. The teacher is tutoring the students to alleviate the guilt, not because their motive it is rooted in play, purpose or potential.
Think about what happens once the students become performing well again - the teacher will lay off because there will be no more guilt.
Economic Pressure: Gain a reward or avoid a punishment to do the work.
A teacher gets an annual bonus if his 80% his/her students earn an A in the class.
Teacher might cut corners by offering extra credit or extra incentives to earn the bonus. Although the students have earned an A, it might not mean they have retained the information.
Inertia: Doing it because I did it yesterday and they day before that and the day before that.
A teacher goes to work because he/she has always gone to work.
Researchers found that the closer the motive is to the work itself, the more powerful the adaptive performance. Meaning that play is the most powerful and inertia is the most destructive.
Both organizations and employees can utilize these findings:
Employees should seek roles that offer them the most play, purpose and potential. They will not only do higher quality work and feel more satisfied, but they will also be more engaged.
Employers should structure job descriptions to offer more adaptive performance by creating roles rooted in play, purpose, and potential. Employees should also hire employees that are excited to do the work itself. As we learned last week, worker engagement is directly linked to a company’s financial performance.
YouTube Video is linked here.
✦⋆⋇ WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? ⋇⋆✦
✦ WHAT ARE EMPLOYEES SAYING ABOUT THEIR ROLES TODAY? ✦
As of 2023, 50% of employees are actively seeking new roles or would not be opposed to leaving their current organizations. To put this in perspective, this is HALF of our workforce today. Read full article here.
As mentioned in last week’s article, in 2023, 69% of employees voluntarily left their organizations due to ‘engagement and culture’ and ‘well-being and work-life balance’. Read full article here.
Here is a breakdown of that —
If employees were given the option to choose one reason to leave their positions, approximately 70% of the work force would leave due to one of the reasons listed above. Compensation and benefits only equated for 16% of the responses (kind of crazy when you think about it because most people ask for more pay!!).
♥︎♥︎ TAKEAWAYS ♥︎♥︎
As always, I won’t leave you without solutions. But first, let’s quickly tie everything together.
We looked at Douglas McGregor’s model of “Theory X and Theory Y” first to understand how an employee is managed based on their manager’s perception. If a manager’s general perception of an employee is that they are “lazy”, “avoid work”, and “need guided direction” then they will apply strict rules and guidelines to ensure compliance. However, if a manager thinks that employees are “self-directed” and “excited” then they will allow their direct reports to be more creative which sparks innovation.
Next, we looked at what employees need in their workplaces. We found through Frederick Herzberg’s research that employees have ‘bare minimum’ requirements known as hygiene factors that must be present in the workplace. If they are not present up to the employee’s standards, they will be less satisfied. However, to increase employee satisfaction and productivity motivator factors are used, and they are directly related to the job itself. Through this research we learned that each person has their own individual list of motivators that is unique to that specific individual. Managers should learn what is most important to their direct reports in terms of both hygiene and motivator factors, and then manage each team member specifically based on what they report.
Lastly, we looked at Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor’s research on motivation in the workplace. Their research indicates that organizations should encourage more adaptive performance, and to do that, they should focus on intrinsic motivation. It’s important to determine why an employee does the work they do each day because it will tell you how well that employee will work. This research digs one step deeper than what we’ve seen thus far, and instead of putting an emphasis on what the organization can provide, it’s asking: why does the employee approach the work this way?
♥︎ WHAT WE CAN DO ♥︎
ORGANIZATIONS:
Adopt Flexible Management Styles: Embrace Theory Y where possible, recognizing that certain roles may require more structured approaches. Balance is key.
Selective Hiring: Focus on recruiting managers who naturally see the potential in others and align with the organization's values. Implement hiring practices that assess motivational fit.
Promote Individuality: Actively encourage employees to express their unique perspectives and ideas, enhancing a culture of inclusivity and diversity.
Refine Job Descriptions: Ensure job descriptions allow flexibility for creativity and innovation, catering to the evolving needs of both the organization and its employees.
MANAGERS:
Evaluate Trust and Openness: Reflect on your trust in your team. Ensure that your team members know they are trusted and feel comfortable contributing ideas.
Encourage Employee Input: Regularly solicit feedback and ideas from employees on how their roles and the work environment can improve.
Understand Team Needs: Take time to learn the specific hygiene and motivator factors important to each team member, and tailor your management approach accordingly.
I used to ask my direct reports about their motivators every year through this question:
Rank the following items from most important to least important: Compensation and Benefits
Meaningful Work
Recognition/Reward for Performance
Work/Life Balance
Advancement/Growth
Strong Team Environment
Company Culture
Facilitate Role Adaptation: Discuss with employees how they approach their work and explore opportunities for role adjustments or enhancements that play to their strengths.
EMPLOYEES:
Choose Your Manager Wisely: Recognize that selecting a manager is a significant decision. This relationship is pivotal, as your manager will guide and influence your professional growth.
Identify Your Key Motivators: Understand and communicate what motivates you and what your essential hygiene factors are, ensuring these are addressed in your workplace.
Reflect on Intrinsic Motivation: Analyze the deeper reasons behind your work. Understanding your intrinsic motivators can lead to more fulfilling and engaging work experiences.
As always, my suggestions and opinions are based on my experience and my research. I can easily expand my mindset with more information, and I genuinely hope to. Please feel free to share your thoughts or opinions or experiences with me. I want to hear from you - even if you hold a differing viewpoint.
Send me a message or a comment to lmk what you think.
Sending you lots of LOVE!!!! ♥︎
XOXO,
Palak