Ok, we have put some fun items (t-shirts, mugs, calendars) out on CafePress – check it out for some fun and whimsical motivational gifts http://www.cafepress.com/ru_motivated 
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I recently returned from a trip to Italy and I observed firsthand how motivation, passion, and work can intertwine to make something beautiful. I had the pleasure of staying at an Agriturismo or working farm in the Tuscany area. Two out of the three nights we stayed, we participated in a home cooked meal which included ingredients from the Agriturismo as well as other farms within a 50 miles radius. In addition, we enjoyed the wine that they produced and sold.
Throughout the evening we were able to sample a variety of different wines, some were currently on the market while others were deemed experiments. I enjoyed listening to the winemaker describe where the grapes were grown, what the climate was for a particular year and how it affected the grapes. But my favorite moment was when he shared one of his experiments with us and I commented that I really liked it. His face shown like the brightest light with his smile and he spun around and jumped up and down like a kid trying to dance an Irish jig. I thought to myself, wow, that is it, the physical manifestation of passion.
I thought this was a unique opportunity to look at how the four drive model was working within the Tuscan kitchen. The following is based on my experience and perceptions of witnessing a passionate winemaker share his love for a product that is clearly more to him than just a product, it is a part of him and everyone that had a hand in creating the wine. Below I utilized the four drives, Acquire and Achieve, Bond and Belong, Challenge and Comprehend, and Defend and Define to bring to life the motivational drives to produce a wine that has soul and strength.
Acquire and Achieve: The winemaker had an ambition to sell good quality wine that was a standout in the region. One of the ways of achieving this was to experiment and take chances in order to make that dream happen. Selling the wine allowed him to acquire the things he wanted, selling the best good quality wine, allowed him to achieve a sense of accomplishment and prestige.
Bond and Belong: The winemaker would tell us stories of the workers on the ‘farm’ aka winery and how they all worked together to produce this amazing product that he was so proud of sharing with us. I could tell by how he described the process and the grapes that it was a team effort. The relationships and camaraderie were as important for him in producing the wine as the grapes.
Challenge and Comprehend: Creating the perfect wine for the market is a constant challenge and learning process. When to harvest, which grapes to grow, how will the grapes interact, is a part of creating the right wine. How do you know when to play a hunch, with an idea for a different kind of wine? The winemaker loved finding out if his ‘hunch’ was right on his experiments during our dinners at the Agriturismo. He was learning and listening to his customers and then he will apply that knowledge to produce a great wine.
Defend and Define: The area the winemaker grew grapes in is the Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG a very proud and distinguished region for growing grapes. The importance of having the certification for the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) means the grapes are produced in a specific region under defined quality standards. This is a great source of pride and being a part of a larger Vernaccia grape growing community is important to the quality of the product and to the pride of the winemaker, so defend the grape!
As I reflect on the dining experiences with our wonderful hosts I see how the four drive model of motivation was living and breathing in the Tuscan kitchen for our wonderful winemaker. It may seem like an odd place to find the four drive model but why not? When working with different models sometimes they are hard to bring to life from a concept to every day practicality. It is in working with them, applying them to situations that the model can come to life and show its power and strength. Just like a winemaker needs to tend to the grapes, the four drive model needs to be worked with to bring it to life and not just words on paper.
Susan Stone
Salespeople who are engaged in their roles, who are motivated to succeed, and who’s goals are aligned with the organizational goals have been shown to have a significant impact on helping an organization succeed (Badovick, Hadaway, & Kaminski, 1992). Successful organizations understand this and try to keep their sales employees motivated and engaged through a variety of motivational methods – mostly involving extrinsic rewards. While much has been much written about how extrinsic rewards may have a detrimental effect of on a sales person’s intrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan, Kohn, or Pink) there is little disagreement on the short-term impact that extrinsic rewards can have on a company’s performance. The short-term benefit of extrinsic rewards assures us that these rewards will be used in businesses no matter what Alfie Kohn or Dan Pink has to say on the topic.
It is important then that we get sales incentives right. We need to ensure that as leaders, we are not limited in our thinking about how we can structure sales incentives and how they operate. We must look at optimizing how our incentive plans are designed, the type of reward that is offered, and how goals are set.
Extrinsic Reward Program Structure
There is a very clear framework, based on the research that suggests that extrinsic reward programs should be designed such that the rewards are contingent on achieving increasing performance goals. By doing this, companies not only limit the negative impact that extrinsic rewards can have an intrinsic motivation, they also increase the actual performance that extrinsic rewards drive. This means that the use of non-contingent incentive rewards should be limited. It means that incentive plans that are strictly “do this – get that” are not optimal. Contests that rank people against one another also are not optimal as they only provide feedback that the sales person did better than the others – not against a goal.
Extrinsic Reward Type
The typical reward for performance is usually cash. When surveyed, over 70% of sales people indicate that they would prefer cash. However, there have been studies that show non-cash rewards (i.e., trips, merchandise) have a bigger impact on performance than cash alone. This does not mean that one would replace their annual sales incentive programs cash bonus with rewards of trips and tv’s – but it does mean there should probably be a mix. It should also be noted, that sometimes extrinsic rewards are based on fulfilling the drive for Achievement and as such, do not require significant outlays of dollars – recognition of performance by senior leaders can be a significant motivator for sales people.
Goal Setting
A majority of sales incentive plans have goals that are provided to individuals. Goals are good – they have been shown to increase performance across a myriad of environments (see Locke and Lathum). However, we’ve seen significant backlash against goals when they are not understood or felt to be so out of reach as to be laughable. The negative impact of this can outweigh any positive motivation that you get from the incentives. Goals must be understood and bought into (i.e., perceived as fair) to be effective. There are a number of ways that companies can do this, but they often require changing systems and processes that have been in place for years. The key is to get the setting of individual sales goals to be as close to the sales representatives as possible, while still ensuring that they align with the company sales objectives. The science (or art) of this can be very daunting – but trust me, I’ve seen it done. One simple way to help is to provide a means for front-level managers to effectively shift quota from one territory to another but provide mechanisms to ensure fairness.
Of course extrinsic rewards are just one piece of the motivational puzzle and shouldn’t be used as the only lever to drive motivation and engagement. The key is to ensure that the incentives are right and that they do not detract from the other methods of motivation.
There has been a significant amount of research on the merits of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation (see Eisenberger, Deci, Ryan, Locke, Latham, Kohn, and now Dan Pink…). Both sides of the controversy claim that their favored motivational drive is best. In my opinion, they are both barking up the wrong tree.
It has been shown empirically that both types of motivation drive behavior. In the real world, both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are utilized in almost all work situations. I don’t know of any work place that doesn’t provide employees with some type of pay and most have some sort of variable pay. I also don’t know of a workplace where there isn’t a focus on (or at least lip service to) improving how jobs are structured for greater engagement or how leaders can inspire their employees. However, the real discussion should be on how to leverage both forms of motivation to get the behavior change that is needed.
The main issue in this debate focuses around the general impact that extrinsic reward has on intrinsic motivation. Both sides of the debate admit that in certain circumstances extrinsic rewards can either have a detrimental or positive impact on intrinsic motivation. The issue that businesses face is how to create incentives that not only drive immediate performance but also have a positive influence on intrinsic motivation. The discussion needs to be not on an either/or type scenario, but on how do we leverage the power of both.
Dan Ariely brings us research that highlights how we don’t always understand what it is that drives us or motivates us. If you haven’t read his book, “Predictably Irrational” I highly recommend it – go out and buy it now! I think the real insight here is how we as humans tend to believe that we are in control of our own behavior – that we choose our decisions based on rational decision criteria. As you will see in this clip, Dan shows how off we are.
This is important for us thinking about employee motivation because of the implications it raises. For instance, while I think it is important to ask people what it is that motivates them, we have to take the answers they give with a grain of salt – because they don’t always know. As I stated in an earlier post, we need to look beyond their answers and get at the underlying drives that move them. As with Dan Pink’s video, the power of this clip is in how it makes us re-examine what we think we already know. Enjoy!
How do you increase employee motivation? For many companies, it appears that they think it is done by just changing their reward systems. In their worldview, “more money equals more motivation.” I had one Regional Sales Manager tell me in an interview, “…if I could just get more dollars down to my reps, they would be fully motivated.” It often seems that companies view their pay plans as the only lever they have to use to impact employee motivation. This simply isn’t true.
Dan Pink, in the TED presentation he gave in July of 2009 (see post below), highlights some of the fallacies that focusing only on the pay plan can have. We agree with a lot of what he says. We know that pay is a vital part of a comprehensive motivational strategy but that there is more to motivation than just pay. Using the four-drive model we understand that there are other levers that can be used to improve performance. Companies need to expand their thinking and look at how they are creating cultures that improve employee’s ability to bond with their co-workers, managers and customers. Leader’s need to structure work so that employees are challenged and that they have an opportunity to learn and grow. Organizations cultures need to be enhanced so that workers feel like they belong to something worth defending.
However, we must also think about pay. The drive to acquire is a strong motivational force. I don’t know of many people that would do their jobs for free (however, I’m sure there are a few out there). I also know that most people would consider leaving a job they loved if they were offered enough money to go to a different job. That being said, more money in and by itself is not enough to drive significantly more motivation in the long run. Pay needs to be structured so that it is fair, it provides guidance around what the organization values (i.e., incentive pay focused on revenue is very different than one focused on market share), provide feedback to the individual about their performance, and allow the opportunity to satisfy the drive to acquire.
Much of Dan Pinks presentation (I’m anxiously waiting for his book) points to the negative aspects that incentives can have on creativity and intrinsic motivation. This is true. The alternative can also be true. Work by Eisenberger and Rhoades (2001) concluded that “how” the extrinsic reward is perceived by the participants has a significant impact on the effect it has on motivation. They found that when extrinsic rewards are designed to reward improvement or quality aspects of their work, their creativity improved. The important part then is not that incentive pay (or pay in general) is bad, but how it is structured and perceived needs to be well thought out to ensure that you are driving the right behaviors.
Kurt
Are 140 Characters Considered a Bonding Moment?
Have you ever noticed that when you are speaking with your colleagues that much of the conversation revolves around surface level things? Things such as the weather, project updates, weekend plans, and the recipe for the great veggie dip from the potluck lunch.
As improbable as it sounds, it seems like there are often more in-depth conversations going on within social media sites like facebook and Twitter than between colleagues in the workplace. There seems to be a shift in how we interact with each other that is taking place. This new form of conversation can reveal a more authentic side of people. Is it because it is easier to connect with others who you may not know? When I sit down and stare at my Twitter home page I am 140 characters away from connecting with hundreds, if not thousands, of people around the world. This is appealing in many ways for us as we truly enjoy connecting with people. Technology has made connecting with individuals from anywhere in the world very easy to do. The dark side of this is that when we log off Twitter or facebook we can feel like we are missing something. Are we missing an opportunity to bond with someone?
The 4-drive theory shows us that the drive to bond is a fundamental human drive. People can recognize and understand it immediately when it is happening real time. As human beings we have a drive to connect with other people and the depth of those connections will vary based upon your relationships with them. We bond differently with different people, at different points in our lives and for different reasons. The common aspect is the desire to have a positive relationship with other another human being. We do this through sharing stories, exchange ideas, and listening to one another.
The question is this – how does technology impact our drive to bond? Can the drive to bond be satisfied 140 characters at a time? Do we need to have the happy-hour hang out scene after work in order for this drive to be filled, or can we bond effectively without ever meeting a person face-to-face? Is technology becoming just another avenue for us to bond or is it shifting the very nature of the bonding experience?
Based upon our limited experience, we feel that technology is shifting the very nature of our interactions. The ability to share thoughts and ideas with the world, changes how we communicate. That change can also impact how we connect with others. It provides opportunities for greater sharing and more revealing conversations. For many people, it is easier to tweet about a thought or idea than it would be to share that thought or idea coworkers. On this level, it can foster greater bonds. However, we’ve also realized that there is power to having face-to-face sharing. When Susan attended Blogwell, she met many tweeters on the bus and at the conference and because of the human aspect of meeting them in person, she was able to bond faster and with more trust. The real potential, as we see it, is in being able to meld these two forms and garner both the emotional aspects of face-to-face bonding with the deeper insight and discussion that often comes with the help of the electronic word.
We would welcome your thoughts and comments?
Dan Pink does a fantastic job in explaining some key science around incentives and motivation. This ties into the four drive model – showcasing the fact that we don’t leverage people’s motivation by money alone. Watch and enjoy.
thank you
I received a hand written thank you note for a project I did a few months ago. It was not only a pleasant surprise, but one that has maintained some impact after several months. I’m of the age that when I first started in work, we used to give recognition through hand written cards and notes on a regular (ok, maybe not so regular) basis. With the advent of e-mail and electronic forms of communication, the hand written thank you has gone the way of the pay phone – not quite dead, but pretty close.
There is something very special about a letter or note or thank you that is written by hand. It has a lot of stickiness in today’s electronic world – it stands out from the crowd. It also provides a sense of real appreciation – one that has taken a little bit of extra effort to do.
We did work with a large med device company this spring in which we interviewed a number of their sales people. These people were very highly compensated, had significant incentive earning opportunities, and fantastic recognition programs (valued at $10,000s of dollars). What struck me, was the impact that one VP of Sales had by writing hand written letters of appreciation to his top performers. One sales person went so far as to frame the letter and had it hanging in his office (note – he did not have the plaques or other awards that he earned up in his office). These letters had a greater recognition value and motivational impact than some programs that cost millions of dollars to the company.
So please excuse me, I’m going to go write a few thank you’s by hand.
Kurt
We all have a drive to bond. The desire to form meaningful, positive relationships with those around us. Research shows that this drive is one of the strongest motivators that we have as humans (see Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Lawrence and Nohria, 2002). Think of the impact that this strong human drive could have on business performance if harnessed? Think of the extra effort that you exert for your friends when they are in need – now apply that extra effort to a business.
The problem is that businesses typically see bonding only as something done in a team building session for an afternoon at the National Sales Meeting. Or worse, that bonding is idle chit-chat that steals company time and resources. How many organizations have you seen with policies regarding time spent away from the desk, on the internet, or using social media at work? Think about those companies that have strict policies regarding office fraternizing or dating. Or think of the norms that have been established about not mingling with your employees or being their friends after work. All of this is wrong!
Now I understand that there are reasons for these policies (legal issues, productivity lost, sandbaggers, etc.). The fact is, these policies inhibit bonding and socializing at work. The fact is, that bonding can be used to help motivate and inspire your workforce to higher productivity, more responsibility, and greater results. The issue is that companies need to pro-actively work on this – and that’s not easy.
There are a number of ways to foster increased bonding. Th first is to remove the roadblocks that inhibit socialization. Examine your policies and procedures to see if they can be eliminated or changed to help people get to know one another without serious loss of productivity. Then focus on creating a culture that encourages bonding and team work. Create opportunities for people to meet and discuss. Foster conversations between groups and levels within the organization. Identify social media tools to help people get to know one another on a more personal basis.
Here are a just a couple of ideas:
- Create a breakfast/lunch topics series – have people give a short presentation on a topic of their interest
- Start a job sharing/learning forum – one of the best ways to form a relationship at work is to help people understand what everyone does and how they do it
- Start each meeting with fast facts – a quick go around about something each person has recently done or is planning on doing
Give us some ideas of yours – we’ll not only post them here, but also on Twitter!
