When It Comes to Employee Motivation, One Size Does Not Fit All

No surprise there.

When It Comes to Employee Motivation, One Size Does Not Fit All

Motivation isn’t rocket science.

But it IS people science.

But it IS people science. And people science is a big deal.

And people science is a big deal. Because it drives big returns.

But it IS people science.

Trends in Global Engagement, Aon Hewitt

Did you know that increasing employee engagement by just 1%

Did you know that increasing employee engagement by just 1% has the potential to unlock $20 million in operating income for a $5-billion organization?

Trends in Global Engagement, Aon Hewitt

Trends in Global Engagement, Aon Hewitt

It does!

And, the big names in psychology and behavioral economics

Maslow Herzberg Deci & Ryan Kahneman

Really smart guys.

Maslow Herzberg Deci & Ryan Kahneman

tell us it’s a big deal.

They paved the way for modern-day motivation theory, supporting the fact that

people are motivated differently.

Some more intrinsically, from within.

Like the student who supplements her full daytime course load with night classes because she intrinsically loves learning that much.

Mastery (a-ha!)

Like the student who supplements her full daytime course load with night classes because she intrinsically loves learning that much.

Or the gamer who stays up ‘til 4 a.m. playing because he has to make it to the next level.

Drive (I’m going to

OWN this game.)

Or the gamer who stays up ‘til 4 a.m. playing because he has to make it to the next level.

Some more extrinsically, by external factors.

That’s the salesperson who won’t take no for an answer because they are determined to finish at the top of the quarterly leaderboard.

That’s the salesperson who won’t take no for an answer because they are determined to finish at the top of the quarterly leaderboard.

Competition (The top of the chart

is the only place to be.)

Or the gym-goer who is out to dominate the latest fitness challenge because they have their eyes on the prize (a seriously cool fitness tracker).

Or the gym-goer who is out to dominate the latest fitness challenge because they have their eyes on the prize (a seriously cool fitness tracker).

TangibleAwards

Groovy!

These are the individuals who make up your diverse employee-base, and

they create a need to think about motivation differently.

And while you can’t force motivation,

you can (strategically) INSPIRE IT.

How?

1Understand what moves your people.

2Use your

knowledge to determine

and implement motivators.

3Measure

and adjust. Continuously.

1Understand what moves your people.

2Use your

knowledge to determine

and implement motivators.

3Measure

and adjust. Continuously.

1Understand what moves your people.

2Use your

knowledge to determine

and implement motivators.

3Measure

and adjust. Continuously.

1Understand what

moves your people.

Study your demographics.

Ask your employees.

PollsSurveys

Interviews

Focus Groups

? What motivates them?

People will say cash. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean they want it.

TIP

According to a University of Chicago study, employees working toward a tangible award

According to a University of Chicago study, employees working toward a tangible award boosted their performance 24 percentage points higher than those working toward a cash award.

That's quite a lift!

According to a University of Chicago study, employees working toward a tangible award boosted their performance 24 percentage points higher than those working toward a cash award.

Right now, only 34.1% of U.S. employees

are engaged at work.

Gallup

34.1%!

So, it’s worth your while to

know what moves your people.

And, to know that what motivates one team member is different from what

drives the next.

2Use your knowledge to determine

and implement motivators.

But, before you roll out your motivators,

But, before you roll out your motivators, align them with corporate goals and initiatives.

Things like:

Sales Goals

Things like:

Sales Goals Customer Satisfaction Scores

Things like:

Sales Goals Customer Satisfaction Scores

Productivity Metrics

While your people’s happiness makes you happy,

as an employer, you’ve got to have the ROI to justify it.

Then, leverage a blend of

PURPOSE

BELONGING

STATUS

SOCIAL CONTACT

MASTERY

DRIVE

AUTONOMY

LEARNING

intrinsic motivation

intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation

PURPOSE

BELONGING

STATUS

SOCIAL CONTACT

MASTERY

DRIVE

AUTONOMY

LEARNING

COMPETITION

PRAISE

TANGIBLE AWARDS

MONEY

FEAR OF FAILURE

BENEFITS

SOCIAL RECOGNITION

ADVANCEMENT

to motivate each of your people

to motivate each of your peoplethrough a blend of engagement tactics.

like these.

RECOGNITION

TRAINING

NETWORKING

VOLUNTEERISM

LEADERBOARDS

BADGING

ROLE PROMOTION

TRAVEL REWARDS

TROPHIES

GIFT CARDS

CASH

RECOGNITION

TRAINING

NETWORKING

VOLUNTEERISM

LEADERBOARDS

BADGING

ROLE PROMOTION

TRAVEL REWARDS

TROPHIES

GIFT CARDS

CASH

3Measure and adjust.

Continuously.

Compare against the corporate goals and initiatives you outlined at the beginning.

Are your motivators performing the way you want them to?

Do you need to make adjustments?

Are your motivators performing the way you want them to?

Make measurement a continuous process.

It can be as simple

it can be as simple (or as complex) as you’d like.

TIP

Tools like your HRIS and CRM can help collect the historical data that defines your diverse audience—

TIP

Tools like your HRIS and CRM can help collect the historical data that defines your diverse audience—data you’ll use to set benchmarks for your progress.

When it comes to employee motivation,

When it comes to employee motivation, one size does not fit all.

Now's the perfect time to start thinking about motivation differently.

Want More on Motivation?

Driven Magazine: Motivating. Effective. Powerful. Whole-Employee Engagement Is Here.

Driven Magazine: The Science of Motivation & Engagement

Driven Magazine: Book Review— Motivation Must-Reads

THE SCIENCE of

MOTIVATION & ENGAGEMENT

ITA Group provides innovative engagement solutions—events, incentives and recognition programs—that maximize business impact and value for organizations globally.

For more than 50 years, we’ve served as a proven, trusted partner for some of the world’s biggest brands. And, each of our solutions is infused with MotivologySM, an exclusive brand of motivation that gives our clients a competitive advantage in aligning and motivating their most important asset—their people.

Learn more of our story at itagroup.com.