Motivation - 12 June 2007

Motivation isn't something which can be forced upon employees. All that you can do is set up a work environment that enables employees to motivate themselves. However, many managers resort to negative motivation, which in effect is using fear to influence people to behave in a certain way. The most frequently used negative motivators include written warnings, threats of termination, the removal of benefits, and micromanagement. I'm not suggesting that these shouldn't occur when performance is consistently poor.

They should be used as a last resort. It's simply true that it's more effective (and less stressful) to motivate employees using positive consequences rather than negative ones.

If negative motivation worked, prison inmates wouldn't re-offend upon their release, when currently most do. It would also be expected that the longer prison sentences that adults receive would deter youths from committing crimes once they turned 18. Instead, a study in Florida has found no difference in the rate of crime between youths and adults.

There are so many positive motivators available to use at work, such as: communicating openly; providing public recognition; fostering a sense of achievement; empowering employees to make decisions; allocating additional responsibilities; seeking feedback; incorporating employees' talents in their work; and making jobs interesting and meaningful.

Negative motivation only changes short-term behaviour whilst positive motivation changes long-term values. It's time to do away with the lock and key approach.

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