Some Popular Misconception about Motivation and Rewards

Some Popular Misconception about Motivation and Rewards

We offer the following to open your mind to the challenges in motivating today's workforce and to show you how preconceived notions can limit your ability to get the most out of your people.

Myth: Motivation is individual-specific. Fact: Motivation is situation-specific.

Many people assume that some people are highly motivated and others are lazy. Managers who follow this assumption spend a lot of time in the selection process trying to find job candidates who are "motivated." The fact is, few of us are highly motivated all of the time, regardless of the task. Similarly, almost everyone is highly motivated occasionally.

If you want to get the most out of people, stop looking for the "super" individual. Your time will be better spent, and employee motivation will increase, if you learn what is important to each individual and (recognizing that this will change with times and conditions) match people to jobs that fit their interests and personality. You should also ensure that rewards are linked to performance and focus on similar situational factors.

Myth: Л motivated worker is a high-performing employee.

Fact: High employee performance requites ability and support as well as motivation.

Motivation is only one element in getting employees to perform at their highest level. Just as important are ability and support. Individuals need to have the skills and talent necessary to do the job properly. If they are underskilled or undertrained, their performance will suffer. They also need to have the tools, equipment, supplies, favorable working conditions, helpful colleagues, sufficient information, and similar supportive resources so that they can do their best work. Nothing is more demotivating than to want to do a good job but to be incapable of it because you have outdated computer software, a poorly designed workstation, shabby tools, or unqualified co-workers.

Myth: Young people today aren't motivated.

Fact: Young people today are more unorthodox, rebellious, and have different values than baby boomers; but they aren't necessarily less motivated.

Young workers today, the so-called Generation X. have different work values than baby boomers. Generation X workers value flexibility, job satisfaction, and loyalty to relationships. They are much more individualistic than boomers. They value family and relationships. Money is important as an indicator of career performance, but they are willing to trade off salary increases, titles, security, and promotions for expanded lifestyle options and work that challenges them. And Xers are not loyal to a single employer. Consistent with the growth of the contingent workforce, they want to build a diverse set of skills that will maintain their marketability.

Young people today can be highly motivated workers. But managers have to accommodate their needs.

Myth: Most people are interested in absolute rewards.

Fact: People are more sensitive to relative differences than to absolute differences.