Interactive Motivational Skills - Assignment Example

?The yardstick for gauging professional human output is with motivation as the common denominator, whether in an individual capa or as a member within a team. A host of both internal, and factors external to the human being play a pivotal role in the individual‘s contribution. This exercise is aimed at identifying the external interventions which can be instrumental in increasing motivation in both individual and team situations in organisations, with emphasis on the skills needed to match with their perceived differences. Motivation in simple terms is the brick-and-mortar for laying the psychological foundation for the development of human competence in everyday life. It is otherwise an abstract term, highlighting an inner human feeling emerging out of a churning of physiological, psychological and social component processes for energizing an individual in “selection of pursuits for maintaining a sustained, goal-directed performance amidst competing alternatives, intensity of effort and persistence of exertion” (Bandura, 1991, p.158). It tends to become complex when different individuals, groups and cultures acquire very different beliefs about what exactly defines control, success and effectiveness at work. Aided by the right level of positive emotions like humour and happiness to induce commitment towards their goals, supported by their cherished values of interest, skill or utility with the right blend of self-belief for facing challenges is what motivating individuals is all about. The factors motivating individuals are realistic levels of self-confidence, positive emotional climates and strong personal values for work related tasks. A personal intention to succeed at assigned goals is very motivating for individuals. Against the outdated early theories treating humans as machine-like entities driven by internal or external factors beyond their control, contemporary motivation theories handling issues such as incentives, drives, needs and the like, influencing and tapping human capabilities through self-direction and self-regulation to an extent appear short sighted. Life Systems Framework approach is aimed at a more rational integrated analysis and appreciation of the unitary and component parts of an individual, both in isolation and in unison for assessing the stability and change in the functioning of the component parts of the person and the person as a whole. Coming under the more recent Motivational Systems Theory, a realistic study of all aspects of the characteristics of people in general, and the organisation and the actualisation of these characteristics in persons for assessing motivation in individuals has become meaningful for going into the subject in depth in recent times. The belief that no one can motivate another person leads to individual motivation being invoked always from within. The degree of motivation is governed by the external environment in which individuals function and the demands made of them. The level of involvement that they feel and the degree of interest they have in what they are doing, is directly linked to the individual’s advancement through an organisation. Open business cultures are increasing transparency. We are living in an ‘aware’ culture of work-life harmony with no security of employment. Individual motivation is undergoing a change in tune with the contemporary requirements of fast changing organisations. Modern manager’s role lies in creating the conditions and encouragement that enable individuals to motivate themselves, despite the pulls and pressures. It is important to have self esteem and mutual respect among teammates. They must have a collective belief that, they are capable of succeeding as a team. It is of prime importance in motivating teams, as one can see “in pressure-packed overtime matches where contestants are evenly matched and a mistake brings sudden death defeat ...perceived group efficacy emerges as the sole determinant of overtime performance” (Bandura, 1997, p.383). An environment helping the team members to interact and discuss with others in achieving their goals is not only necessary but also desirable. Making individual team members accountable by accurate and fair assessment should be encouraged. Creating a positive energy which promotes a spirit of friendship among them is essential for the genuine belief to get accepted, that even the weaker members strive hard to make their valuable contributions, as confirmed by the studies conducted for preserving team motivation. The most important motivational task is however to direct the competitive spirit of the team, outside the team and within the organisation for boosting their morale. Present research points at enhanced satisfaction, motivation and commitment when interdependence parameters of task and outcome are appropriately matched (Van Der Vegt. G, Emans. B. and Van De Vliert. E, 2000), though the “carrot and stick approach in work team motivation” (David L. Dickinson, 2001) is believed to have yielded partial success. The first step in motivating teams is to be aware of the larger goal of building sustainable and profitable growth of an organisation on the four constituent pillars; getting the right people with a focus on the team composition in conformity with the company goals; setting goals on a regular basis, with special emphasis on role clarity and provision for making periodic review based mid-course corrections; finding out what makes each individual tick is important because individual motivation always precedes team motivation. Treating every individual differently, one need to engage on a one-to-one basis to ascertain the personal core values which motivate the person; and, creating the right team environment in a variety of ways like facilitating group problem solving by brainstorming; conducting every team meeting as a team building session encouraging members to engage at a personal level with a view to getting to know each other more closely; indulging in random acts of kindness to break down barriers et al. Interactive motivational skills creating a productive work environment with apt work practices, goal setting and use of an effective reward system for establishing a kind of atmosphere and culture where one gets charged up to excel, are the essential prerequisites available to a manager for developing teams that get focussed and committed to organisational goals. A well designed work, enriched with elements organised to match individual skills and interests, is the first step and recipe for building a highly motivated team to deliver an impacting performance. Defining precise, challenging and consistent goals, wherein personal goals of individuals find expression in the organisational goals using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound) route of goal setting is the best tool for use by a manager. Given the fact that each human being is unique, a manager should make use of each one’s varying strengths by understanding and meeting the individual needs in building homogeneous teams to bring out their best. Individuals must be rewarded for their contributions based on disciplined efforts put in by them, by a ‘fair’ and just procedure of evaluation; it not only enhances team-member job satisfaction but also the momentum for paving the way for undertaking more challenging tasks with greater vigour. Devoting exclusive time for attempting to understand the people he is working with, a manager can display a more open and honest leadership style. External causes force organisations to frequently modify their strategies for reaching their goals. A good manager aware of the overall business interests and issues should be tackling his people intelligently with good communication skills for nurturing relationships, despite these de-motivating realities. An informal discussion with people about their aspirations and concerns enhances their comfort level and improves the team dynamics. The dynamics of musical harmony is the eventual outcome of a sustained effort of the conductor of a Symphony Orchestra with prior hard work. How does it matter as long as skilled managers yearning for productive quality outputs are ultimately successful in motivating persons to their full potential, whether as individuals or in teams, to meet long term organisational goals? References 1) Bandura, A. (1991). Human Agency: The rhetoric and the reality. American Psychologist, 46, 157-162, p.158; & (1997). Self-efficacy: the exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman, p.383. 2) Boddy, D. (2011). Management: An Introduction, 5th Edition, Financial Times, Prentice. 3) Clark, Richard. E. (2006). Handbook of Human Performance Technology: Principles, Practices and Potential, 3rd Edition, Pfeiffer, San Francisco, p. 478 – 497 4) Dickinson, David L. (2001). The carrot vs. the stick in work team motivation, Experimental Economics, Vol. 4, Number 1: Web. Nov 1 2011 http://www.springerlink.com/content/h6244412864636rp/ 5) Ford, Martin E. (1992). Motivating Humans: goals, emotions, and personal beliefs: Web. Nov 1 2011 http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_b-RmaOI8bQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Main+differences:+Motivating+individuals+vs+Motivating+Teams&ots=RtcnUXHph2&sig=AdEaoEdgD4ViDvIjWSpOWz9I7T8#v=onepage&q&f=false 6) Mullins. L. (2010). Management and Organisation Behaviour. 7) Van Der Vegt G., Emans B. and Van De Vliert E., (2000). Motivation Effects of Task and Outcome Interdependence in Work Teams, Sage Publishers: Web. Nov 1 2011 http://gom.sagepub.com/content/23/2/124.refs.html Read More