The Motivation of the Project Team - Essay Example

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Managing and leading people is a challenge, especially when it comes to leading project teams. Project leaders must find ways that ensure the entire work towards goal accomplishment. Various issues affect the way people work and their performance levels. Some of the issues include motivation, leadership, and effectiveness. Motivation is the major theme that the report evaluates. Several factors impact motivation in the workplace, and companies strive to promote a healthy work environment. Some of the big corporations may offer big perks and bonuses, while start-ups encourage creativity. Such factors can boost motivation. However, motivating a project team is another thing altogether. A project manager cannot just offer bonuses or shape a firm's policy. Project managers have a lot to consider to motivate their teams. An IT project team usually contain a high workload and several demands (Verburg et al., 2013). A project leader must motivate and encourage the team members for them to remain happy and productive. It is not easy to control every team members' attitude towards work. Despite the challenge of controlling everyone's attitude, some motivational factors can get adopted to excite the team. The report will explore various motivational factors based on the course textbook, what IT companies offer to their employees, and what the employees consider motivational factors. The first section offers an overview and introduction of the motivational factors, including the views from the three parties: course textbook, IT organizations, and employees. It will also explain the selection process and reasons for choosing the motivational factors. The second section provides an in-depth discussion about the way the motivational factors based on the three identified groups correlate.

• Motivations

A. Textbook

According to Schwalbe (2015), an understanding of the motivation theories is crucial in a work setting. In this case, an IT project team reflects this statement since it involves working with others. Working with people on projects requires several motivational factors to keep the team motivated to accomplish the set goals. This section identified several motivational factors that can assist a project team leader in handling team members in an IT project based on the textbook.

According to the textbook, five motivation factors are relevant to the IT project team (Schwalbe, 2015). The motivational factors include association with the team (T1), status (T2), recognition (T3), opportunities for creativity (T4), and challenging projects (T5). Association within a team entails working together with team members. Status entails gaining limelight for work done, while recognition involves acknowledging team members' contributions. Opportunities for creativity is a motivational factor that allows members to explore different steps and ideas and use them in a project. A challenging project can be intrinsically motivating for employees who like engaging in challenging projects.

The selected motivational factors got derived from the motivational theories. For instance, Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg's hygiene factors help a project leader understand others and motivate them. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs offers a structure that explains that people's behaviors are motivated by a series of needs. Since physiological needs are already met by most people working in an IT project, the ideal needs are the self-actualization, esteem, and social needs (Schwalbe, 2015).

Project leaders should strive to comprehend each members’ motivation in regards to the identified needs. For example, social needs like recognition and status are powerful social, motivational needs that all humans desire. Therefore, social needs are identified as ideal for an IT project team (Schwalbe, 2015). Apart from selecting the social needs, self-esteem, and actualization needs are appropriate motivators. Such needs help in maximizing team performance. An IT project team member may actualize himself/herself by having an opportunity to utilize their creativity and engage in challenging projects.

B. Companies

A firm is considered people-friendly if it puts people first over other things. Such companies understand the needs of their employees based on their work expectations and personalities. IT organizations can provide several things in helping their employees achieve their desired work-life balance. This section explores various motivational factors that the IT organizations and software organizations adopt to motivate their employees.

The identified motivational factors that such companies offer include perks (C1), remote working (C2), employee career development (C3), employee recognition (C4), time off (C5), work-life services (C6), and performance-based incentives (C7). The work-life services comprise the programs a company offers to assist employees in managing their work, personal responsibility, and also achieve enhanced productivity. Time off or breaks prevent burnout from project team members (Verburg et al., 2013). Remote working makes employees feel valued if the organization empowers them to manage their time. Perks such as open office plans and volleyball courts are common among tech companies. Employee recognition may get conducted by introducing reward programs that hand out prizes for specific objectives like contributing to new ideas. Finally, employee career development is done through training and mentorship programs.

The identified motivational factors were chosen from incentives that various IT firms and software companies provide to their employees. They entail the workplace practices that an IT company can adopt to ensure that a project team is supported and work towards goal accomplishment. For instance, a work-life balance allows shared responsibility. Team members should get encouraged to take breaks to spend some time away from a project for a bit and refresh.

Also, maintaining exceptional performance levels requires occasionally taking a break from work to rejuvenate. The next motivational factor involves perks. It is a major motivational factor within the IT industry since it comprises design features that foster collaboration. Additionally, it makes the long hours involved in a project appear bearable (Verburg et al., 2013). Offering a flexible and remote working capability motivates employees. Focusing on employee career development is crucial in the tech industry since it prevents job-hopping. In addition, the perks serve as an avenue for recruitment for tech companies.

C. Employees

Some employees hold the view that work ends at the end of a working day. However, many see work as an intruder into their personal time. Some staff may welcome this, but others are not okay loathe it. Organizations have come up with ways of increasing employee motivation in the workplace. Despite the recognition by organizations, employees should have a voice in determining the best motivational factors that suit them. The section delves into different points of view of employees to reveal various motivational factors.

A survey of most employees reveals that they mostly desire the following needs: flexible working hours (E1), opportunities for growth (E2), training (E3), personal help (E4), autonomy (E5), and recognition (E6). Flexible working schedules involve working anywhere and whenever one feels most productive. Employees in the IT industry desire opportunities for growth. Continued learning, which is an aspect of increasing growth opportunities, is crucial for firms in major industries. However, the tech industry should continuously upskill their employees for them to remain updated on the latest developments. Sympathetic personal help is vital for IT employees who need guidance in their tasks. Training is also vital since it helps staff perform at their full potential (Thompson Reuters, 2020). Recognition is a valuable element desired by employees. Software employees feel motivated if their effort gets recognized. Autonomy is a key motivator that allows employees to make their own decisions in a project.

The identified motivation factors are all relevant to an IT/software project team. Due to the increased expectations of remote working and other related work needs, employees find a flexible working schedule that motivates and supports their work-life balance. Flexible working schedules allow team members to operate during the hours that they are most productive and in locations that make them productive. IT project teams are typically associated with an extended work period. Introducing flexible work hours accommodates a software engineer who works for long hours on a project (TechBeacon, 2020). Autonomy is a motivator for team members since it spurs creativity and increases job satisfaction. Encouraging ownership by granting a team autonomy will make them work the way they prefer and some control. Ultimately, it builds trust and drives motivation. Introducing growth opportunities drives motivation. Providing a sense of growth can be done by working with the team to develop their skills or by offering formal training. A team should get ample opportunity to get trained properly. Offering a specific type of training that suits the team's needs before undertaking a new project offers motivation. Recognition is crucial in motivating employees. Most team members do not want their work to get unnoticed. Creating a culture that fosters gratitude to coworkers establishes a happy workforce.

• Correlations

A. Textbook-Companies

The section examines and analyzes the correlation matrix involving the text and company research based on the identified motivation factors. The correlation matrix built in the section will also inform conclusions after marking the presence or absence of correlation between the pairs of factors (textbook and company). Explanations will be offered according to the information contained in the matrix.

T 1

T2

T3

T4

T5

C1

x

x

C2

x

C3

x

C4

x

x

C5

C6

x

C7

x

x

The matrix indicates that the motivation factor status is correlated with both recognition and performance-based incentives. Status is something that some people desire to become motivated in their work. In a project team, some members may want to be in the limelight, and this is directly related to recognition. A project team may want to get recognized through various means, such as offering performance-based incentives. Another correlation was between the motivation factor of recognition identified in the textbook with remote working and perks based on IT organizations' perspectives.

An IT staff may want recognition through compensation. Incentives can be based on team or individual performance. Therefore, some consider performance-based incentives as one of the ways that a project leader or an organization recognizes their efforts in a specific project (Computer Economics, 2020). The next correlation factor involves the opportunity for creativity, which correlates with companies' perks, remote-working, and work-life balance. Availing opportunities for creativity creates an environment where employees or teams are free to experiment and work on projects outside the normal work activities. This fosters innovation, which is beneficial to both employees and the employer.

A work environment that allows remote working and a work-life balance contribute to innovation since workers capitalize on such opportunities. The next correlation is between challenging projects and career development. The two motivation factors are related to the self-actualization needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Challenging projects go a long way in motivating software staff in an organization. Also, a firm can offer growth opportunities for the staff to continue working and growing in an organization.

B. Textbook-Employees

The section explores the correlation identified in the created matrix. The correlation indicates the presence of a correlation between the pair (textbooks and employees). Afterward, the discussion involves the reason for correlation and why they got selected.

T1

T2

T3

T4

T5

E1

E2

E3

E4

E5

x

E6

x

x

The first correlation is between the textbook's status and recognition. The two motivation factors fall in the same category in the hierarchy of needs. Status and recognition are all self-esteem needs that are highly-ranked in Maslow's sequence of needs. A project manager should understand a team member's motivation in regard to esteem needs. Despite the end goal of meeting project goals, team leaders must recognize personal goals to offer relevant motivation, as well as maximize team performance.

Most people like getting recognized for work well done. Recognition is one of the easiest ways to motivate a team. If an individual does a great job, a team leader should express their admiration. Additionally, a team leader could compliment team members if they contributed good ideas, improved, or generally brought positive energy to a project. Recognition does not have to involve a reward. It is intangible, just like status. An individual who is motivated by status can also attain it through recognition. This explains the relationship between status and recognition. Furthermore, the two motivation factors fall within personal and social recognition. Social recognition enforces one’s status, as well as role in a team, in regards to his/her peers.

The next correlation was between the opportunity for innovation and creativity and employees' need for autonomy. Finding a way to approach a problem or assist a team in solving a challenge can be one of the creative outlets of employees. Some team members like thinking about new solutions or getting challenged to provide inspiration to make ideas effective or cement new ideas. Handling opportunities to innovate staff can lead to the creation of innovations that is beneficial to the staff and the employer. Thus, encouraging team members to experiment is a way of offering autonomy and capitalizing on members' creativity.

C. Companies-Employees

The section analyzes the correlation between companies' and employees' motivation factors. A matrix is built to help identify the correlation identified in the study. Also, the matrix will help in exploring the different correlations of motivation factors.

C1

C2

C3

C4

C5

C6

C7

E1

x

E2

E3

x

E4

E5

x

x

E6

x

Based on the matrix, there is a correlation between a company's remote-working capabilities and employee needs for flexibility. Installing remote working capabilities allows employees to exercise flexibility in their working schedules while still contributing to productivity. The next correlation is between a firm’s remote working and employees’ autonomy needs. Remote working allows team members to work from anywhere. Employees sometimes like to be in charge of their daily priorities and working towards goal accomplishment. They feel empowered if they are granted autonomy in how they handle work (TechBeacon, 2020).

Another area of correlation is between organizations' career development opportunities and the employees' need for training. Career development is also associated with continuous improvement. However, continuous improvement cannot occur in a vacuum. Employees must get trained. Different parts of a project may require changes. Long-term solutions re the most ideal since they make one ready to approach a similar and more challenging task. Proper training opportunities will yield improved performances.

The next correlation is between a company's work-life approach and an employee's need for flexible working hours. The two motivation actors are related since an ideal work-life balance supports the need for flexibility. Motivated employees work on their time and get work done.

3. Conclusion

In conclusion, motivating a project team is the most significant factor in successful project completion. If most of the things that motivate a project team get stripped away, then the project will only be a team of people doing some work whose output will reflect the people producing them. It is necessary for the project team to remain motivated to ensure successful completion. Several factors can help influence how project teams operate. Motivation factors are necessary to influence IT project teams and ensures that they get what they want.

The report identified various motivation factors that can help team members complete their tasks and achieve quality work. Based on an analysis of the three areas, including companies, textbook, and employees, some notable motivation factors appear critical to motivating team members. Firstly, recognition stands out as a key motivator since employees want to feel appreciated for their work. Project managers must strive to recognize team members' contributions, as well as the general contribution of the team. Secondly, status is a key esteem need that acts as a lever of team motivation. Thirdly, autonomy is another key pillar of motivation. People feel motivated if they choose their tasks and maintain control over how they operate (Verburg et al., 2013). Fourthly, learning and career development allow people to move forward and create a sense of progress. The fifth motivation factor is flexibility, which also correlates with autonomy. The motivation factors correlate with some factors to create a perfect environment for employee motivation.