The
importance of motivation is obvious. We need to motivate people in order to
reach our long term and short terms goals. In fact it is one of the most
important and driving factor for us reaching our goals. So when that being said
it is not hard to imagine how things would be if there was no such thing as
motivation.
The
first question arises that is motivation important in the workplace? You bet!
Why? First, you spend more time at work than you do awake at home. And
typically, work environments are very goal oriented. Some people argue that
getting goals motivates people. This is of course not true. It is the rewards
for reaching the goals that motivates or the feeling of fulfillment when they
reach their goals or the satisfaction of being important etc. This is why many
companies and organizations are very strong on bonuses and appraisals.
Behavior styles
Now I firmly believe that the importance of motivation varies between different types of people. If you ever come across any of the behavior matrix’s that is available on the market, you’ll notice some interesting things when it comes to motivation. Usually a behavior matrix’s divides people into four different types of behavior groups. One of the behavior matrix's that I have seen was created by Richard E. Zackrison.
There
are four behavior styles that are Motivator, Producer, Processor and Relator.
They all have different needs and are therefore motivated by different
emotions. Let’s take a look at them:
Motivators
are
people that are good at motivating others, they are often perceived as
exciting, fast, outspoken, engaging, enthusiastic, creating and fun. “There is
always something new going on”. They are often very good at getting others to
want to take on new challenges. Their need is to be unique and that is driving
their motivation. Needless to say the importance of motivation is high.
Producers
are
people that often are perceived as goal oriented, strong, self-confident,
practically, down to earth and determent. “They go straight for the problem”.
Producers are good at driving towards goals. Their need is to be in control and
that is driving their motivation.
Processors
are
often perceived as well thought through, objective, consistent, serious and
logical. “Nothing gets lost”. They are good at structuring and analyzing. Their
need is to understand and that is driving their motivation.
Relators
are
often perceived as supporting, loyal, trustworthy, considerate, calm, friendly
and caring. “Always at hand when needed”. Relators are good at creating and
maintaining good relations with other. Their need is to be liked and that is
driving their motivation.
In today’s
era senior management is usually highlighting the weaknesses of an employee rather
than to highlight the strengths of an employee among people. This behavior will
definitely decreases the performance of an individuals and company will never achieve
their goals.
Everybody
wants to achieve something big and earn more money. My advice for companies
would be to put much more energy into managers in how to handle different behavior
styles.
