The latest issue of the Harvard Business Review (January/February 2010) includes an article titled “The HBR List: Breakthrough Ideas for 2010″. The first idea is one that really caught my attention, and it discusses what really motivates workers. In her research, Teresa Amabile, has discovered through a study that the most important thing that motivates employees is making progress. From the article:

On days when workers have the sense they’re making headway in their jobs, or when they receive support that helps them overcome obstacles, their emotions are most positive and their drive to succeed is at its peak. On days when they feel they are spinning their wheels or encountering roadblocks to meaningful accomplishment, their moods and motivation are lowest. (emphasis added)

I am not going to deny that progress is important when it comes to motivation. Any person would become frustrated if they continued to work hard, put in a full effort, and still not make any headway. Unfortunately, when that happens, it isn’t due to anything that the employee has done, it is a fault of the system and processes that the employee operates in.

I think the bigger key is the part highlighted in bold – it isn’t just making the progress that is important, it is that they are receiving the support needed to do so, and most likely, recognition for making progress. An individual can toil away in an organization, making progress but receiving no recognition or benefits from their hard work and success. In my opinion, progress will be motivating if the individual receives some type of gain from the progress, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be financial. Numerous studies have shown the important of giving and receiving simple recognition can improve attitude and performance. Employees want to be recognized for their effort and success. It feels great to know that you have accomplished something; in an organizational setting, it is even better for someone else to notice the progress and hard working you are achieving.

HT: Dan Pink

As you can see from the lack of posts over the last nearly 3 months, motivation has been one thing that has been lacking on my part. Yes, I’ve been busy with grad school, family, and work, but in reality, it comes down to motivation. It is obvious that if you don’t have motivation, then you won’t accomplish anything.

The same goes for organizations. In order to become as effective as you can possibly be as an organization, everyone from the top down needs to be motivated. And it has to be genuine motivation – not some fake, ra-ra crap put on at a ‘corporate rally’. In organization development, it is said that change won’t occur unless there is a felt need. The same goes for achieving an optimal level of effectiveness – the organization has to realize that improvements can and should be made, and individuals are willing to commit to make these changes a reality. That is where the true motivation comes from. It is a result of commitment to change and improvement.

Being the best – whether it is being the top firm in your industry or reaching a maximum level of effectiveness (which very well may lead you to the top of the industry) – takes work. People, and organizations, rarely make it to the top by luck only. It takes hard work. It takes effort. It takes commitment. And it takes motivation to keep working towards the goal. Tiger Woods has a goal in mind, and dedicates himself to reaching that goal and motivating himself to achieve his goals. The same should go for you and your organization. Set goals to improve effectiveness and stay motivated to achieving success and reaping the rewards of achieving your goal.

…You have to study them and discover them to really understand.

In double-loop learning, the individual must question the assumptions he is operating under when making decisions.

When studying organizational culture, the change agent must question and discover the assumptions underlying the culture to really understand what is going on.

In order to really learn, to really understand the world around us, we must continually question the assumptions that we operate under. Often they are outdated, incorrect, and just plain wrong. So if that is the case, then how can you make correct decisions, especially those of critical importance? One must understand, question, and validate their operating assumptions when making decisions within the organization. Even the organization as a whole, when looking at its operations and strategy, must question their assumptions concerning the economy and marketplace in order to make a wise decision.

There’s a reason that old saying has become a part of our language.