Motivating Employees

Knowing how to motivate employees is critical for an organization's ability to get results. When employees are not motivated properly, their productivity drops and key milestones and deadlines are missed. Motivation determines the direction of an employee's behavior (that is, what the employee chooses to do), the level of effort an employee puts into his or her work, and the level of persistence that an employee has when faced with obstacles. This Infoline will help managers and trainers who train managers to understand and master this important piece of the organizational productivity puzzle. To start, readers will get brief introductions to foundational motivation theories, including Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory, McLelland's Theory, Theory X and Theory Y, and many more. Building on these theories, the Infoline then provides the reader with ways to integrate motivation into the workplace, strategies for rewarding employees, and ways to avoid common manager mistakes. Sidebars offer tips to apply Theory Y management, avoid the perception of inequity, reinforce positive behaviors, and reward employees.