Project Management Leadership: Building Creative Teams, 2nd Edition

Chapter 19

Motivation

Learning Outcomes

After reading this chapter you should be able to:

• Understand how motivation theory applies to project management.
• Realize that motivation comes from within.
• Explain some of the theories that inform our current understanding of motivation.
• Link motivation to leadership style.

Have you ever been really motivated and determined to do something and nothing was going to stop you achieving your goal?

I can recall when I climbed Kilimanjaro; I was so determined that I put my head down and powered myself to the top. My body felt like it wanted to give up long before I reached the summit, but there was no way I was going back to say I did not make it; I had to say, ‘I got to the top!’. I have to admit my porter gave me an extra shove now and again when he thought his bonus was in doubt.

Conversely, have you ever been involved in something straightforward, for example writing a report, that you cannot fix your mind upon or complete?

The main difference between these two situations is motivation, the inner force that drives us to achieve our goals. It is a key feature of effective project leadership.

This chapter will discuss how Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Motivation and Hygiene Factors apply to project teams. These two models form the cornerstone of motivation theory. This chapter will also show how a project leader can use motivation to help create a conducive working environment.

1. Motivation

The term motivation is often misunderstood ...