Leaders Create a. MotivATIng Environment. CHL Self-Study Lesson Plan Lesson No. CHL 344 (Supervisory Continuing Education - SCE)

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2 Lesson No. CHL 344 (Supervisory Continuing Education - SCE) Sponsored by: by Jack D. Ninemeier, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management Michigan State University Leaders Create a Motivating Environment Learning Objectives 1. Explain background information that establishes the context for how leaders motivate employees 2. Review basic leadership tactics that leaders can use to develop and maintain a motivating work environment 3. Describe three specific suggestions to increase employees participation in workplace decisions Supervisory Continuing Education (SCE) lessons provide members with ongoing education focusing on supervisory or management issues. These lessons are designed for CHL re-certification, but can be of value to any CRCST in a management or supervisory role. you can use these lessons as an in-service with your staff, or visit for online grading at a nominal fee. Each lesson plan graded online with a passing score of 70% or higher is worth two points (2 contact hours). You can use these points toward either your re-certification of CRCST (12 points) or CHL (6 points). Mailed submissions to IAHCSMM will not be graded and will not be granted a point value (paper/pencil grading of the SCE Lesson Plans is not available through IAHCSMM or Purdue University; IAHCSMM accepts only online subscriptions). Central SERVICE (CS) leaders cannot motivate employees; instead, employees must motivate themselves. The reason is that motivation is an inner drive that encourages a person to attain one or more personal goals. A leader s primary strategy should be to provide a work environment in which employees can fulfill their personal needs, interests and goals, while, at the same time, achieving the objectives of the CS department and healthcare facility. This lesson will explore practical tactics that CS leaders can use to provide a motivating environment that enables their staff members to become their very best. Background: Leadership and MotivATIon Leadership can be defined as the ability to attain objectives by working with and through people. An effective leader creates the conditions that motivate employees; he or she does this by establishing goals and influencing (motivating) employees to attain these goals. In other words, a leader creates the conditions under which employees motivate themselves to succeed. In the not-too-distant past, a leader might have simply told employees what to do. Then, if the work was done correctly, the leader was thought to be effective. Today, however, workplace changes and the perceptions of a leader s role have changed dramatically and make this tactic much less useful. The current leadership emphasis relates to guiding, facilitating and influencing not ordering staff members to undertake specific actions. A leader s role has dramatically changed from being a taskmaster to a coach who assembles resources, provides guidance, and gets out of the way. The new leader has replaced an emphasis on micromanaging, with an interest in providing direction and control only when needed. He or she is flexible and can use a leadership style that enables employees to be comfortable in a non-threatening situation. Tactics to Build a MotivATIng Environment Leaders develop a motivated staff by creating a climate in which employees want to work with, rather than against, department and facility goals. To do this, leaders attempt to understand the needs, interests and personal goals of those whom they supervise. They recognize that what motivates one employee might have little impact on another because each staff member has different needs, interests and goals. These motivational factors are a function of each person s background, personality, intellect, attitudes, and other july / august 2014 Communiqué

3 Figure 1: What Do Employees Want from Their Jobs? FACTORS Employees Rank Given By Supervisors Full appreciation for work done 1 8 Feeling of being in on things 2 10 Help with personal problems 3 9 Job security 4 2 Higher wages 5 1 Interesting work 6 5 Promotion in the company 7 3 Personal loyalty to supervisor 8 6 Good working conditions 9 4 Tactful discipline 10 7 Adapted from John W. Newstrom and Edward E. Scannell, Games Trainers Play: Experiential Learning Exercises (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980), p. 121 Figure 2: Principles of Motivation 1. Compatibility with objectives. People being motivated must have clearly defined objectives, and these objectives must be in concert with those of the facility. 2. Motivational flexibility. The type of degree of motivational efforts must be varied. 3. Multi-directional force. The leader must be the driving force behind the motivational efforts. 4. Management maturity. The type and direction of motivational efforts must change as the organization matures. 5. Self-motivation. Motivational efforts by the leader must be designed to yield self-motivation. 6. Effective communication. There must be an open and trustful atmosphere based upon respect for motivational efforts to be effective. 7. Employee participation. Employees must, to the extent possible, be involved in matters that affect them. 8. Credit and blame. The leader must give credit to employees when due, and must accept responsibility and share blame when problems occur. 9. Authority, responsibility and accountability. To motivate employees, a leader must give them the authority and responsibility necessary to perform their work and must, at the same time, hold them accountable for effective performance. 10. Conscious self-motivation. The most effective type of motivation comes from a serious and deliberate effort by the individual employee. 11. Genuine respect. A leader cannot be an effective motivator until he/she genuinely respects employees, recognizes their rights, and accepts their capacity for self-direction. characteristics. The leaders challenge, then, is to get to know the employees whom they supervise. Discovering factors that motivate specific employees is not easy to do because some employees might not know, or at least cannot talk about, their needs and goals. Much motivation is subconscious. For example, some high-energy employees might be top performers because they fear rejection from coworkers if they do not produce above-average results. These employees may not even be aware that they are seeking approval from their peers. Figure 1 summarizes a survey that was initially conducted many years ago, but has been repeated over time with similar results. It indicates that significant differences often exist between what leaders think their employees want from their jobs and what their employees actually want. The survey asked employees to rate the factors that most affected their morale and motivation levels. It also asked leaders to indicate the factors they believed were most important to their employees. Note that the employees top three items (appreciation for work done, feeling of being in on things, and help with personal problems) are the last three items as ranked by leaders. This is a discrepancy that has existed for several decades. The first two items that employees stated to be most important to them are fully within a leader s control. In fact, several tactics can be used to improve the department s motivational climate at little or no cost to the department or facility. For example, by acknowledging employees performances and providing appropriate recognition, a leader tells employees that their efforts are appreciated. Also, leaders help employees feel that they are in on things when they effectively communicate the CS department s objectives, and discuss significant events that affect the department and facility. Communiqué july / august 2014

4 Performance evaluations are among the best tools a leader has to increase employee motivation levels and to improve departmental morale. They are important because they give the employee formal written feedback on job performance. The third most important item noted by employees might not be fully within a leader s control. Personal problems are generally best addressed by trained professionals; however, leaders can communicate understanding and concern for employees experiencing personal problems outside the workplace. This attention might be all that many employees expect and would appreciate receiving. You ve learned that employees needs, interests and goals form the basis for developing motivational strategies. Figure 2 summarizes some basic motivation principles. By incorporating these principles into the motivational strategies that are used, leaders can increase the likelihood that their efforts will be successful. There are several ways that motivational strategies can be developed in relation to the basic human resources functions that are among the responsibilities of many leaders. For example, interviews with job applicants offer an excellent opportunity to learn about the individual needs, interests and goals of potential employees. With practice and experience, it is possible to sharpen interviewing skills and identify candidates who seem motivated from the start to make contributions to the CS department. New employees are usually highly motivated to succeed. During orientation, a leader should ensure that the motivation levels stay high because doing so lays the foundation for future success. Effective training programs create the conditions in which employees can become motivated, and they also send a strong message to employees. For example, successful training tells the employees that their leader, the department, and the facility care enough to provide the necessary instructions and directions to help ensure their success. Tools such as organization charts, job descriptions, job lists, and job breakdowns tend to make work requirements rigid and uniform. This need for consistency is good from the facility s perspective. However, leaders should try to find ways within established limitations for employees to address personal goals on the job. Cross-training can be a valuable motivational tool to remove many of the obstacles that block an employee s growth and advancement opportunities. From an employee s perspective, cross-training reduces the feeling that he or she is locked into a specific job, and it also helps the staff member to acquire additional work skills. One critical motivation strategy is to formally and informally tell employees how well they are performing. Performance evaluations are among the best tools a leader has to increase employee motivation levels and to improve departmental morale. They are important because they give the employee formal written feedback on job performance. If effective, they also identify performance strengths and offer a plan for improving weaknesses. Finally, performance evaluations enable the leader and the employee to mutually develop specific goals and due dates to accomplish the desired results. Communication is the key to any motivational program. Keeping employees informed about events and activities in the CS department and within the facility will yield positive results. Employees who know what s going on feel a greater sense of belonging and value. To keep communication lines open, consider developing a departmental newsletter. Write-ups might be job-related or personal in nature, and could include topics, such as: Promotions Transfers Information about new employees Resignations Quality suggestions Special recognitions Employee of the Month announcements Updates, such as engagements, marriages and births july / august 2014 Communiqué

5 A bulletin board provides a place to post schedules, memos and other important information. Bulletin boards are most effective when they are in an area accessible to all employees and when employees are requested to view the board frequently. CS departments may also send out updates and recognition via or post them on intranet pages. Increasing Employee ParTICIPATIon Many employees like to be involved in problem-solving and decision-making activities that affect them. Among the tactics that can be used are the following: Employee Suggestion Programs. Employee suggestion programs are one type of formal employee participation program. Effective use of this tactic can often boost communication among leaders, supervisors and employees. While these programs may yield many useful ideas, implementing and maintaining them requires effort, and employees should find it easy to participate in them. For example, if the program requires employees to submit written suggestions, some employees might believe that doing so is not worth the effort. In addition, a leader s responses to employees suggestions are critical to the success (or failure) of any formal employee suggestion program. If, for example, a leader reacts to employee suggestions as if they were criticisms directed at his or her ability to lead, this might discourage employees from participating in the program. Feedback is also important, and leaders must respond to all employees who ask questions, not just to those whose ideas will be utilized. Feedback might increase employees knowledge of operating concerns and motivate more staff members to contribute suggestions. Informal employee suggestions are also useful, and leaders can encourage them while coaching, during performance appraisals, and in informal and formal group meetings. Employee Task Groups. Leaders can involve groups of employees in projects, such as revising job breakdowns or even developing segments of training programs. While time will be required for employees to participate in these projects, the output can be useful, and the message that leaders care about staff members will also be a benefit. Informal Participation Tactics. Leaders can often use informal methods to develop motivating work environments. For example, assume a decision must be made about a recurring operating problem. A leader might write down all of the ways he or she can think of to address the issue. Then he or she can follow up by requesting information from every employee, informal group leaders, experienced staff members, and/or selected employees with a special interest in the issue. This tactic may generate additional alternatives, and then the leader could ask participating employees to determine advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives, and to suggest implementation tactics. Staff members might also note how to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution and could indicate how the solution might impact other aspects of the CS department. When considering whether to involve employees in decision-making, be aware that disagreements can result that might need to be managed. Conflicting interests must be considered and additional time might be needed for the discussion and decision-making task. Also, even the best-intentioned employees might lack objectivity and allow personal biases and concerns to influence their participation in problem-solving. The objective of involving employees in problem-solving and decision-making should relate to increasing employee participation and not just persuading staff members about your own (the leaders ) ideas. Effective leaders must sometimes use persuasion to sell their decisions and solutions, but they should not do so by pretending that they are trying to involve employees. In other words, if a leader has a definite solution in mind, he or she would do better to defend, justify and explain it rather that to solicit employee involvement in that particular process. In Conclusion Effective leaders want to motivate their staff members to help attain departmental and facility objectives. They know the best way to do this is to develop and sustain an environment in which employees have opportunities to attain their own goals, while helping to attain those of their employer. There are numerous ways to do this, and most are inexpensive or involve no expense at all. Wise leaders use these tactics as an ongoing strategy as they facilitate the work of their staff members. Communiqué july / august 2014