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The Biggest Motivator of Employees is…

January 28, 2010

At the beginning of every year, Harvard Business Review publishes (compiled in cooperation with the World Economic Forum) a great article on the top breakthrough ideas for 2010, or the “10 fresh solutions we believe would make the world better.“ The first question asked was “What really motivates workers?“  In a survey, more than 600 managers ranked five workplace factors commonly considered significant—recognition, incentives, interpersonal support, support for making progress, and clear goals—according to their impact on employee motivation. And the winner is?

According to the managers, the top motivator was “Recognition for good work (either public or private)”. But by the numbers, the biggest motivator is actually progress in the work day (ranked 5 of 5 by the managers). A worker felt the most motivated at the end of the day when they felt they had made progress.

Does that mean you throw out recognition as a motivator? Far from it, as the article ends with a very important insight: “As for recognition, the diaries revealed that it does indeed motivate workers and lift their moods. So managers should celebrate progress, even the incremental sort. But there will be nothing to recognize if people aren’t genuinely moving forward—and as a practical matter, recognition can’t happen every day. You can, however, see that progress happens every day.”

Progress every day, coupled with incremental celebrations, is a great way to build a productive and engaged team. And HBS has the data to prove it! For more on the article click here.

The tip for the day: Find the research that backs up what you need to do with your team. There are great articles to be found everywhere on recognition in the workplace as well as many other subjects. When you find them, share them with your team and find a way to discuss the key points during a team meeting. You don’t have to take too much time but it will keep you focused on building your esprit de corps and it always helps to get feedback from the team.