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| Art Work: Dr. Murad Abel |
Motivation is an important tool for achieving goals.
Motivation is not an all or nothing thing and different people show motivation
in varying ways. Some employees will be motivated in a few tasks and others may
not show any motivation whatsoever. A paper by Coget (2011) reviews managerial
motivation in the fostering of employee motivation to adopt new technology and skills
that service their customers better.
It should be understood that adopting new technology
and learning new skills can be difficult for employees. To master a new system
or serve customers better requires employees who want to learn these new skills
and are willing to move through initial frustration to gain mastery. When
managers help employees by modeling motivated behavior they can raise
motivation levels in their employees.
In the case of technology adaptation, those managers
who modeled the adaptation and use of technology found that their employees were
motivated to do the same at a higher rate. This same concept applies to
positive workplace behaviors as well as motivation in handling customers. The
manager sets the pace and tone of the behaviors that should be emulated in his
or her department.
Charismatic managers found that their employees
adopted their motivation more than those with managers who were not
charismatic. When managers have charisma they promoted devotion to certain
beliefs and causes. Their charm carried higher levels of influence with
employees and this led to higher levels of modeling behavior.
Managers who can connect with employees through
multiple similarities with them also found greater motivation for adaptation. A
manager who seemed to have similarities with the group they lead attracted more
interest than those who were perceived as too different. People want to
understand, connect, and see similarities with those above them in position.
Motivation can be internally or externally driven
but there are behaviors managers can emulate that create higher levels of
motivation in their employees. When the manager shows motivation, charisma of
personality, and appears to have similarities with employees they are likely to
create greater motivation of change. This adaptation and change can help
organizations learn new skills as well as learn new technology and weather the
effects of immediate frustration.
Coget, J. (2011). Does managerial motivation spill
over to subordinates? Academy of Management Perspective, 25 (4).
Wieseke, J. et. al. (2011). How leaders’ motivation
transfers to customer service representatives. Journal of Service Research, 14(2).
