Motivation is the foundation for success, especially in teams. The Gallup Engagement Index has calculated that in 2018 alone between 77 and 103 billion euros will be lost in Germany because employees have already resigned internally. Therefore, let's first look at what exactly motivation is and then the 5 tips on how you can spread it again in your team without money.
Internal and external motivation
Motivation can be aptly described as “the power of our psyche that drives and controls our behavior”. It is important to distinguish between the fact that this force can have an extrinsic or an intrinsic cause. An extrinsic motivation comes from outside and can be easily generated through rewards or punishments, but it reduces the creativity and thinking of employees, as would be the case with motivation through money. An intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, comes from the person himself and is more difficult to influence, but once it is awakened, it stays longer and the employees think along with them because they want to.
Tip 1: reward and punishment
Rewards and punishments are quickly effective measures to give targeted motivation. However, this remedy should be used with caution. Employees will behave in such a way that they receive the reward or avoid the penalty. People look less to the right and left - especially not out of the box.
Tip 2: create a vision and transparency
A vision that inspires employees is strong intrinsic motivation that makes sense of their work. It should be emotionally appealing and employees should be able to identify with it. Wikipedia's vision, for example, “Imagine a world in which every individual has a free share in the totality of knowledge.” is an example that has inspired many people to enjoy working on this vision. In order for the vision to remain present, it is important that the current successes are shown transparently.
Tip 3: A good error culture and therefore focus on the essentials
Mistakes happen to everyone and you can either "ride around" looking for a scapegoat, or learn from them. The second is much more effective and prevents employees from having inhibitions to carry out their work independently and independently. Mistakes uncover weaknesses and are at least really bad. It is therefore better to consider as a team how to minimize this source of error and how to better bring the vision forward. After all, that's what it's about.
Tip 4: recognition and praise
Recognition and praise are not the same! Praise is a one-time reward for a service. Recognition, on the other hand, is a basic attitude that goes hand in hand with respect and appreciation of the person. Both praise and recognition are very important in teams. And that among all team members. If the effort is never praised or doesn't get recognition, it can quickly become frustrating and demotivating.
Tip 5: autonomy, support and regular exchange
An employee can only develop his potential if he has been given the necessary space. So he should be able to make his own decisions and act autonomously. However, no employee should feel left alone with a problem. Therefore, it makes sense if the manager regularly offers their support. Feedback from both sides ensures the right balance between support and autonomy and thus the best working conditions.
Implementation of the tips
As we have seen, money is not necessarily the best or only means of motivating employees. Motivating employees without money can easily be achieved through an appealing vision, transparency, praise & recognition and a good feedback culture.
