Following is a lesson plan I used with 4-H leaders in our County Leaders Training. I had originally planned to do this with Extension Staff at Youth and You but this seemed to fit better with our leaders needs at this point. Please feel free to use the material if you see a need.

BUILDING MOTIVATION IN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Small Group Questions: Why do you think work is important? What energizes you to do volunteer work? What would help you to increase your commitment and performance?

The Role of Work in Our Lives 1. Exchange of reward for service. Reward may be extrinsic such as money or intrinsic such as a feeling of satisfaction. 2. Work may serve as a social function for meeting new people or interacting with friends at work. 3. Work brings about a rank or status in the community, which is determined by the position or title a person obtains. 4. Work can be a sense of identity for the individual. All of these may be true for our work in organizations as well as a place of business.

Motivation is that which energizes, directs, and sustains behavior (Steers and Porter, 575).

Variables to Motivation are:

1. Individual Variables (attitudes, interests and needs)

Research shows: * Individuals who have higher needs for achievement generally perform better than those who have lower needs for achievement do. * Individuals with strong negative attitudes toward an organization are less inclined to contribute their involvement in organizational activities. * Personal aspiration level of a task can be an accurate predictor of performance. * Perceived inequity in an organizational reward system is associated with changes (up or down) in performance levels.

2. Job-Related Variables (degree of control over the particular job and level of responsibility)

Research shows: * Variety in the task can influence performance and satisfaction. * "Enriching" a volunteers duty by allowing him or her more variety, autonomy, and responsibility can result in somewhat improved performance. This is especially true when cross-referenced with people who have a strong need for achievement.

3. Work Environment Variables (peer group relations, supervisory practices, systematic rewards, and organizational climate)

Research shows: * Importance of group influences, leadership styles, and organizational climate resulting in performance. When cross-referenced, high group cohesion was important for people with a high need for affiliation. * A supervisor who shows a good deal of consideration toward his or her subordinates may ease a job that lacks enrichment. * Motivation is built when people are rewarded in ways that are important to them. * Role modeling and goal setting are effective in creating desirable behaviors. * Increased role clarity results in improved task performance.

Note: Understanding the theories can help people better understand the relations between the variables to motivation. Must use a systems perspective in looking at motivation because variables have a strong relationship.

Implications for Program Management 1. Allowing people to become actively involved, and participate in any changes or improvements to the business or organization will increase motivation. 2. Managers must take a long hard look at their style of management. They must look at their strengths and weaknesses and how that impacts the people around them. 3. Mangers must recognize the individual differences such as needs, abilities and traits in their employees. 4. Managers must take a proactive and involved approach to their relationship with people whom they work. They should be prepared to reward good performance with the things that are most desirable to each person. 5. Managers need to develop a compensation plan so employees can see that high effort and performance will lead to desired rewards. 6. Managers should consider providing jobs that offer greater challenge, diversity, and opportunity for personal satisfaction. After all, mundane jobs are very stressful and leave an employee feeling meaningless to the operation. 7. Managers should invest the time and energy into regular assessment of employee attitudes and satisfaction. This will serve as a base line and may head off increased absenteeism and turnover.

Sources: * Steers, Richard M. and Porter, Lyman W., Motivation and Work Behavior, McGraw-Hill, Inc., Hightstown, NJ, 1991.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 1999

Answers

Very interesting summary of the research. I'm curious as to the reactions of some of the leadership folks who discussed those small groups questions. I believe most of the points made by the research wouldn't be argued with, but then the difficult part is always how to reflect this information in the workplace. I see particular challenges, for example, in situations when not only do the "workers" or clients or students see an inequity in an organizational reward system AND the middle management folks see it too, but the highest policy makers won't make changes.

The finding that "Motivation is built when people are rewarded in ways that are important to them" is very pertinent to my work with families, too. Sometimes what the families value is a bit different from what the teachers think they should value....then how do we decide what the rewards are? Big, big questions....thank you.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 1999