Is
this a rhetorical question? Is there really a definitive answer to the most
powerful motivator for workers?
Thousands of employee satisfaction surveys have been conducted partly to
uncover the answer. Some lists derived
from these surveys rank what employees want, but none have been definitive.
A
while back, Ian Larkin, Assistant Professor UCLA Anderson School of Management,
said that most powerful workplace motivator is our natural tendency to measure
our own performance against the performance of others. He does seem to have some credibility in this
belief based on the work of David Rock and his book “Your Brain at Work”
In
which he explains that the balance of how we feel
amongst others is actually dictated by our perception of status. Your brain maintains and continuously updates
complex maps of the "Pecking Order" of the people around you.
Any parent can tell
you that a surefire way to start a fight among siblings is to major fight is to
offer one child a treat and offer another child an even bigger one. Suddenly, a special treat turns into a great
injustice.
In the workplace it is
an employee’s natural tendency to measure their performance against the
performance of others. Traditional
economics has held the very
rational view that simply
having financial incentives causes people to work harder.
But Larkin’s research
suggests that in deciding how hard we work and how well we think we're
performing, social comparisons matter just as much.
The sales incentive
industry has known for years the value of peer recognition. Salespeople often
forego the opportunity of large future commissions to achieve the status as
member of a special sales club. At some point, incremental commissions are
outweighed by the desire to be the best.
Research also showed that salespeople who are right on the margin of
club induction are actually willing to pay to get over the margin and into the
club. In these instances the status of
club membership is a very powerful motivator.
So, what is the best
motivator in the workplace? We don’t
think the work by these behavioral completely answer the question, but they
certainly give us room for thought when we plan our next incentive or
recognition program.
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