What Motivates Performance?

It is hard to imagine that the elusive concept of motivating employee performance would continue to bedevil organizational leaders in companies large and small. Just what is it that managers can do to inspire employees to higher levels of engagement and performance?

A recently published report by McKinsey & Company sheds new light on this enduring challenge. While the conclusions in this comprehensive study may not seem groundbreaking, there is nevertheless real value in understanding and applying a few basic principles.

Start with this. More than anything else, employees want a meaningful, practical performance management process where responsibilities, goals and behavioral expectations are clearly, and simply articulated and monitored against an established standard. They strongly prefer to participate in setting their performance goals in collaboration with their manager and there is a need to understand how their performance links directly with organizational direction and goals.

They highly value performance review discussions with skilled managers, who are trained and experienced in this critical function. I repeat for emphasis: skilled managers. Consider the way most performance review meetings are conducted (if they are done at all). How many times are they late or rescheduled because something more important has popped up. What does that say about priorities? Procrastination is typically the result of putting off what we’d prefer not to do. This may go a long way in explaining why performance reviews meetings are so frequently delayed.

If there is good news to be extracted from this report it may be this: Inspiring and motivating employees to higher levels of engagement and performance is neither complicated nor elusive. It is not something reserved only for highly resourced organizations. Yes, it does require resources (time and training) but, as with any other organizational leadership initiative, it primarily takes the enthusiastic, active commitment of senior leadership. And a plan.

For more information on raising the level of employee motivation and engagement in your organization and improving your performance management process, contact me at joe@ajstrategy.com.