In order to delve into this question, we are going to review some of the most important keys that raise the motivation of teams and thus facilitate the achievement of the objectives set.

What is team motivation and why is it essential?

In the times in which we have had to live, markets dominate everything, and for this reason it is essential that each company tries to stand out from the rest, and this would never be achieved without a solid human team behind to carry out the work of the company. in the most efficient way possible, so that ultimately it is your product or service that captivates the consumer ahead of the rest of the options. But for that to happen, workers have to be committed to the organization , and this is achieved through team motivation.

A team that is not motivated is not going to perform as well as it could, and therefore we will be wasting valuable potential, because the members of our department are going to contribute a version of themselves that is surely not the best, the most creative or the most efficient, since a person motivated and involved in a project undergoes a transformation and generates work of a quality that is difficult to achieve in any other way, hence the extraordinary importance of team motivation.

Motivation is what makes people have the energy to move towards the achievement of a goal , not only in the workplace but in any plane of the life of a human being. Team motivation, therefore, would be the key to ensuring that all the components of our work group carry out the behaviors we seek, without skimping on efforts, thus facilitating the achievement of all the purposes that have been established to complete the project satisfactorily. .

The keys to enhancing team motivation

We already know the importance of properly motivating teams, but the most important part remains: what are the keys to be able to carry this out.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the motivational process cannot be fully extrapolated from one person to another , since each individual will be motivated more by some reinforcements than others. What is certain is that some general lines can be established, which are the ones we are going to describe below, in order to design an effective motivational plan.

1. Salary

Obviously, the main factor that comes into play in team motivation is salary. And it is that the economic remuneration (sometimes supported by supplements in kind) is essential for the beginning and maintenance of an employment relationship . The salary must reach a minimum threshold for the person who receives it if we want the rest of the factors to fulfill their motivating function, since if we do not cover their most basic needs, we can hardly expect the worker to be committed.

However, salary has a limit in its motivating effect. After a figure (which is different for each person), motivation stops increasing through this factor, and we can only maximize it in combination with the other factors.

In short, salary is a basic motivator, and without it the other criteria do not work, but after a limit, it is only the rest that continue to have an effect. It is important to take this mechanism into account if we want to achieve the best results in our team motivation.

2. Growth

Another motivating factor in a job is the expectations of growth, the knowledge that within the company a professional career can be carried out that will entail a series of promotions, improvements in conditions, increased responsibilities and even managing teams of people more and more numerous.

This professional growth also entails personal growth, which helps the individual reach the peak of needs according to Maslow's pyramid, which is none other than self-realization.

3. Dynamism

In most cases, monotonous, repetitive and mechanical jobs soon end up overwhelming the worker and causing him to lose motivation towards the task. That is why it is important to introduce some dynamism, where possible, since not all jobs allow the same degree of change in procedures. Modifications and variety will keep the team active-minded and more motivated.

Of course, the changes must be moderate and always with a correspondence towards the aptitudes and abilities of the worker, since a radical change and entrusting him with tasks that have nothing to do with his usual position could cause frustration and therefore the opposite effect to what we are looking for with this mechanism.

4. Work environment

Likewise, a good work environment will be essential if we want to succeed in our team motivation program .

Let us bear in mind that the worker will spend most of his day at the workplace, interacting with his colleagues. Therefore, it is essential that there is a work environment, if not good, at least neutral, because if negative interactions between workers were common every day, motivation would drop drastically, as is logical.

5. Effective communication

Another necessary factor in order to develop team motivation is effective communication, at all levels. This means that there must be clear communication channels known to all those involved , so that the messages arrive and are responded to fluently, whether between project colleagues, between subordinates and managers, and vice versa. If a worker tries to convey a message and does not have a clear communication channel or does not receive a response, he will be frustrated and demotivated.

The usual secrecy, the lack of transparency in communications, will also cause a decrease in the motivation of teams, since the workers will feel alien to the company and therefore will not be driven to get involved in the achievement of its objectives. since they will see it as a totally independent entity from themselves. It is essential that communication flows for a team to feel like one.

6. Recognition of achievements

Recognizing workers for the achievements they have made, letting them know their worth and their importance to the company, is a highly motivating factor. If we want a person to be involved in a common challenge, it is necessary that they feel like an essential part to achieve the goal . If, on the contrary, we ignore him or miss his achievements, what we will achieve is that he stops trying, since he will be losing the social reinforcement, which is fundamental in team motivation.

7. Workload

It is clear that the workload assigned to the worker and the team itself has to be reasonable. At any given time, you can ask for an extra effort (always accompanied by the appropriate motivational factors), but if this becomes a constant, the only thing we will achieve will be a group of totally exhausted people who in no way will have the necessary motivation to lead to carry out the challenges we have assigned them.

8. Defined objectives

This point has to do with the communication that we mentioned earlier. Sometimes team leaders are well aware of the objectives to be met and the tasks to be performed to achieve them, but they fail to transmit these concepts to the workers in their charge. For a correct motivation of teams, it is necessary to communicate with total clarity what are the objectives that we must achieve, what are the tools we have and the deadlines that must be met .

If, on the contrary, the team lives in constant uncertainty in which priorities fluctuate depending on the day, motivation will be lost. In addition, the appropriate level of importance must be assigned to each task. An example of ineffective work dynamics would be to assign top priority to absolutely all requested tasks. The problem is that when everything is urgent, nothing is urgent, since the focus of the true priority is lost.

10. The leader

All of the points we've seen so far are critical to team motivation, but possibly none would work if the team didn't have the proper leadership . The leader is the captain, the one who must lead the way and set an example. He should not demand anything from the members of his team that he has not previously demonstrated with his own work . That attitude is one of the biggest motivators a team can find.

If at the head of the group we have a person who radiates energy, who is fair and hard-working, who assigns tasks with good judgment, gives some autonomy to its members, perfectly communicates messages and is decisive in the incidents that arise, we will have great part of the team motivation done.

Article Referenced: https://www.psychological-consulting.com