Motivation, Teamwork and Charismatic Leadership

Human Relations for Career and Personal Success

Motivation, Teamwork and Charismatic Leadership

Motivation using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory:

The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees. However, that’s easier said than done! Motivation practice and theory are difficult subjects, touching on several disciplines.

There is an old saying that says you can lead a horse to water but you cannot force it to drink; it will drink only if it is thirsty- so with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivated to do whether to excel on the workshop floor or in the ‘ivory tower’. They must be motivated or driven to it either by themselves or external stimuli.

If I were a supervisor, I would unquestionably implement the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. According to Maslow, employees have five levels of needs: physiological, safety, social, ego or esteem, and last but not least self- actualization needs. Maslow argued that lower level needs had to be satisfied before the next higher level need would motivate employees. As a supervisor I would address the most important motivational factor of my employees, physiological, safety, social, and esteem factors must first be satisfied. If I wished to address the second most important motivational factor, good pay, increased pay would be sufficient. Once I’ve provided for their subsistence and safety, I need to make sure workers feel they are a part of the organization. I should recognize my people for good performance but be fair about it because rewarding the average performer in a high visibility position while overlooking the excellent people behind the scenes can rip an organization apart. Providing my workers the chance to grow, challenging them, getting them promoted when they’re ready, and giving them the assignments that will help them realize their full potential are some of the activities I should consider when applying Maslow’s theory. Ideally, all of my employees should be at the self-actualization level. Helping them get there, by meeting their lower level needs, is my challenge.

Developing Teamwork:

Employee involvement, teams, and employee empowerment enable people to make decisions about their work. This employee involvement, teambuilding approach, and employee empowerment increases loyalty and fosters ownership. People in every workplace talk about team building, working as a team, and my team, but few understand how to create the experience of team building or how to develop an effective team. Many view