What Should I Ask Co-Workers
About Motivation?

Doctor:

Hello, I am a college student in New Haven, Connecticut.

I would like for you to send me any Ideas or Questions, that I may ask my fellow workers about what motivates them and how to improve their productivity. I am doing a case study on this.

What types of questions should I ask?

Sincerely,

--The Interviewer

Hi Interviewer:

What motivates you? Can YOU answer this question? Asking yourself that question is a good place to start. Is it the paycheck you get? Probably YES. Is it the satisfaction you get from being employable? Probably YES. Is it the good feeling you get from being able to accomplish a job that is challenging? Probably YES. Is it the support and respect you get from your boss and co-workers? Probably YES.

And what demotivates you? Might it be the opposite of each of these: pay that is less than others doing the same job or doing less skilled work than you do, not being able to find work, jobs that require little challenge--that any unskilled person might do, and criticism rather than respect from a boss and co-workers.

Have you asked yourself why ask your co-workers about this question? Is it simply a class assignment or might there be a more beneficial payoff to you and those you ask such questions as:

• What kind of work do you do?

   

• Is it the kind of job you'd like to have for the rest of your life?

   

• How did you feel about rolling out of bed and coming to work this morning?

   

• What do you like and dislike about your job and this place where you work?

   

• What do you do beyond what you are told to do on the job?

   

• Has there been anything that has really turned you on about your job?

   

• If you could retire early what would you do?

   

• What do you most enjoy doing outside of work?

These questions are not the simple question of what motivates you about your job. They are, however, questions that tap that inner voice that says I will be on time and I will do a good job.

Many years ago industrial psychologists sought to learn what motivates and they found that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction was caused by how well a job met basic human needs of safety and earning enough to meet one's concerns for food and family. In addition, there were the psychological needs of belonging, recognition, and self esteem, and topping them all was the need for self-actualization.

There are those who assert that high motivation does not come from extrinsic factors but rather must come from within. Some have asserted that it begins with the conditioning we get when young. Either we learn the work ethic or we don't. Either we have the initiative to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps or we don't.

I think rather that high motivation--that which excites, pleases and propels us to work-- is a combination of the individual traits of responsibility and altruism and the work environmental conditions of quality of working life that surround us. The quality of the work environment may be what you will find most interesting to investigate. What do your co-workers perceive as making them satisfied or less than satisfied about getting out of bed in the morning?

More particularly, you may find it interesting to analyze why individual co-workers like and dislike their kinds of work, and even more importantly, what they think might be done to make that work and their place of work something that would make them want to rise early and work late. One fellow who worked in a General Electric Plant in which I did team training said, "We'd like to see our people want to run into work before the time to start rather than want to run out before the time to quit.

WEGO is a mix of the individual traits of industry, goodwill and one's workplace environment. Please let me know what you find from your on-the-job research.

--Bill Gorden

Back To The Workplace Doctors Homepage