In case you haven’t noticed, the last few years have brought a significant change to how and where we work. Modern technology allows us to connect and work with colleagues across the globe, remotely and effectively. The shift towards this new reality, and an evolving idea of what a workplace even is, was accelerated by the pandemic. But I would suggest that any wise organisation should seek to learn from it and apply the principles that offer an advantage.
What sorts of advantages could flexible or remote patterns offer, though?
Well, for a start, the ability to flex around work practices, and to show an understanding of the life admin we all have to deal with, is a huge positive. A culture framed around this kind of flexibility shows that an organisation understands where competing priorities between work and life can cause tension and stress for its people.
It goes deeper, however. A core theory of intrinsic motivation and high performance is Deci and Ryan’s (1985) Self-Determination Theory. In its simplest form, the theory, for which the evidence base is now substantial, sets out three core elements that facilitate high performance and bolster intrinsic motivation.
These are autonomy, relatedness and competence.
Let’s take the first of those, shall we?
If we feel a sense of involvement and autonomy over our work patterns, it can be an enormously powerful stabiliser and motivator. Choice, and the perception of choice, is fundamental to our overall wellbeing.
In terms of the other two components, then, hardly a revelation this: we are much more likely to feel connected (related) to those we perceive as having our interests at heart.
Likewise, and this may actually be a revelation to some (trust me, I’ve heard some archaic and uninformed attitudes about what people working remotely get up to), most people actually want to do a good job, to prove that they are competent. Doubting ourselves and our competence is not a pleasant position to be in. If you’re wondering about that, I’d just ask you to reflect on the last time you doubted yourself. How pleasant and welcome was that experience?
So, lightbulb moment here, folks. If you’re leading a team or an organisation, help people to feel that they have a say in what’s going on, that their voices are heard. This doesn’t mean you have to bend in hundreds of different directions. But you can display the skills of listening and considering contributions in a way that encourages accountability and ownership.
Why is grasping some understanding of human motivation so valuable for any organisation?
Let me pose you a question. Is it better to have people intrinsically (self) motivated around high performance, or would you prefer to have to continually motivate those around you?
I submit the answer is pretty obvious.
“Great, Aidan, so all we need to do is listen to people, pretend we’ve considered their input, and then do our own thing.”
Erm, no. Definitely not that. The human mind readily cues in on parts of a storyline or narrative that don’t fit together. Doebel, Rowell and Koenig (2016) showed that this ability develops as early as three to five years old. This makes sense, because it’s adaptive for survival: what can I trust, what can’t I trust, is there any danger here?
So, if you say you’re going to be flexible, be flexible. If you say you’re going to listen, actually listen. This is a skill that, in my experience, many people think they are much better at than objective observation would suggest.
It’s also not enough to think about what motivates you and assume that’s the best way to motivate others. Research has highlighted that Gen Z in particular are less motivated by extrinsic rewards like salary and more by intrinsic motivators, including competence and relatedness (Kirchmayer and Fratričová, 2020) and autonomy and work-life balance (Lee et al., 2021). For millennials, personal and professional growth is crucial, so a clear pathway is necessary, and a sense that work is meaningful is critical (Hannus, 2016).
The challenge of understanding the drivers of a multigenerational, diverse workforce is mirrored by the opportunity: harnessing skills adapted to new technologies, and the insight and innovation that comes when minds of different ages see the world differently and cooperate to solve problems.
Now, I will be the first to say that face-to-face human contact is fantastic for our overall wellbeing and for our ability to engage with each other, and physical, in-person work absolutely has its place. After all, a corresponding motivation for younger minds may be to learn from their more experienced counterparts, to build their competence.
So we need to consider the context that exists for our organisation: what’s right for it and its people right now. How can the body corporate get the best out of its people by understanding and supporting their needs and motivations? My suggestion is that organisations adopt flexibility.
A good friend of mine, Professor Ross White, has written a book on psychological flexibility called The Tree That Bends. As leaders, as organisations, I would advise becoming that tree. If we remain too rigid and inflexible, we risk the consequences when the world shifts and moves, as it has done with the nature of workplaces and our relationship to and expectations of them.
I’ll leave my final thoughts as a note of caution, in the words of Professor Sir Cary Cooper, who described moves by some large multinationals to bring staff back to full-time office working as the actions of the “dinosaurs of our age”. We know what happened to the dinosaurs when they couldn’t adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Cary went on to say something else; you might recognise it from what I’ve said above:
“If you value and trust people to get on with their job, and give them autonomy, and flexible work is one of those, they’ll work better, you’ll retain them, and they will be less likely to have a stress-related illness.”
The business case makes itself. Harness flexibility, embrace change and adopt balance as your approach. You’ll reap the rewards.
References
Deci, E.L. and Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum.
Doebel, S., Rowell, S.F. and Koenig, M.A. (2016). Young children detect and avoid logically inconsistent sources: the importance of communicative context and executive function. Child Development, 87(6), pp. 1956-1970.
Hannus, S. (2016). Traits of the millennial generation: motivation and leadership. Master’s thesis.
Kirchmayer, Z. and Fratričová, J. (2020). What motivates Generation Z at work? Insights into motivation drivers of business students in Slovakia. Proceedings of Innovation Management and Education Excellence through Vision 2020.
Kniffin, K.M. et al. (2021). COVID-19 and the workplace: implications, issues, and insights for future research and action. American Psychologist, 76(1), p. 63.