Deep Dive: Team Motivation
Don't motivate them, create thriving conditions instead.
You like working with motivated people.
Yet, even those sometimes need a little help because motivation fluctuates. Guard your team's motivation. Don’t make a clown out of yourself or bring refreshments.
Team motivation is an ecosystem. Imagine your team members are flowers. They need conditions for their growth. The sun, water, soil, and bees.
The leadership goal is not to water them all the time. Instead, make sure they have what they need. The needs are what you should be curious about.
Contents:
What the team motivation is
What influences team motivation
Purpose
Leadership
Team cohesion
Autonomy & Responsibility
Team dysfunctions
Other factors
Team motivation theories
Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Vroom's Expectancy Theory
How to motivate your team
Who should give feedback?
How to keep yourself motivated
Wrap up
1. What the team motivation is
When I was hiring new team members, they often mentioned they wanted to work in a motivated team. Okay. It makes sense. Wouldn’t you?
A motivated team is committed and innovative. It spreads positive energy. One learns from others. You feel comfortable because you know someone will always help you.
You feel you belong. You are part of the team.
The motivated team supports you when you are falling on your knees. The team works like a clockwork. Tik. Tak. Tik. Tak. It meets its goals despite the challenges and problems.
Team motivation refers to the collective drive, enthusiasm, and commitment of a group working together towards a shared goal.
Working in teams can increase individual motivation. You achieve much more when working with other people than when you work alone. You don’t want to disappoint your team.
Yet, team motivation is fragile.
Look at your team and ask: “What makes us do anything?”
Money? Purpose? Friendship? A finished product?
When you start to think about motivation, you have to ask WHY. What is it? Why are people in your team driven, creative, and committed?
And the other way around. Why are they not motivated? Why did your incentivizing fail? Why is it so difficult to work together?
2. What influences team motivation
The trouble with team motivation begins with the idea of a team.
You have a team, and you have motivation. Motivation makes us do something. A team is people coming together to achieve a common goal.
The corporate world, however, created artificial teams. Teams in which people work on separate projects and do not share information, resources, knowledge, or skills. Are these people a team? I don’t know.
You have probably worked in a team where people did not care about a shared vision or a purpose. They do their job and go home. Dot.
I have had a better experience with temporary teams. They were fun and with a strong clear goal. Everyone was motivated. We had so much energy. When it was achieved, the team was dissolved, and we moved on to a new adventure.
Yet, many teams are permanent. They have no new adventures. Can they keep high motivation? There are factors to consider:
a. Purpose
Regardless of being temporary or permanent, your team needs a clear purpose.
When people align with your vision and values, and the team is fulfilling their needs, you get a good chance that the team will be working well.
When your team is tired, try to revisit the team’s purpose. Check if there is alignment on it. Competing priorities and daily troubleshooting often bury the purpose down. Dig it up from time to time.
b. Leadership
Leaders can make or break the team’s motivation. Yet, there are two things to consider:
Short term motivation
Long term motivation
A leader you remember was probably channeling energy into the team. They were catalysts for motivation. Yet, is it sustainable for one person to always spread positive energy?
Do you have to motivate your team? It is fine to help them believe in themselves and show them how to organize themselves, but at the end of the day, you want to empower them to work as a team.
Look at the long-term picture. You do not want to stand around your team and ‘motivate’ them. Instead, you want to create conditions for the team to motivate itself.
Motivation is intrinsic by nature; it comes from the inside. So, it comes to an end if one constantly depends on another for inspiration. Think about it. If your favorite leader leaves, will your team's motivation sink? It is a huge risk. You don’t want that.
Instead, you want sustainable team conditions like flowers in a hygrophilous terrarium.
c. Team cohesion
Does your team have a sense of unity and camaraderie among team members?
Seamless collaboration, mutual support, and a general sense of loyalty improve team motivation. Do people like and respect each other? Do they work on building relationships?
A good sign is when the team likes spending time with each other. Don’t underestimate team building and off-site activities. Help the team create memories. Fun events to remind and develop jokes about.
If you have some budget, spend it on something playful and active. Go hiking, playing volleyball, taking a card reading course, painting, etc. Team bonds outside of the office.
d. Autonomy & Responsibility
Give people a task and autonomy to decide how to deal with it. Sweet. Allowing team members some control over their agendas and decisions increases their sense of ownership and responsibility.
If you’re responsible, you are likely to be motivated.
Yet, the important is not to punish mistakes. Since, often with responsibility also comes pressure to perform well. Mistakes are not bad. They are part of the learning process. Break the fear silo and help your team to be at ease with mistakes.
A stressed team is not a motivated team.
e. Team dysfunctions
Have you ever heard a saying to sweep in front of your doors first? You can’t motivate your team successfully if it is dysfunctional.
If only you could read one book about a team, read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Teams have problems, but there are solutions.
5 dysfunctions are:
Absence of trust:
Team members aren't comfortable being vulnerable or open with each other. They hide mistakes and weaknesses.
Impact: Without trust, communication breaks down, and collaboration suffers. It’s like trying to drive with the brakes on.
Fear of conflict:
People avoid debates and tough conversations to keep the peace.
Impact: This leads to poor decision-making. Important issues fester and grow because no one addresses them head-on.
Lack of commitment:
When there’s no clear consensus, team members don't buy into decisions.
Impact: Without commitment, plans and strategies lack follow-through. It’s like having a boat with everyone rowing in different directions.
Avoidance of accountability:
Team members don’t hold each other accountable for their actions or performance.
Impact: This leads to mediocrity and missed deadlines. The whole team’s performance takes a hit.
Inattention to results:
Team members prioritize their success over the team’s goals.
Impact: The team’s objectives take a backseat, causing a drop in overall performance and morale.
Knowing these is super practical. You can immediately evaluate your specific situation, and see where you need to put some effort and work. Don’t motivate a team that does not stand on trust, does not go into confrontations, is unable to commit or feel accountable, and simply does not care about your vision.
Motivate your team to speak about how they feel. What is difficult? Gain feedback about the general feeling before you do another pizza party.
f. Other factors
Consider many more factors. They step into the light when one does not expect it.
Things such as:
Communication: The usual suspect. Are all members equally informed? What is their access to information? How do communication processes work? Is communication even open and transparent?
Goals & objectives: You have a purpose and goals that allow you to fulfill it. Working towards objectives is always better than working for work.
Recognition & rewards: How do you reward individuals? How do you reward the whole team? How do you define achievements?
Work environment: Is the team positive? Inclusive? A supportive work environment helps team members feel comfortable and motivated to perform their best.
Growth opportunities: Career advancement, challenges, and opportunities keep people engaged. Do you know what individuals wish for? Where do they want their careers to continue?
The team is a complex entity. Based on team decisions on data, knowledge, and quality of communication. Know your team and you will be able to help them create conditions in which motivation won’t be an issue.
Know before you motivate. Speak to them before you motivate.
2. Team motivation theories
Before you start doing something, read what has been done already. So, you know what you should or should not be doing.
Theories are dry. Unless you put them in practice and test them.
a. Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
Edward Deci and Richard Ryan came up with the SDT theory in the 2000s. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) represents a broad framework for the study of human motivation and personality.
It suggests people are most motivated when they feel autonomous and competent, and they relate to others.
Key Components:
Autonomy:
Team members need to feel they have control over their work and choices.
Application: Give team members some freedom in how they approach tasks. Avoid micromanaging; instead, provide clear goals and let them decide how to achieve them.
Competence:
Individuals need to feel effective and capable of achieving desired outcomes.
Application: Provide opportunities for skill development, offer constructive feedback, and set challenging yet achievable goals. Celebrate successes and acknowledge progress.
Relatedness:
People need to feel connected and have a sense of belonging to their team.
Application: Foster a supportive team environment. Encourage collaboration, team-building activities, and open communication to strengthen interpersonal relationships.
How it motivates teams:
Intrinsic motivation: When these needs are met, team members are more likely to be intrinsically motivated. This means they engage in work because they find it interesting and fulfilling, not just because of external rewards or pressures.
Enhanced performance: Intrinsically motivated teams tend to be more creative, persistent, and productive.
Positive work environment: Meeting these psychological needs creates a positive work environment, reducing turnover and increasing job satisfaction.
Practical steps for managers:
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