How to Motivate a Team
When it comes to motivating teams, it seems that people have tried everything— pay, power, prestige and even pizza parties. The problem is that every human is different, with different wants, needs and backgrounds. And, because humans are all different, each team in a work environment is also different. Today, however, we’re going to talk about the three principles that make up self-determination theory. We’ll show an example of how these theories work, using the hypothetical team at the State Department of Environmental Protection, and we’ll talk about some pitfalls, and how to manage them. Self-Determination Theory, an idea that has seen success in many organizations and studies, is the idea that people need more than extrinsic motivation, such as pay increases, to be satisfied in their work, and to continue to perform at a higher level. They need autonomy- the ability to choose how they complete their work, and some role in the decision-making process. They need oppo...