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Motivating the Project Team

Communication obviously has an essential role in leading the team. It’s important to recognize the two basic functions of communication that stand out in this context:

u Information. This is the team’s mortar, enabling them to come together through a common understanding of the client’s needs, project goals, what needs to be done, and the expected results.

u Influence. This is the team’s motor, motivating them to move in the same direction by embracing the project vision, giving their best, committing to the team, and feeling rewarded by the team’s accomplishments.

The effective team leader must give attention to both information and influence. Information alone seldom motivates. Influence without adequate information can lead to misguided (albeit inspired) efforts.

ABCs of Motivation

A common framework for understanding and motivating behavior is the ABC Model of Behavior (see figure below). This model provides a simplified formula for success in supervising people.

u Activator is what precedes and stimulates a specific behavior. This could include setting goals, giving directives, providing training, or establishing a work procedure.

u Behavior is the observable action or response to an activator.

u Consequence is the results of someone’s actions (or inaction).

The important conclusion to take away from this model is that consequences are the key to motivating desired behaviors. PMs typically focus on activators—giving instructions, setting goals, establishing deadlines—to motivate their project teams. While effective activators are important, research indicates that it is the results or anticipated results of one’s actions that provide the stronger motivation.

Using Structured Consequences

Effective team leaders understand how to use consequences to motivate desired behaviors and draw the best out of their teams. Four basic types of consequences are possible:

u Positive consequences may include praise, recognition among coworkers, a bonus or raise, a promotion, or some other type of reward. Positive consequences are the most powerful form of motivation, but unfortunately are the least used by managers.

u Negative consequences may include a reprimand, criticism, or punishment. These should be used only when the team member knew what was expected but failed to do it. It’s important to separate won’t-do (attitude) problems from can’t-do (ability) problems. Won’t-do warrants a negative consequence. Can’t-do requires that you redirect.

u Redirection occurs when performance fails to meet expectations  but the team member is limited by lack of knowledge, skill, or proper tools. This requires that you revise your activator(s)—planning, instruction, procedures, equipment, etc.

u No response, or what behaviorists call extinction, is unfortunately the most common consequence used by managers—not intentionally, but by neglect. A no-response consequence reduces the chance that a desired behavior will be repeated. Extinction can also be used to reduce undesired behaviors (particularly in young children), but its intentional application in the workplace is limited.

Any of the above can fall into one of two categories: (1) natural consequences and (2) structured consequences. Natural consequences are the inherent outcomes of one’s actions. A missed deadline, for example, typically results in an unhappy client. Structured consequences are outcomes imposed by the manager. Poor performance, for example, might result in removal from the team.

The application of these principles for the PM, obviously, is to structure appropriate consequences to motivate top performance. But effective consequences depend on appropriate guidance and involvement in the first two stages (activation and performance) of the ABC Model as well. Review the team leader’s important responsibilities (see article), all of which contribute to motivating team members. Also be sure to avoid the three common mistakes described below.

Three Common Mistakes

Eliminating the following three common mistakes will go a long way towards your becoming effective in motivating the project team. These three mistakes align with the three stages of the ABC Model.

u Failing to establish clear expectations. This problem starts when you fail to uncover client expectations and communicate them to the team. What the client wants, of course, defines the terms of project success. And the better the team understands how to make the project succeed, the more motivated they will be to make it happen. Establishing expectations also involves giving clear direction, explaining the context of the assignment, and explicitly defining the desired outcome. Another critical part of setting expectations at the outset is communicating anticipated consequences of a successful project—both natural (client’s problem is solved) and structured (team is rewarded).

u Not monitoring and reinforcing task performance. Too many PMs make assignments and then have little involvement with the team until assignments are due. This denies you the opportunity to ensure that work is progressing as expected, to head off problems before they become serious, and to provide additional direction and encouragement. While there are PMs who are excessive in their oversight (sending a message that the team can’t be trusted), your ongoing engagement with the team can signal your interest not only in the work, but in those performing it. Use this as an opportunity to provide supportive feedback.

u Failing to provide appropriate consequences for work performed. As noted before, the most common mistake is simply neglecting to provide any meaningful response to the team’s efforts. Good work should be consistently acknowledged with praise, recognition, or tangible rewards. Poor performance needs to be promptly addressed with either negative consequences or redirection.

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