copyright © houghton mifflin company. all rights reserved.11-1 motivating groups although small...

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 11-1

Motivating Groups

• Although small group communication is an absolute prerequisite for group success, it does not guarantee the achievement of a common goal or that member needs and expectations will be satisfied

• Motivation is necessary for successful group performance

• Look at interrelatedness of motivation, assessment, and rewards


Language of Motivation

• Motivation: Reasons a person or group is moved to do something

– Extrinsic: Motivation that comes from outside ourselves—can be positive or negative

– Intrinsic: Motivation that comes from within ourselves—depends on finding a personal, self-satisfying reason


Language of Motivation

• Assessment: Requires reviewing, measuring, and evaluating what a person or group does

• When you are intrinsically motivated, you are the only one who can assess your progress and performance

• When you are extrinsically motivated, others make judgments about you and your work


Language of Motivation (cont.)

• Rewards: Recognize and compensate us for work well done

• Rewards can be extrinsic or intrinsic

• The prospect of receiving a reward can motivate. However, the reward is a hope, not a guarantee. The reward only comes when we progress toward or achieve a goal


Group Motivation

• Group motivation provides the inspiration, incentive, and/or reason for group members to work together in pursuit of a shared goal

• Group success depends on a unified commitment by all group members

• Taking the time and effort to ensure that a group is highly motivated can spell the difference between success and failure


Group Motivation (cont.)

• Motivating individual members

– Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

– Needs can be divided into two categories• Satisfiers (deficiency needs): Physiological

and Safety needs

• Motivators (fulfillment needs): Belongingness, Esteem, and Self-Actualization needs



• Motivating individual members

– Schutz’s Theory of Interpersonal Behavior describes three interpersonal needs

• Need for inclusion

• Need for control

• Need for affection



• Schutz’s Theory of Interpersonal Behavior

– Groups can satisfy individual needs

– By identifying individual needs, a group can motivate individual members

– Suggests that inclusion, control, and affection can be integrated into the atmosphere needed for effective group work—brainstorming sessions should be high-inclusion, low-control atmosphere



• Myers-Briggs Personality Types

– Each personality type responds to different motivators

• Understanding the different personality types in a group can help you choose the most appropriate motivation strategies



• Motivating the group: Four categories of intrinsic motivators

– Sense of meaningfulness

– Sense of choice

– Sense of competence

– Sense of progress



• Dealing with apathy

– Apathy is the indifference that occurs when members do not find the group or its goal important, interesting, or inspiring

– Intrinsic motivators are minimal or missing

– Personal needs and expectations are not being met



• Apathy– Must correctly diagnose cause of apathy to

find cure• If a group goal does not meet member

expectations, reexamine goal• Assign appropriate tasks to group members to

increase commitment to and involvement in the group

• Confront head-on


Motivation and Assessment

• Assessment represents a mechanism for monitoring group progress and a way of determining if a group has achieved it goals

• Assessment instruments can help determine how well a group is progressing toward its goal and whether interpersonal or procedural problems are impeding its effectiveness


Motivation and Assessment (cont.)

• Role of constructive feedback

– Group and member motivation increases productivity when the goal is shared and the group receives feedback about its progress

– Feedback isn’t the final score on an assessment instrument, but direct and positive communication with group members



• Role of Constructive Feedback

– As an intrinsic motivator, positive feedback serves two purposes—it encourages groups and provides evidence of their progress

– Feedback is controlling (suggesting positive or negative outcomes bases on goal achievement) or informative (to what extent the goal is being achieved)



• Sometimes positive feedback fails to motivate or correct a problem

• Reprimands are not punishment; they are a form of feedback that identifies problems or deficiencies

• Reprimands should follow the guidelines for constructive feedback. Comments should be informative and phrased as “It” statements, fair and impersonal



• Rewards and motivation are not the same

• A reward is given or received in recompense for some well done task or worthy behavior

• The prospect of receiving a reward can motivate individual group members and the group as a whole, but motivation may have little or nothing to do with external rewards


Motivation and Rewards

• Extrinsic rewards come from the external environment…points, etc.

– In some cases, extrinsic rewards can decrease group motivation and increase resentment toward the task


Motivation and Rewards (cont.)

• Intrinsic rewards are anything that is satisfying and energizing in itself

– Common reasons cited for leaving a group may have nothing to do with the reasons individuals mention, rather it may be the lack of praise and recognition which are understood as affection

– Must develop a balanced approach that rewards the group as a whole without neglecting the achievements and efforts of individuals



• Establish reward criteria

– Effective rewards reflect well-conceived, objective criteria

– Four criteria• Fair

• Equitable

• Competitive

• Appropriate



• Select effective rewards

– The reward that satisfies one group member or group may be meaningless to another

– Three forms of rewards• Personal recognition

• Affection

• Material compensation



• The role of punishment

– Punishment does not motivate!

– When group members are punished (denied advancement, recognition, resources, etc.), they may spend more of their energy complaining, getting even, pursuing other interests, or even sabotaging the work



• The role of punishment

– If punishment is to be used, it must be

• Predictable (everyone knows the rules or expectations)

• Immediate (as soon as possible after violation)

• Consistent (applied equally to all), and

• Impersonal

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