Introduction
During the past year, millions of managers went from working in person to working remotely. It is important for managers to maintain motivation in these unprecedented times. Even though they are not in the same environment as their coworkers, managers have the responsibility of staying organized, planning efficiently, leading others and solving problems effectively in order to complete tasks. The purpose of this blog is to learn about how management teams can find motivation to successfully carry out their days during a major crisis, such as COVID-19, when they have been moved out of their usual environment and into an online platform.
A study was done by McGregor and Doshi (2020) to determine what motivates people, in which 20,000 workers were surveyed and 50 companies were analyzed. The scores of experiments were used to determine how work location plays into motivation. According to this study, when people had no choice in where they worked, total motivation dropped 17 points. This is the equivalent to moving from one of the best to one of the most miserable cultures in their industry. This is alarming in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic because this is the reality of many workers. Finding a way to manage that motivation dip is vital. The article discusses three main positive factors that management could implement to improve employee motivation: play, purpose, and potential. Play, the factor that boosts performance the most, refers to simply solving problems with your colleagues, and that being around them can create more of a motivated environment. Purpose can decline with the lack of visibility when seeing the work that you are doing is paying off. It is important for managers to be able to find a way to keep the work in the company visible for themselves and their employees. Doing so will let employers know that their work matters. Lastly is potential, which focuses on both the potential of employees as well as their potential for learning.
Major Challenges
Managers face many challenges when trying to keep themselves motivated and ensuring positivity while people are forced to work from home due to the pandemic. Managers first faced the challenge of the shift to remote work but they soon figured it out and faced new challenges. Managers also faced the challenge of keeping their teams motivated now that they are working from home and all communication is done remotely. As we learned from McGregor & Doshi (2020), working from home reduces motivation to begin with. Workers lose their aspect of play, because they are not in their usual workplace with their colleagues.
We recognize the absence of “play” when we are unable to have face to face contact with others on a daily basis. Common occurrences of “play” in the workplace that many miss are as simple as eating lunch with your colleagues or catching up with your coworker while pouring yourself another cup of coffee. Buchanan (2015) mentions in her article how productivity can be a challenge, especially when working from home. She states that mindfulness could help workers focus attention on qualitative, rather than quantitative, concepts of work. When people work from home, their sense of purpose for their tasks seems to lessen, because they aren’t visually seeing the growth in their projects. This also decreases potential for growth and learning since managerial tasks are needing to be done at home and that limits the potential for managers to learn and grow. If managers are limited in how they can grow and learn, then employees are more than likely struggling to grow and learn during this difficult time. A lot of people are just getting the work done to get it done, not to get it done the best they can which, in turn, is stunting their ability to learn and grow.
Furthermore, the stress of a global pandemic, the possibility of getting sick, or even experiencing a sudden loss of a loved one due to the virus reduces motivation. Management faces many challenges and have a lot of responsibility to effectively manage themselves with the intention of benefiting the company. They face even more challenges to motivate their team members while being mindful of the fact that their team could be going through a lot emotionally, whether it be pandemic or work related anxiety, distractions at home, and any preexisting emotional obstacles.
Solutions
Within the struggles of moving to remote work situations, managers across the globe are having to enact a multitude of strategies to keep their employees safe. One easy solution you may think of in any workplace, but especially remote work as a manager, would be to embrace positivity and optimism in the company. Youssef and Luthans (2007) discuss this idea that when you implement more of a positive and optimistic approach, employees’ job satisfaction, work happiness, and organizational commitment all increase. This increase in optimism correlates to play, purpose and potential because managers are able to provide purposeful strategies when they are in a positive remote workplace to the best of their abilities. What’s great about this strategy is that it’s universal for all workplaces and should be the first implementation especially in times of crisis.
During times of crisis, trust is one of the most important ideals in a workplace. Vernburg, Nienaber and Searle (2017) describes and quantifies trust in the workplace and how it affects motivation. Trust in the workplace leads to cooperation and engagement, which increases potential. Although play in the workplace can look different in a remote setting, trust can ensure that play is still part of remote work and leads to success. Being able to establish trust in a managerial position with your colleagues creates a greater purpose in projects or tasks that are completed as a team. Trust can vary slightly from one organization to another, but having a strong code of ethics is a great stepping stone in building the trust necessary to keep motivation through difficult times.
The last approach to maintaining motivation in a crisis was the types of people in management that best fit this position. Lalonde (2004) took a look into this idea and found that there are three archetypes of crisis management: reactive types, integrators and collectivists. Each has specific characteristics, but can all relate to the particular concept of play, purpose and potential. Collectivists are strategic planners. This indicates they work well with their fellow colleagues and create a productive workplace, which means play in any given environment is crucial for these types of managers. Integrators are very distinctive in their organizational skills. Being a manager with this type of skill leads to a more clear purpose when taking on tasks. Reactive types make quick, impromptu decisions. Doing so helps a workplace resolve any underlying questions within a project and showcases the potential. It is important to take into account these specific types of characteristics when hiring. This would be a great strategy for many companies looking to hire in times of crisis. If the time came, they could be proactive and would be capable of spending more time and money on other crucial aspects of the business.
Conclusion
As shown above, management is faced with the challenge of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic when it comes to motivating their remote workers. Whether it be adapting to new forms of technology, facing distractions at home, or the added stress of the pandemic, managers must make changes and approach this new work setting tactfully to keep business running smoothly. The study done by McGregor and Doshi (2020) points to three OB factors management can use to keep employees motivated which are play, purpose and potential. These factors can help build employee-manager trust, nurture a positive work environment, and allow managers to make better hiring decisions. These simple approaches to crisis management can sustain a productive work environment that is able to succeed and thrive remotely.
References:
BUCHANAN, L. (2015). The Psychology of Productivity. Inc, 37(2), 50–103.
Lalonde, C. (2004). In Search of Archetypes in Crisis Management. Journal of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 12(2), 76–88. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/10.1111/j.0966-0879.2004.00437.x
McGregor, L., & Doshi, N. (2020, April 9). How to Keep Your Team Motivated, Remotely. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/hbr.org/amp/2020/04/how-to-keep-your-team-motivated-remotely
Verburg, M. R., Nienaber, A. M., & Searle, H. R. (2017, August 31) The Role of Organizational Control Systems in Employees’ Organizational Trust and Performance Outcomes. Group & Organizational Management, 179-206. Retrieved January 21, 2020 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1059601117725191
Youssef, C. M., & Luthans, F. (2007). Positive Organizational Behavior in the Workplace: The Impact of Hope, Optimism, and Resilience. Journal of Management, 33(5), 774–800. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206307305562
Authors: Breyana Gaffney, Maddie Jensen, Madeline Holden, Makayla Gaffney, Brett Burton