In our last blog post, we discussed the issues with using unreliable and outdated psychometric tests in business.
In this post, we are going to explore the power of measuring motivation to understand and predict human behaviour.
How Motivation Drives our Behaviour
Our behaviours, traits, characteristics, habits, values, thoughts, and feelings are driven by our motives.
Typical psychometric tests only give us surface level insight into human behaviour. They can’t tell us why behaviours occur or what is driving them. The results of most psychometric tests only authorise us the ability to assume what someone’s future movements might be.
Measuring motivation gives us deep insight into the ‘why’ behind human behaviour. Taking assumptions and turning them into reliable predictions and informed decision-making.
What Motivates Your Employees?
It’s not reasonable to assume everyone is motivated by the same things. But we do it anyway. We see examples of it every day in the modern workplace.
Of course, anything that offers an improved employee experience is a tick in our book. But imagine if the things you had on offer were more than just ‘token perks’.
What if they actually meant something to the people accessing them…
What if they genuinely motivated them...
Address Their Needs and Get the Outcomes You Want
Understanding the needs (motives) of your employees serves everyone.
Employees feel heard, understood, and valued. They also feel satisfied, fulfilled, and energised.
And employers experience remarkable benefits to their bottom-line through improved employee experience metrics:
Increased performance, productivity, and engagement.
Increased leadership impact.
Strengthened team dynamics.
Reduced turnover.
Connected, values-driven culture.
Stronger, more meaningful EVP.
Make Better Decisions with a Motivational Assessment
Decision making becomes a lot easier (and reliable) when you know what drives your employees.
In the same way that businesses make decisions in line with their company purpose and values, people-impacting decisions can be confidently made with insight into their motives and needs.
Having the ability to make informed people-impacting decisions not only removes doubt and uncertainty, but it also creates an inclusive, connected environment that is genuinely meaningful for the people within it.
Here are some practical examples of how a motivational assessment can inform meaningful workplace initiatives that are much more likely to achieve their intended outcome:
Motivational Assessment Outcome | Related Workplace Initiative |
The need for status (recognition). | A workforce with a strong need for recognition and status will be driven by the implementation of a recognition program. Particularly one that includes public styles of recognition.
A workforce with a collectively weak need for status are likely to find too much recognition uncomfortable, particularly when its public. It may even have the opposite effect on their performance. |
The need for physical activity. | A workforce with a strong need for physical activity would be the ideal workplace to install a gym or offer time in the day/week to be physically active. However, this style of initiative would potentially go to waste for a workforce that have a collectively weak need for physical activity. |
The need for family. | A workforce that strongly values family will improve their performance and engagement metrics if they create a ‘family-friendly’ workplace culture. It’s unlikely this style of culture would have a positive influence of the performance on a workforce with a collectively weak need for family as it wouldn’t align to their values. |
The need for tranquillity. | Some people need a sense of pressure and stress to perform their best. Others need a sense of calm to function their best. |
The Power of Assessing Motivation in the Workplace
Conducting a motivational assessment in the workplace provides unmatched insights into the environmental cues that influences a persons’ decision making, behaviours and ultimately, their performance.
Measuring motivation is the key to predicting communication, collaboration, and interaction styles and even alignment to company culture and values. It reveals what people need from their leaders, teams, and surroundings to achieve enhanced performance outcomes.
Most importantly, it helps identify how fulfilled a person will feel in the workplace, leading to loyalty, engagement, and positive vibes!