Management Styles & Employee Motivation

The corporate world is in a constant state of motion; it must always adjust to economic and social trends in order to remain relevant. Yet for all the progress the business world has made, employee motivation is an essential key that too many businesses have continued to ignore.

Which of the following statements rings true for you?

  • A proper manager should rule with an iron fist in order to intimidate employees and ensure they will not violate policy or procedure.
  • A proper manager should supervise in a near invisible manner, such that employees are comfortable around him and the workplace.

The truly successful manager will understand that although there are rare occasions when intimidation and an iron fist are necessary disciplinary measures, ultimately management is about making employees feel like part of a team. If an employee lives in a state of intimidation their productivity will suffer, plus they will be afraid to bring valid ideas or concerns to their manager. This is the death of employee motivation!

Meanwhile an employee that feels like part of a team will be far more motivated to do his manager, and ultimately the company, proud. His productivity will excel, his attitude will be bright, and he'll be quick to bring ideas or concerns to his manager.

Too many managers feel that they must remain emotionally separate and detached from those they supervise, believing that their employees will begin to lose respect for them if they become overly accessible. They feel that employee motivation is spurred on by intimidation and a strict regimen, and that if employees are allowed too much leeway they will goof off and hurt productivity in the process. The theory is an offshoot of the old adage, "Don't mix business with pleasure." There's just one small problem…

It's completely incorrect!

In an ideal situation business and pleasure would not clash – they would embrace each other. You want your employees to have fun at the workplace. You want your employees to feel a sense of community and companionship with each other and you. A positive mindset is essential to bring out the best in your employees. It means the difference between a highly motivated employee that is proud to work hard for your company and an unhappy sluggard that gets by doing as little as possible just to pick up a paycheck.

One practice designed to enhance employee motivation that first became popular in Japan and is slowly creeping into the American business world is providing sources of entertainment in employee break rooms, such as pool tables, video game consoles, etc. In addition throughout the day employees will be given five to ten minute breaks to head to the game room and unwind (outside of their normal lunch hour).

This very notion would make many old-school corporate managers quiver in their boots. Won't the employees just fool around all day? Aren't you encouraging them to slack off or become distracted from their primary job, thereby hurting employee motivation? The answer is emphatically NO. In fact, just the opposite happens (as hard as that might be to believe).

Any valuable employee will realize that in order to remain with your company they must do their job. You can throw all the games and entertainment you want in front of them, but if they are serious about their job they will make sure their job gets done. Sure, someone might abuse the privilege of the game room, but guess what? If they abuse your charity, they aren't cut out for your organization anyways! Do you really think someone whose mind wasn't focused on the job would be any more focused without a nearby entertainment room?

The fact of the matter is today's workplace can be a stressful environment, and the more outlets you can provide for momentary stress relief the better frame of mind your employees will be in. Although the above example cites converting break rooms into entertainment rooms, the employee motivation theory goes far beyond that. You might not wish to take that specific step in your place of business… perhaps it's just not viable due to space limitations or how your business is run. That's fine.

What the above example is meant to show is that you should do everything in your power to make your employees have fun while they are working for you. The "iron fist" style of management is antiquated and sadly lacking – today's successful managers realize that respect and employee motivation isn't earned through fear, but rather your overall compassion and support for those assigned to you. The more you try and separate yourself from your employees, the more they will resent you for it. The more they see that you sincerely care for them and their well being, the more they will love you for it.