One of the key aspects of a successful project is project motivation. What is motivation? Research in the field of project management and leadership suggests that motivation goes beyond doing the ‘correct’ things. In an organizational setup, the role of a leader or a project manager is to involve all team members and get them to complete tasks, but not always by acting like a taskmaster or through coercion. Here are six secrets that will help you develop a motivating project culture in your organization.
Autonomy of execution
According to Peter Drucker, among the most vital needs of an employee or project worker is to be allowed to manage tasks independently. It is an acknowledgment of his/her capabilities. This means that sometimes a manager should only lay down the goals or the target ends of a project activity and allow the team or individual members to come up with their own ways of executing it. This technique has proven to create strong motivation in members as they feel a boost in their work morale.
Talking about project benefits to increase commitment
Most employees will commit to finishing an assignment only because they are instructed to do so. If you wish to get a more intrinsic commitment from your team members, fueled by self-motivation, then you need to discuss the benefits of the project with the team and make them understand its importance for the organization, clients, and the employees. For example, the project could be extremely well-paying and may hold monetary rewards for the team members.
Recognition and rewards
It goes without saying that it is important to reward team members for their hard work and accomplishments in achieving the target project goals. It gives them reassurance that their managers have acknowledged and appreciated their contribution. This, in turn, builds motivation to participate in various other future projects.
Engage all workers
You must come up with a way to make all your workers a part of the planning as well as the decision-making process. This way, they tend to think of the project as their baby and will do everything possible to make it a success. Hold regular team meetings to get their ideas, opinions, inputs, and feedback. Team members are likely to feel empowered and motivated with this kind of engagement and may even come up with more productive approaches to work.
Communicate effectively
A project manager needs to be a great communicator. This means holding regular training sessions, meetings, and providing employees with newsletters, memos, FAQs and so on. This helps in presenting your vision to the employees. You also need to ask them questions and clarify any confusion. Make changes to your communication strategies to ensure information reaches them quickly and correctly. This is also critical to keep them motivated during projects.
Provide positive feedback
All project managers report the effectiveness of positive constructive feedback in enhancing employee motivation. Also, the team members who make the maximum contribution to a project really wish to be appreciated for their hard work and commitment. Feedback could also heighten the positive impact of various other motivational approaches, like goal setting.
By developing a motivating project culture in your company, you would not be able to improve productivity but also keep/improve the employee retention rate.
