Motivation for the tasks themselves, I.E. seeing the tasks as interesting,
exciting and/or stimulating. (*also called intrinsic work motivation, intrinsic
motivation.)
True motivation for performing the tasks — as opposed to the motivation for
a reward for completing the tasks —is generally considered the most
important condition for wholehearted effort and high performance in a
work context. Employees with high intrinsic task motivation sees performing
the tasks as a form of reward in itself.
Intrinsic task motivation and competence mobilization are closely linked and
have a mutually reinforcing effect. High intrinsic task motivation tends to
increase competence mobilization and vice versa.
Research shows that in order to achieve high intrinsic task motivation, high
perceived work autonomy in the work setting is critical. With no opportunities
for independent work, true task motivation quickly diminishes. Key input
factors to building and maintaining intrinsic work motivation are high self-
efficacy, a mastery-oriented motivation climate, mastery-oriented leadership,
and high role clarity.
Example of indicator:
• My work tasks are in themselves a key motivating factor for me.
Self-efficacy reflects each individual employee’s confidence in their own competence and their ability to cope with challenges in a work setting. (Technical term: personal efficacy.)
High self-efficacy entails feeling competent in one’s professional situation and feeling confident in one’s ability to cope with challenges and difficult situations. High self-efficacy is critical in all job performance, as well as in whether the employee has the confidence to take on new and challenging tasks.
Extensive research shows that employees with high self-efficacy tend to have higher intrinsic task motivation and both work harder and perform better than employees with low self-efficacy when their competences are otherwise equal.
Self-efficacy is easily destroyed, e.g. through distrust and low expectations from others.
Role clarity and work autonomy are normally the two most important contributing factors to high self-efficacy. Mastery-oriented leadership and a mastery-oriented motivation climate are also important for boosting self-efficacy in employees with low self-efficacy.
Example of indicator:
• No matter what happens at my job, I am usually able to handle it.
The employee’s perceived opportunity to work independently and make their own judgments and decisions in the course of their work, based on their personal competence and within the limits of a defined work role. (*Also called perceived work autonomy)
Research shows that the opportunity to work independently and to make one’s own judgments and decisions in the day-to-day work is critical for high intrinsic work motivation and competence mobilization.
Employees who find themselves able to work independently perceive this as a reflection of trust and positive expectations from their superior. Trust is in itself a motivating factor, increasing self-efficacy. New research also shows that when employees have high perceived work autonomy it also improves the service provided to end users, as assessed by end users themselves.
It is not always possible for employees to be as autonomous in their work as perhaps they would like, for example if they are working closely with others on providing a service. In these cases, high role clarity, i.e. clear communication of the individual’s role and the need to coordinate with others, are critical in order for the employee to perceive their work autonomy as adequate.
Example of indicator:
• I have the opportunity to think and act independently in my job.
The employee’s experience of being able to utilize their own professionally relevant competence in a good way in their current job. (*Also called perceived competence mobilization, skill utilization). Being able to apply one’s competence in a good and motivating manner is very important for most employees.
Research shows that high competence mobilization leads to increased intrinsic task motivation, effort, performance, loyalty and a stronger willingness to stay rather than quit. Competence mobilization promotes self-efficacy and therefore also serves as a bulwark against stress-related ailments and mental health problems. In turn, this means reduced absences and a lower risk of anyone falling out of employment altogether.
Low competence mobilization due to employees being over-qualified, having the wrong qualifications or a lack of opportunities in the work situation would be strongly demotivating for most people.
The factors most commonly associated with high competence mobilization are:
• Work autonomy
• Intrinsic task motivation
• Role clarity
• Mastery-oriented leadership
• Self-efficacy
• A mastery-oriented motivation climate
Example of indicator:
• I am able to use what I know (i.e. my knowledge, skills and abilities) the way I expected when I took this job.
Leadership that emphasizes that each employee should be given the opportunity to learn, develop and reach their individual potential, which in turn facilitates feelings of mastery and individual achievement. (*Also known as mastery-oriented supervisor support)
This type of leadership is closely linked to what is often called supportive, relationship-oriented or trust-based leadership and includes elements from all of these. In 10-FACTOR, we have cultivated the mastery-oriented aspect of leadership, which has documented strong and positive effects.
Mastery-oriented leadership is not a limited or rigid approach to leadership; it may be practised in many different ways, depending on the individual leader’s personality and style.
Key aspects in mastery-oriented leadership is to provide:
• Direction – defining roles, requirements and goals
• Meaning – motivating and inspiring employees to reach goals
• Individual attention and support
Mastery-oriented leaders emphasize building high role clarity, high intrinsic task motivation, high self-efficacy and a mastery-oriented motivation climate. Giving employees a high degree of work autonomy is usually a key element in mastery-oriented leadership. Mastery-oriented leadership promotes high competence mobilization.
Mastery-oriented leaders often use inspiring language, with positive, motivating words and linguistic images.
In order to build and improve mastery-oriented leadership skills, leaders need insight into these factors and their significance.
Example of indicator:
• My closest superior provides useful advice and support, so that I can improve and develop.
High role clarity means that the expectations for the job the employee is supposed to do has been clearly defined and communicated.
High role clarity means that the employee is not in doubt as to which tasks he or she is responsible for and what is expected in order to do the job well.
In order to achieve high role clarity, it is important to define clearly how tasks should be internally prioritized, so that the employee will know what is most important when pressed for time.
Research shows that high role clarity is critical for self-efficacy, intrinsic task motivation, effort, competence mobilization and achievement. Clearly defined roles reduce stress, frustration and the level of conflict between employees.
Employees who have no clear understanding of what their role is will not know how best to spend their time and energy at work. A lot of employees respond to such a situation by feeling demotivated and becoming less effective. Others respond by defining their own role, and this is not always in the best interests of colleagues, users or the organization as a whole.
The expectations for the role the employee is expected to fill should be communicated clearly, both in the recruitment phase and later whenever there are any changes in roles, the organization, or in the employee’s individual competence.
Leaders who do not work closely with each employee should be especially aware of the need to check employees’ understanding of their role when meeting for regular, individual appraisal and development interviews.
Example of indicator:
• I know when I have prioritized my time right at work.
Opportunities for relevant competence development are critical in making sure the employee is as prepared as possible for high-quality performance of their tasks. Perceived competence development is critical for the quality of the service provided, regardless of the type of service.
By competence development we refer to any and all forms of learning, both in-house and external, including guidance, courses, visiting practice and education, which is entirely or partly paid by the employer.
Competence development is often guided by considerations beyond the immediate relevance for the job role and tasks to be performed. The magnitude and scope of competence development therefore represents a poor measure of the degree to which the competence developed is useful and has practical applications, thus actually improving the quality of service.
The 10-FACTOR survey does not measure the scope of competence development or whether each individual employee gets what he or she personally wants. The 10-FACTOR survey does seek to identify, however, the degree to which the employee perceives having the opportunity to participate in competence development activities that are directly relevant for their tasks and actual needs on the job.
Example of indicator:
• The training/competence development activities I have the opportunity to participate in are relevant for my tasks.
The employee’s willingness to be flexible on the job and adapt the approach to work in response to new needs and requirements.
Role requirements and how specific tasks are to be carried out constantly change as a result of new technology, new guidelines and new requirements presented by politicians and authorities, changes in the structure of the organization, and new demands and needs from users. Some tasks may no longer be needed, and new tasks may arise.
It is therefore important that employees be willing to adjust the way they work, and if and when it becomes necessary, take on new tasks.
Flexible employees are in a better position for utilizing their skills and contributing to the organization reaching its goals by providing good services to each individual user.
Employees who are prosocially motivated and have high self-efficacy are often the most willing to be flexible. Mastery-oriented leadership and a mastery-oriented motivation climate are especially important to promote increased willingness to be flexible.
Example of indicator:
• I am willing to do things a different way than I normally do, if my superior asked me to.
In a mastery-oriented motivation climate, employees are motivated by learning, developing and making each other good, as opposed to competing with each other to be the best (Also known as: mastery climate).
In a mastery-oriented motivation climate, the focus is to make the most of one’s own potential. The opposite is a so-called performance climate, where employees are motivated by becoming the best in competition with everyone else.
Research shows that a mastery-oriented motivation climate, which emphasizes cooperation and mutual support, promotes learning, task motivation, effort and stamina to a higher degree than does a performance climate. A mastery-oriented climate also promotes increased utilization and sharing of competence, and provides a better foundation for creativity and innovation.
In a performance climate, in contrast, employees are encouraged to compete and outperforming each other. As a consequence, many hide rather than share their competence in order to obtain personal benefits. This creates a spiral of distrust, which negatively affects the cooperation between colleagues. This, in turn, has a negative effect on both the quality and overall performance, not just for the individual employee, but for the work team as a whole.
Many leaders and employees who believe in competition as a motivating factor tend to promote a performance climate over a mastery-oriented climate.
Extensive and recent research shows, however, that results are almost always better in a mastery-oriented climate, especially in when tasks are complex and competence demanding. A key explanation for this is the improved sharing of valuable competence between co-workers.
Example of indicator:
• In my department/team, colleagues are encouraged to work together and exchange thoughts and ideas.
The motivation to do something useful and valuable for others is a key motivating factor for many people and has a number of well-documented positive effects.
Prosocial motivation is about feeling motivated to contributing to other people reaching their goals, in the widest sense. This could entail helping colleagues do a good job or provide important services to others, such as making good memories for kindergarten kids, helping pupils learn, providing high-quality care to those in need, or important information and equipment.
Extensive research shows that high prosocial motivation among employees yields:
• Better resource utilization
• Efficiency/productivity
• Reduced costs
• Better user/customer satisfaction
• Lower turnover among employees
Prosocial motivation cannot be “commanded”, but should be promoted over time by raising the employee’s awareness of the value of his or her work over time. Prosocial motivation should not be linked to rewards, as this increases the risk of promoting instrumental behaviours and a competitive, performance-orientation rather than genuine and more lasting prosocial attitudes.
An important element in promoting increased prosocial motivation is raising awareness of and highlighting the specific value and significance of the work of each individual employee.
Example of indicator:
• It’s important to me to work with something that is useful for others.