http://www.2-progress.com/motivation-dan-pink/
The Four Drive Model of Employee Motivation – A New Model to Increase Employee Engagement
It seems that people are hungry for a better way to motivate their employees. Dan Pink’s new book “Drive” has been at the top of the business book best seller list since its release at the end of December. Our own work with companies points to the fact that companies want more than the typical pay raise or standard incentive program. As business evolves, we are moving past the old model and into a new world that looks at both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators.
The Four Drive Model of Employee Motivation was developed by Lawrence and Nohria in 2002. The model is a holistic way of looking at employee motivation beyond the typical “pay” model that is prevalent in the corporate world today. I will not go into detail regarding the model here, but just give an overview and how this model presents a new way of thinking for organizational leaders.
The Four Drive theory is based on research that shows four underlying drives – the drive to Acquire & Achieve, to Bond & Belong, to be Challenged & Comprehend and to Define & Defend. Each of these drives are important if we are to understand employee motivation. While companies typically focus on the drive to Acquire & Achieve (i.e., base pay, incentives, etc…), the other three drives play an integral part in fully motivating employees. Thus, the new theory provides a model for employers to look at when they are trying to find ways to increase employee engagement and motivation.
For instance, companies often pay lip service to team building as they don’t see how it really impacts performance. The Four Drive model shows that team building relates directly to the drive to Bond & Belong – which in turn can influence an employees motivation. Thus conducting a team building session should no longer be just about having fun for a few hours, it should help a company’s employees positively build and enhance the bonds they have with their co-workers.
The drive to be Challenged & Comprehend highlights the fact that we perform better when we are not bored or “not challenged” and learning on the job. Instead of trying to automate and simplify all work, leaders should look at how they can enhance or create challenges for employees and provide them opportunities to learn and grow. With this in mind, organizations must look at how they are structuring their jobs, their projects, their incentives.
Organizations do not typically think of the drive to Define & Defend when they are thinking about motivation. The Four Drive model indicates that a company’s reputation, its moral bearing, the culture and what it does can all be significant factors in how motivated employees are. Think of the different motivation an employee would have working for a pharmaceutical company that is providing life saving medicines for people or a one that is out to maximize shareholder returns. Which do you think would have the more motivated workforce?
Note: Alright, a theory that is almost seven years old really isn’t new, but theories moving from academics into the real world often require a much longer time to be accepted – so I’d give this a good grade! For more information, please go to www.lanterngroup.com or www.thelanterngroup.wordpress.com
About the Author
Kurt is a recognized leader in human motivation, incentive compensation, and team development. For over seventeen years, Kurt has worked on developing and delivering motivational programs, incentive programs, communication campaigns, training sessions, focus groups, team development sessions and strategy initiatives that get employees to work more productively.
Kurt’s recent work has focused in on helping pharmaceutical companies increase the motivational level and subsequent performance of their sales forces. Specific focus has been on increasing the effectiveness of incentive compensation plans for sales representatives, maximizing the use of extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivation, and developing sales effectiveness blueprints. Form 2006 through 2009 one out of every four pharmaceutical representatives in the U.S. had their incentive compensation plan rolled out to them Kurt and his team.
Kurt has also done significant work in the area of employee motivation, focusing on optimizing employee reward and incentive programs to drive corporate objectives and change behavior.
Over 200,000 people have participated in programs that Kurt has designed and facilitated. Although much of his work has focused on the pharmaceutical industry, he has vast experience in medical device, telecommunications, finance and automotive as well as working with a large number of different companies from around the world.
Kurt has his MBA from the University of Iowa and is a PhD candidate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Capella University. He is Vice Chair of the board for the non-profit Economic Growth Center.
Can be reached at kurt@lanterngroup.com or 612-396-6392
