Motivating Factors

There are numerous and significant factors which motivate people, ten of which include:
Challenge: This might involve challenging yourself to improve in some aspect of your work. For example, you may have top-dressed a small area of lawn pretty evenly but noticed there were some thin and also clumpy areas of top-dressing. The challenge could be to improve on this next time by trying to spread it more evenly: This would then help with working in the top-dressing as well. If someone else was carrying out the working in of the material after you had top-dressed it then they would be more satisfied with your part of the teamwork, rather than having to correct something which they might have been able to do better than you in the first place. If you are competent at a task, which essentially means, you can repeat the activity to a suitable standard on a regular basis so long as there are few changes made to the procedure, then why not challenge yourself to carrying it out under different situations to what you normally do. For example, this might mean using a different method of setting up a machine, using a machine on a different surface to what you would normally use it, with maybe different undulations and outlines so you will need to consider how best to manoeuvre the machine, especially at ends when turning is required. This isn't necessarily outside of what you can confidently achieve, it is just trying something different within your comfort zone.
Development: There is always something to learn, so developing individuals in a team by encouraging them to undertake some form of education or training programme, which might be formal or informal, can show positive improvements and can also provide a sense of achievement with a successful outcome. Development may also be a line manager coaching or mentoring staff to help them improve in their performance or behaviours. Continuous improvement, especially where applied as a structured development program, can be a significant motivator within a team. Encouraging career development for individuals can demonstrate an employer's commitment to its workforce.
Empowerment: This is about having the freedom to make choices for example, maybe in the way a pitch is cut, or which machine is used - not having a manager who is controlling (MacGregor Theory X say), having the confidence to be able to carry out the required work to a suitable standard (or asking for upskilling or additional guidance or training to get to the desired standard), valuing what is done, so you aren't routinely given jobs you feel are worthless, and that the work that is being done is making a positive contribution to the overall team outcomes.
Equitable treatment: If you are treated fairly and see others treated in the same way then this is more likely to maintain levels of motivation, than if unequal and unfair treatment is practiced in the workplace. This will lead to dissatisfaction and typically also a reduction in workplace productivity, standards and engagement with managers. This is strongly related to organisational culture.
Increased responsibility or accountability: Sometimes you would like more control over decisions made and being able to make them yourself. You would be responsible for the decisions and the outcomes achieved ¯ this can increase the ‘stress' put on you, but it can act a positive stressor, which provides positive self-encouragement. The increased responsibility should be agreed beforehand with your line manager, with a clear definition of the extent and timeline for that responsibility: it will need to be realistic, so as not to set you up to fail, as that would be a significant demotivation factor. The more experienced or expert a person is, then increasing responsibility and accountability is often required to maintain levels of motivation. Increasing the responsibility given to an individual can also demonstrate to a team that the individual is pulling their weight and being a 'team player'.
Positive organisational culture: Working for an organisation which gives meaning and value to your work, fulfilling your needs - achieving what Maslow terms 'self-actualisation', continually having met with job satisfaction, having a strong sense of belonging and also to being able to make a difference. This is strongly related to empowerment.
Recognition or praise: If a good job is done, especially where it has taken a lot of time and effort, getting the occasionally well done, nice job, or similar, provides acknowledgement of appreciation from others. This also helps to reinforce that an individual has actually done what was expected, or maybe even gone above expectations. This positive reinforcement is a motivator and would encourage me to continue to maintain good standards. Recognising the work of others can help to create a good team and work ethic, although congratulating others on everything they do would become tiresome and would not act as a motivator.
Rewards or incentives: These could be financial, such as a bonus for good productivity or customer service, a pay rise (in-line with or above inflation); or benefits such as enhanced pension, car allowance, attendance at training courses; an employers contribution to qualifications; extra holidays; flexible working, and more.
Sense of achievement: Knowing youve done a good job and or made the best use of the available resources will typically produce a positive feeling in an individual. Some jobs may be able to consistently produce that sense of achievement once it is completed, for example, mowing a sward with the smell of newly cut grass and where neat stripes have been produced will often give a good feeling of having achieved something positive. Routine filing away of documents or letters, or fairly mundane office duties, would rarely give a comparable sense of achievement, so in an office environment maintaining motivation in employees can, arguably, be a lot more challenging than other job roles. The motivating factor of sense of achievement can be increased by receiving praise from others.
Working relationships: Being able to work with others in a welcoming and helpful manner, with respect and trust, in an open and transparent way can help build strong working relationships which develop and reinforce teamwork.
Whether as an individual or manager, you are wanting to identify some areas that motivate others, it is important to understanding that what you might consider as a motivator for some people, may not have the same effect with other people. Getting to know members of your team will better place you to help motivate them.