Motivation: Executing the
Fundamentals Brilliantly!
Connecticut HDI chapter meeting
20 September 2007
Performance Consulting
508.650.0770/mia@performance-consulting.com
Agenda
 Meet & greet
 What is motivation? What is your role?
 When do we typically use motivational techniques?
 What do the experts say about motivation?
 Activity
 What can we learn from outside of the help desk
arena?
 Activity
 Best practices for motivating and coaching within the
help desk arena
Meet & greet
Your name
Your company
Your role
Something about the topic of motivation that
you would like to take back to your help desk
Meet & greet activity
What is motivation?
What is your role?
Motivate:
 To stimulate to action; provide with an incentive or
motive; impel; incite.
Your role:
 Set challenging, yet realistic goals
 Provide feedback and rewards
 Remove obstacles, provide resources
 Create a friendly environment
 Other?
When do we typically use
motivational techniques?
When morale needs a boost
When productivity needs a boost
When an individual needs to demonstrate
initiative
When teamwork needs to be developed or
enhanced
Other?
What do the experts say?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
fulfilled challenges, dreams
recognition
Self-fulfillment
Ego / esteem
Social
Security
Physiological
love / friendship
job security
food water shelter
What do the experts say?
Herzberg Motivation Theory
Top Hygiene Factors
Top Motivators
1. Company policy/administration
2. Supervision
3. Relationship with supervisor
4. Work conditions
5. Salary
6. Relationship with peers
7. Personal life
1. Achievement
2. Recognition
3. Work itself
4. Responsibility
5. Advancement
6. Salary
7. Growth
What do the experts say?
Nelson’s Ways to Build Commitment
Interesting work
Information – to effectively do a job, feedback
Involvement – in decision-making
Independence – latitude, flexibility, own ideas
Increased visibility – opportunities, recognition
Activity
Hand-out: What motivates you?
What can we learn? Costco
Pay top wages within industry
Pay health insurance benefits
Retain competent employees (reduce turnover)
Don’t overcompensate the executive team
Philosophy: a loyal, well-compensated workforce
means a more efficient and productive one,
generating greater profits
What can we learn? Zingerman’s
 Believe in and demonstrate passion for your core
product
 Create an environment of integrity, trust, respect, and
learning
 Use education and training to create a culture that is
intellectually stimulating and a language and thought
process that is unifying
 Think like a start-up
 Encourage and support internal entrepreneurship and
ownership
 Invest in the larger community
Intrinsic Motivators
Managers influence internal motivators and
rewards through job design. Job design includes:
 amount of autonomy
 breadth of skills used
 interesting and
challenging work
enjoyment of tasks
control
professional growth
Extrinsic Motivators
External motivators are rewards given by the
organization. To be effective in a support
environment, they must be:
 desirable to the
recipient
 communicated to all
team members
equitable
attainable
cost effective
on-going
Extraordinary Performance
Survey Results
What motivates you?
recognition and appreciation
challenging, interesting work
growth
money
communication; job satisfaction
What Tech Support Staff
Say They Want
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Six weeks of vacation per year
Telecommuting arrangement, with a company-financed DSL line
Relaxed corporate culture with casual dress every day
Company-sponsored certification training and continued education
Signing bonus equal to one-quarter your first-year salary
Flexible scheduling
Stock options; Lots of them
Bonuses tied to your department's goals
Company car
Free daily gourmet lunches, juice bars, and specialty coffees at work
Subsidized college education for your children
Use of the company’s Caribbean beach house one week a year
On-site child care
Free parking/country club membership (tie)
Pet privileges: You can bring Fido to work
Source: Tech Republic
What Selected Tech Support Staff
Actually Receive - a real world example
Recognition of client feedback
“Wall of Fame”
Travel to other countries and USA
Support Appreciation Day
MP3s
Eco-tour
Annual Team Event - spoof prizes
Publish Monthly Statistics
What Selected Tech Support Staff
Actually Receive - real world example 2
 Company-wide “Great Place to Work”
 Emphasis on work - life balance
 Quality hours versus quantity hours
 $500 to everyone in firm as holiday gift
 Local events: potluck lunch with comedian hired
to entertain, holiday gift exchange, pizza, etc.
 “On-the-spot” award - monetary from $50 - $300
at discretion of local manager (company-wide
guidelines, anyone can recommend)
What Selected Tech Support Staff
Actually Receive - real world example 2
 Monthly $50 award based on file of all kudos:
teamwork, customer service, etc. - manager
keeps list - raffle - one winner, can be peer to
peer, other team may nominate
 $500-$2000 bonus in paycheck for high impact,
long term contribution (6-month+), top
management approval - 2 awarded last year
 Reward for work over and above 8-hour shift, or
over and above management or customer
expectations
What Selected Tech Support Staff
Actually Receive - real world example 3
 Following reorganization, 3-month contest
introduced to improve individual and team
productivity, quality, and morale
 KPIs selected for individual and team: FCR,
#cases opened, on-time attendance
 Product and monetary awards
 Top award was home theater awarded to a team
lead
 Celebration dinner to present awards
SSPA Study
Top 10% of all performers said:
1. Work/Life Balance (flexible schedules)
2. Personal Reputation as Key Contributor
3. Intrinsic Rewards (appreciation/recognition)
4. Financial Incentives (long term, spot bonuses,
goal attainment)
5. Training and Performance Linked:
Top Performers find great value in training: they’re
motivated to complete certifications for higher base pay
Activity
Hand-out: Assessment tool
Best Practices: Coaching
 Coach each team member once/month (about ½hour/session)
 Coach for skills
 Focus on accountability for attitude
 Define the coaching session for new team members
 Have other team members identify areas for
coaching
 Focus on specific steps the team member will take
to improve or excel
 Coach a team member into a position that is a
better fit
Best Practices
 Hire the right person for the right job by consistently
updating job/skill profiles and refining
hiring/interviewing techniques
 Present learning/performance expectations and core
curriculum at outset of employee relationship
 Engage in monthly coaching sessions with each team
member to build knowledge/professionalism
 Utilize coaching as an ongoing method to emphasize
business goals and learning
 Recognize success and incremental improvement
 Emphasize rewards – whatever it takes
Motivation: Executing the
Fundamentals Brilliantly!
Connecticut HDI chapter meeting
20 September 2007
Performance Consulting
508.650.0770/mia@performanceconsulting.com