Workplace demotivation, how to solve it with the culture of innovation?
One of the main problems of organizations is the demotivation of their employees. Motivation in the business environment is the ability of an organization to keep its people involved in achieving the business objectives set. It consists of having them active, not only physically, but also emotionally.
This is closely linked to performance and productivity and, therefore, maintaining staff motivation is one of the main challenges faced by managers of organizations, who often do not know how to act.
In this article we offer you the keys to encourage employee motivation through the culture of innovation.
What does work motivation have to do with innovation culture?
We start from the premise that every organization has a culture, whether it wants to or not. This culture determines the outcome, as it is made up of many factors, such as the resources available, what processes we have in place to manage those resources, and how success is defined and measured. These three components may or may not stimulate people. However, what really stimulates us are not the aspects of our work, but the hard(those of a technical nature), butsoft (those that have to do with one's personal traits). That is, what really motivates us is to be aware of the purpose of the organization in which we are, that this purpose challenges or stimulates us, as well as having the necessary climate and autonomy to deploy our imagination and creativity, being able to grow as a person and as a professional. It is here where the culture of innovation is revealed as the maximum exponent of that space where elperformand eltransform are combined, that profiting from the present and exploring and transforming ourselves by taking advantage of the future. Therefore, we cannot forget that the etymology of motivation is "motive for action". Thus, feeling part of the purpose gives us the motive and the cultural space to act creatively and experiment to discover new options.Business motivation, how to improve it?
Innovation is synonymous with the future, as it involves creating new solutions to existing problems and needs. Therefore, an organization with a culture of innovation will always combine short-term profitability with sustainability in the future of the organization. This requires that the people in the organization feel comfortable challenging the current answers, so they apply the process "Act + Get data + Analyze data" and start again. In this sense, one of the best ways to stimulate this virtuous circle is to gamify the process. As a great expert in creativity says, Philippe DelespesseAccording to the founder of Inteligencia Creativa and Binnakle.com, "when we gamify a business process, the results never cease to surprise us all. Not only do we obtain surprising business results, but we also manage to involve the participants, better integrate the messages and change attitudes". In addition, we cannot forget that motivation is an emotion and positive emotions are one of the great medicines for many ills that beset us today.Main causes of demotivation at work
The main causes or errors that kill work motivation within an organization:- Management egos. Business history is full of highly successful managers who end up bankrupting the organization that hired them because of their successes in previous organizations. None of these executives, when they signed the contract of the organization that went bankrupt, had a plan to make it go bankrupt.
- The way in which the organization earns money and remunerates employees, mainly managers. If you pay to sell what today gives you prestige and success, you create a tunnel effect that limits your ability to, for example, detect new trends and internal weaknesses.
- Not knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's culture. Climate surveys are conducted, some with enormous popularity. However, climate is only part of the culture. Climate refers to the moment, while culture is much more stable and consistent, being the one that creates spaces for personal growth that is sustainable over time. Talented people are not so much attached to money as they are to growth, so if they hit a ceiling they will leave. This results in unwanted turnover, i.e., people leaving who we wish had not left.
What are the consequences of demotivation at work?
We have already commented on the causes that lead to employee demotivation and their consequences can affect not only the work environment but also performance, among which the following stand out:- Decreased employee commitment to the organization.
- Negative attitude towards challenges.
- Reduced productivity.
- Decrease in the quality of the products or services offered.
- Increased unwanted turnover.