The Power of Intrinsic Motivation
Autonomy as a Source of Motivation
Purpose | Autonomy | Mastery
A work environment that supports Autonomy devolves authority and discretion to employees so they can take full ownership of their work and apply their creativity and skills to accomplish the mission in the best possible way. Autonomy is the linchpin to having employees who self-manage. Fostering autonomy requires 1) true delegation of authority so decisions can be made at the lowest level practical and 2) sharing of information to ensure employees understand the mission and organizational priorities. It also requires trusting employees to do their jobs and treating mistakes as opportunities for learning and organizational improvement.
Articles
- Giving Public Employees the Power to Use Their Judgment, by Russ Linden
Provides excellent examples of empowering practices used successfully in government. - The Link Between
Motivation and Innovation
Process improvement can improve more than just your processes if you do it right.
- Unleashing the Power in Your Workforce, by Robert Quinn and Gretchen Spreitzer
PDF of Chapter 1 of the book A Company of Leaders.
- The Roles of Feedback, Autonomy, and Meaningfulness in Employee Performance Behaviors
This excellent study by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MPSB) demonstrates how effective feedback can help employees feel empowered.
- The Power of Frontline Workers in Transforming Government, by Timothy Hoff
A Report for the IBM Center for the Business of Government.
Books
Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders
When Captain L. David Marquet took command of the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Santa Fe, he inherited a demotivated and underperforming crew of 135. Reenlistment rates were rock-bottom and the crew's top priority seemed to be mistake avoidance. Working with his NCOs and officers, Capt. Marquet implemented an integrated and inspiring leadership strategy through which he "emancipated" his crew (i.e. unleashed their talents) instead of "empowering" them (which Marquet argues is a top-down approach that implies the power is the leader's to grant). His approach prompted his officers and sailors to take full ownership of their work and create a culture of excellence. The Santa Fe went on to win numerous performance awards, and reenlistments increased more than ten-fold. Marquet writes, "We had no need for leadership development programs; the way we ran the ship was the leadership development program." Indeed, 10 of Marquet's officers went on to serve as submarines commanders, an extraordinary legacy. Read More...
The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work
Reknowned organizational development thinker Peter Block provides an embarrassingly accurate description of how communication typically occurs in a bureaucratic organization and the problems caused by that norm. Block then moves on to describe how managers can take full responsibility for their actions and change their part of the organization. Highly Recommended. Read more...
Videos