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How to Motivate Government Employees

Extrinsic Motivation:
Getting Peformance Management Right

Also see: Intrinsic Motivation

 


"The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated."
                     -- William James


 

Pay, promotions, and employee recognition are examples of extrinsic motivators that are important to employee morale. For example, awards and promotions are important mechanisms for showing employees their good work is appreciated. It's important to understand, however, that these factors can have a dark side when we fail to get them right; employee motivation and morale can plummet for extended periods when management does not deal with poor performers or the processes governing promotions and awards are perceived as unfair or non-transparent.

Many government agencies score poorly in these areas in the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). For example, across the Federal Government in 2019:


  • only 34% of respondents agreed that, "In my work unit, steps are taken to deal with a poor performer who cannot or will not improve;"

  • only 39% of respondents agreed that, "Promotions in my work unit are based on merit;"


  • only 39% of respondents agreed that, "In my work unit, differences in performance are recognized in a meaningful way;"


  • only 41% were satisfied with their opportunities to get a better job in their organization; and


  • only 44% of respondents agreed that, "Awards in my work unit depend on how well I perform my job."

Performance management is clearly an area with much area for improvement in many agencies. That improvement will only come as each individual manager does the hard work of getting it right.

 

Articles

 

Books

Cover of Managing Government Employees: How to Motivate Your People, Deal with Difficult Issues and Achieve Tangible Results

Managing Government Employees: How to Motivate Your People, Deal with Difficult Issues and Achieve Tangible Results

By Stewart Liff

Drawing on his 30 years of real world experience as an HR professional, manager, and Senior Executive in the Federal Government, Stewart Liff provides many great tactics, case studies and stories that debunk common perceptions that government managers have of the government's personnel system. Liff argues that government managers can make the system work effectively, provided they know the rules, set high expectations, and approach problems with integrity and courage. Includes excellent chapters on dealing with difficult people, recognizing excellent performance, working effectively with unions, and handling attendance problems. This book should be required reading for all supervisors in government.  Read More...

Cover of "The Process Matters"

The Process Matters

By Joel Brockner

It is often said that when a disappointing outcome is accompanied by a an unfair process, it is "like adding insult to injury." In his fascinating book The Process Matters, Joel Brockner argues that a bad process has more of a multiplier effect (i.e. bad process + disappointing outcome = insult x injury). For example, an employee may be disappointed about not getting a promotion, but they will get over it if they perceive the process to be fair and transparent. On the other hand, a process perceived as unfair or involving favoritism can turn that disappointment into long-term bitterness and cynicism about the organization and/or its leaders. So yes, the process does matter. The author includes chapters on how fairness can facilitate the change process and on the importance of giving managers the tools to help their teams deal with the emotional impact of negative outcomes. Brockner also argues that striving for fair process is not only a means to an end (i.e. more satisfied employees) but is also an end in itself...because it is the right thing to do. For a preview of some of the wisdom in this book, see Brockner's superb Harvard Business Review article "Why It's So Hard to Be Fair."   Read More...

Cover of "The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome"

The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome: How Good Managers Cause Great People to Fail

By Jean-François Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux

If you find yourself spending a lot of time trying to "fix" your relatively weaker performers, then you should definitely read this book.  Manzoni and Barsoux explain how the low expectations managers project onto "perceived weaker performers" tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies.  Includes some great material on how to recognize the syndrome, how to provide feedback more effectively, and how to break out of the set-up-to fail syndrome's downward spiral.  For a sample, see the authors' article "Managing Smart: Enabling Under-Performers to Become Achievers" from the Ivey Business Journal.  Read More...

Cover of "How Full is Your Bucket?"

How Full is Your Bucket?

By Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton

This short book has a message that is as valuable as it is simple: look for the good in people and praise it.  The authors cite numerous studies that have shown that people are far more motivated and productive when their self-esteem is high due to praise and positive feedback.  On the other hand, when people go around emptying the "emotional buckets" of others, they invariably poison the chemistry in the workplace and destroy everyone's morale (including their own) in the process.  This book makes a very compelling case for using a predominantly positive approach to interpersonal relations in the workplace--and getting rid of poisonous personalities.  Read More...

Cover of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees

1001 Ways to Reward Employees

By Bob Nelson

This is an extremely handy book for any manager who is trying to find effective ways to provide recognition to his/her employees.  The author covers a huge array of possibilities for formal and informal rewards, as well as performance-based awards.  The book is well organized and has hundreds of anecdotes describing creative techniques that supervisors in different companies have used effectively to show their appreciation to employees. Read More...

Cover of Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders

Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders

By John Baldoni

Excellent discussion of the many leadership practices that help create an environment conducive to motivation.  The author encourages leaders to lead by example, communicate, challenge, empower, coach, recognize, sacrifice and inspire.  Each of these principles is illustrated with compelling stories of great leaders, including Col. David Hackworth, Frances Hesselbein, and Ernest Shackleton.  Read an excerpt from the book.   Read more...