No
motivation
?
No
problem
!
How
do
you
motivate
employees
to
greater
levels
of
engagement
and
productivity
?
Maybe
you
shouldn't
try
to
do
it
yourself
.
For
many
people
,
the
popular
TV
show
The
Office
strikes
just
a
little
too
close
to
the
reality
of
their
day
-
to
-
day
experience
.
It
is
funny
because
it
is
true
.
Consider
this
example
:
manager
,
Michael
Scott
,
often
gives
'motivational'
to
his
team
.
Just
about
every
time
,
the
effort
.
Michael's
efforts
to
pump
up
his
colleagues
are
greeted
with
rolled
eyes
and
cynicism
.
Whether
sincere
or
not
,
his
words
and
deeds
are
viewed
as
inauthentic
and
superficial
.
By
contrast
,
seldom
if
ever
do
we
actually
see
or
hear
from
the
fictional
company
Dunder
Mifflin's
customers
in
the
show
.
There
are
specific
,
research
-
based
steps
towards
an
alternative
possibility
:
a
world
of
engaged
workers
who
are
happier
,
healthier
,
and
more
productive
.
Employees
are
more
likely
to
be
motivated
and
engaged
when
they
feel
their
work
is
meaningful
,
which
researchers
Brent
Rosso
,
Kathryn
Dekas
,
and
Amy
Wrzesniewski
define
as
:
"
significant
,
challenging
,
and
complete
.
"
It
seems
logical
,
people
who
feel
that
their
work
is
'making
a
difference'
are
more
likely
to
engage
with
it
.
Usually
,
when
we
think
of
'meaningful
work'
,
we
think
of
teachers
,
nurses
,
physicians
,
social
workers
,
people
whose
jobs
directly
impact
the
lives
of
others
.
However
,
many
employees
in
other
kinds
of
roles
are
doing
work
that
indirectly
impacts
the
lives
of
others
,
but
are
unable
to
see
the
effects
of
their
work
.
These
employees
may
hear
about
how
their
work
affects
others
,
but
are
otherwise
unaware
of
their
impact
and
therefore
remain
unmotivated
and
unengaged
.
Take
telefund
callers
,
for
instance
.
Many
of
us
receive
calls
regularly
from
our
asking
for
donations
.
These
calls
are
often
placed
by
young
students
,
paying
their
way
through
school
by
making
fundraising
calls
to
alumni
.
The
work
is
repetitive
,
and
the
callers
have
to
stay
motivated
and
persistent
even
in
the
face
of
frequent
?
and
not
always
very
polite
?
rejection
.
Not
necessarily
a
job
that
comes
to
mind
when
we
think
'meaningful
work'
.
However
,
in
How
to
be
a
positive
leader
,
Adam
Grant
shares
a
study
of
how
outsourcing
inspiration
contributed
to
a
more
engaged
workplace
.
In
2007
,
University
of
Michigan
Telefund
experimented
with
inviting
a
scholarship
recipient
to
help
motivate
its
employees
.
Telefund
callers
are
often
students
without
much
work
experience
,
and
face
frequent
rejection
as
they
try
to
raise
money
for
the
university
.
In
the
experiment
?
which
has
since
been
widely
replicated
?
a
scholarship
recipient
shared
her
story
about
how
her
scholarship
helped
ease
a
financial
with
some
of
the
callers
before
their
phone
shift
.
In
the
month
after
hearing
her
story
,
those
callers
obtained
on
average
of
215
more
pledges
and
$1
,
670
more
in
donations
per
week
than
a
group
that
didn't
receive
a
motivational
talk
from
a
scholarship
student
.
Both
groups
of
callers
used
the
exact
same
script
.
So
what
was
the
?
inspiration
!
It
can
and
will
look
different
in
each
organization
.
Here
are
three
helpful
strategies
from
Grant's
study
that
organizations
can
use
to
get
started
:
1
.
Make
the
face
-
to
-
face
connection
:
Hearing
first
-
hand
from
the
of
their
work
is
the
most
direct
,
and
most
effective
way
to
connect
employees
to
the
impact
of
their
work
.
In
the
case
of
Michigan
Telefund
,
a
five
-
minute
story
from
a
scholarship
student
measurably
boosted
employee
engagement
.
2
.
Encourage
employees
to
swap
stories
:
It
might
be
the
case
at
an
organization
that
some
employees
are
very
connected
to
their
impact
,
while
others
are
not
.
When
employees
are
given
the
opportunity
to
share
their
contributions
with
each
other
,
they
can
make
connections
about
impact
that
they
may
not
have
been
able
to
make
otherwise
.
3
.
Become
a
linking
pin
:
What
good
is
in
an
inspiring
story
if
not
connected
to
the
mission
of
the
organization
?
Connecting
employees'
contributions
with
the
mission
or
vision
of
the
organization
can
be
even
more
engaging
for
employees
than
simply
hearing
the
story
of
an
end
user
.
With
these
ideas
as
a
starting
point
,
you
can
start
outsourcing
inspiration
quickly
.
Today
at
lunch
,
encourage
employees
to
share
stories
of
contributions
they've
made
toward
your
mission
.
Reach
out
to
one
of
your
team's
beneficiaries
to
see
if
they
would
be
willing
to
share
the
impact
your
organization
has
had
on
them
.
Make
your
mission
known
and
connect
it
to
the
day
-
to
-
day
work
of
your
employees
.
Perhaps
an
added
bonus
will
be
a
boost
to
your
own
motivation
,
as
well
as
that
of
your
team
!
Let's
check
what
you
can
remember
!
En esta actividad se deberan de ajustar las siguientes reacciones químicas