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A presentation arguing that engagement is a more productive way to work with knowledge workers.
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Analytical Laboratory Management Association
BEYOND MOTIVATION TO ENGAGEMENT:
The Challenge of Knowledge Work
ALMA Conference, Houston, 2001
James W. Marcum, Ph.D.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Lab Management Purpose
Discovery–Problem solving–Testing– Innovation– Implementation
And a good return on investment
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Lab Management: Challenges
Researcher or Administrator?
Administrative support to handle– Finance– Personnel– Technology– Publicity, safety, legalities,
maintenance…? … or, how many hats do you wear?
» V. P. White, Handbook of Research Laboratory Management (ISI Press, 1988)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Resources Accomplishments NOT due
primarily to– Building and equipment– Financial support– Quality processes
But rather to the dedication, effort, commitment and engagement of the people on the “front lines”
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Personnel: Challenge and
Opportunity Traditional management– Control– Accountability– Leadership . . . (dysfunctional?)
The new management– Networking– Empowerment– Coaching– Learning
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
OUTLINE
Knowledge workers are different–Quit treating people as
dummies
Motivation = manipulation Rewards kill interest Engagement is worth a try
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Knowledge Workers: Characteristics
Specialized: effective in specialty Acquire and apply theoretical and
analytical knowledge Learning-based (formal education)
and habit of lifelong learning Require a social context.
» P. Drucker, Managing in a Time of Great Change. (Dutton, 1995), pp. 226-243.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Knowledge Workers = Intellectual Capital
… create, share, search out, and use knowledge in their daily routines
» T. Davenport & L. Prusak, Working Knowledge, (Harvard Business, 1998), p. 108
they “own” the means of production of the digital economy
» D. Tapscott, Digital Economy (McGraw-Hill, 1996), p. 67.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Knowledge Workers: HumanCapital in the Digital Economy Expect value for value given Require full disclosure (cynical: have
experienced corporate disloyalty/layoffs) Seek meaning in work; and opportunity
for advancement Require extensive learning Opportunity to network, work in teams
» Smith and Kelly, “Human Capital in the Digital Economy,” in Hesselbein, ed., The Organization of the Future, (Jossey-Bass, 1997), pp. 201-205.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Knowledge Creation
Not best measured by number of patents and scientific formulae
But rather by social trust, care, Ba, technology-enhanced communication, communities of practice, and interorganizational collaboration
» I. Nonaka and T. Nishigushi, Knowledge Emergence (Oxford, 2001)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Net Generation: Knowledge Workers of the Future working = learning = playing = working
... require flexible, custom environments
which they can influence and shape (consensus, not arbitrary command)
simultaneously an authority (some domains) and a student (in others)
cannot be “supervised” (in traditional sense)
require: fully networked connectivity» D. Tapscott, Growing Up Digital (McGraw-Hill,
1997).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
The Motivation ‘Complex’
A paradigm: Ubiquitous assumptions underlie social attitudes about learning, child-raising, and employment
Enormous industry of “motivators”– Books– Speakers– Recognition and Awards– Bonuses, trips
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
The Problem with Motivation Idea of “motivating people”
should be banished from the language of management
Amounts to manipulation and control
Demeaning and dysfunctional
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
The Problem with Motivation Idea of “motivating” people
should be banished from the language
Amounts to manipulation and control
Demeaning and dysfunctional
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
People … dummies?
Motivation image: Carrot and Stick ... what lies in between?
. . . motivation, as practiced, treats people like ....
» H. Levinson, “Asinine Ideas toward Motivation,” Harvard Business Review, (January 1973).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation: Evolving Models Behaviorism (person as
machine)
Cognition (person as decision-
maker)
Purpose (person as creator of
meaning)» Maehr and Meyer, “Understanding Motivation
and Schooling,” Educational Psychology Review (1997).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation I: Behaviorism
Assumptions of biological core dominated early 20th Century ideas
Stressed appetites, instincts, frustrations
Biological / mechanical assumptions– Watson; Hull’s “drives;” Skinner’s S-R theory
Freudianism (drives vs. civilization) as well
» Cofer and Appley, Motivation: Theory and Research (Wiley, 1964).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation
Shadow of B. F. Skinner (positive reinforcement)– Rewards seen as universally
beneficial– Yet we’ve known for 25 years that (external)
rewards are detrimental to ...
Intrinsic motivation: underlies cyclical patterns of behavior where people seek out and conquer challenges that are optimal for their capacities
The Hidden Costs of Reward, ed. Lepper & Greene (L. Erlbaum, 1978)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation II: Cognition Theory Cognition Theory
“OVERTHREW” Behaviorism by mid-20th Century
New focus on Mind, Perception And the Self (self-management,
self determination, self efficacy, etc...)
» Handbook of Motivation and Cognition, 3 vols.
– Ed. Sorrentino & Higgins (Guilford, 1986-96);» B. Weiner, Human Motivation (Sage, 1992);» R. Sperry, in Science of the Mind (1995), 35-49.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation II to III: Approaches
Motivation Research Models– Individual differences– Situational variations– Interaction (individual X situation)
Maehr and Meyer, “Understanding Motivation…”
From “Scientific Management” to Human Relations– Needs hierarchy (Maslow)– Hygiene factors (Herzberg) – Theory Y (McGregor)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation III: Creating Purpose and Meaning
– ... draws on the best from the past Motivation theory encompasses
cognition, consciousness, self, emotions, affiliation, and achievement
» Weiner, in Handbook of Motiv. & Cognition, I, 281-292.
For example: Quality (Deming), Empowerment (Kanter), Learning Organization (Senge), and Knowledge Management still use “motivation”
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation III Toolbox
– Since hierarchy and management power have eroded, the new tools are:
Mission (importance of the work)
Agenda Control (influence over own lives)
Share in Value Creation (entrepreneurship)
Learning (both individual and group)
Reputation (essential for professionals)» R. M. Kanter “New Managerial Work,” Harvard
Business Review, 1989.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Continued Reliance on“Motivation” by Business
Recognition and rewards are vital to a quality evaluation program
» T. Peters, Thriving on Chaos (Knopf, 1988), pp. 494-502.
Outstanding companies practice: security, high wages, cross-training, “ownership”
» J. Pfeffer, Competitive Advantage ... People (HBS, 1994).
Must manage motivation effectively via equity, availability, visibility, and rewards
» S. Kerr, Ultimate Rewards (Harvard Business, 1997).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation: Weaknesses of the Theory Goal: Cause action (where there was
none)» Vroom, Work and Motivation, p. 8.
Incidental (not continuous) “Paternalistic:” energize & direct
behavior» Cofer & Appleby, pp. 12-13.
Linear, deterministic (i.e., behavioral)
Over-reliant on rewards
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Motivation III: Current Practice
Retains heavy reliance on REWARDS, incentives and participation
» R. M. Steers, et al., Motivation and Leadership at Work. 6th Ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1996);
» T. Quick, The Manager’s Motivation Desk Book (Wiley, 1985);
» Crandall & Wallace, Work and Rewards in the Virtual Workplace (AMACOM, 1998), pp. 148-151.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
The Problem with Rewards
Tangible and expected rewards undermine free-choice intrinsic motivation (findings of 128 studies)
Only exceptions:» Disagreeable tasks» Verbal feedback (recognition of
competence) if unexpected and “non-controlling”…
Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, “A Meta-analytic Review,”
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Rewards
Rewards signal that the task itself is not worth
doing
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Problem with Rewards: 2
Rewards require surveillance, competition, and evaluation, all of which diminish intrinsic motivation (kill interest)
Rewards also rupture relationships, disrupt teams, punish everyone else, and discourage risk-taking
A. Kohn, Punished by Rewards (H-Mifflin, 1993).
R. M. Steers, et al., Leadership and Motivation. (McGraw-Hill, 1986), pp. 496-526.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
ENGAGEMENT:Dictionary Definition
to attract, hold by influence or power to entangle, entrap, engross to induce to participate, to join in to provide occupation for to commit to appear for an event to interlock, place in gear (mechanical) to enter into conflict (military) temporal (more than 1, less than
permanent)» Oxford English Dictionary, (1989), V, 247-249.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement: Definitions from theLiterature of Motivation assumes activity is absorbing, engrossing implies enjoyment … and interest pertains to subject’s field of
competence requires direct participation involves acquiring more & better
knowledge demands significant self-determination involves challenging tasks is characterized by persistence
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement: Definitions from Learning Theory Self-determination (Deci & Ryan,
Bandura)
Creative task engagement (Conti)
Competence (Connell and Wellborn)
Context, personalization, choice (Cordova)
Interest, enjoyment, flow (Hidi, Csikszentmihalyi)
Self-reaction (Bandura and Cervone)
Self-regulated learning (Corno & Mandinach)– NOTE: focus is on learning goals, not
achievement goals.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
The Engagement Model:Contributions Motivation Theory Learning Theory Activity-Engagement Systems
Theory – Action identification (Wegner/Vallacher)– Action engagement (Higgins/Trope)– Action theory (Kuhl/Atkinson)
Other ideas: communication, information management, and purposeful work
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Activity Systems Theory
Psychological study of behavior is atomistic, focusing on pieces, elements
Much human activity, such as language and relationships and work processes, is broader, holistic, more purposeful
» Clark and Crossland, Action Systems (1985)
NOTE: Activity is assumed in engagement; it is a goal of motivation.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement Theory:Other Contributions, #1: Relationships and process of
communication engaging the interests of another in the absence of coercion
Involves dialogue and introspection
Requires openness -- not closed and complete situation– [Engagement/inverse\authority]
» M. McMaster, Intelligence Advantage (1996).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement Theory:Contributions, #2 By choosing to engage/not we
enjoy a tool and measure for information management; a scale for handling information overload:– passive (seeing, hearing)– discussion– presenting or teaching– using in practice
» T. Davenport, Information Ecology (Oxford, 1997).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement Theory:Contributions, #3 Engagement in empowering work
gives purpose to human life, structures time, and provides a valuable tool for positive self-esteem and mental health
Meaningless work does not …» Mee and Sumsion, “The Motivating Power of
Occupation,” British Journal Occupational Therapy (March 2001): 121-128.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Organizational Engagement:Contributions, #4 Interaction between
–Social Systems (people)–Technical Systems (work
processes)–Communication Systems
(decision making and organization change)» Cherin, “Organizational Engagement…”
Administration in Social Work (2000» Also see Nonaka and Nishiguchi, Knowledge
Emergence (Oxford, 2001)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Not necessarily
Self-actualization
– Feelings of wholeness, integration, suspension of judgement, clear perception, sense of awe, feelings of power and beauty, self-confident, creative … without awareness of space and time - (Maslow)
Flow – Intense concentration, lack of self-
consciousness, effortlessness, oblivious of distraction
– Autotelic: process is the reward - (Csikszentmihalyi)
– Kytle, “Constructing an Engaged Life,” (2000)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
But ratherMIDDLE RANGE DYNAMICS Attention, mindfulness (consider
options)» Ellen Langer, Mindfulness (1989)
Ba (Japanese) shared physical / mental space
» Nonaka & Ishigushi, Knowledge Emergence (2001)
Care: Fostered by: trust, active empathy, real help, lenient judgement, and courage– Destroyed by: bureaucracy,
competition, and punishment» G. von Krogh, “Care in Knowledge Management”
California Management Review (Spring ‘98)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
ENGAGEMENT: The Theory
Engagement = Learning (Interest + Competence + Challenge + “Change”)
+ Involvement (Participation + “Hands on” + Commitment)
In a Social Context Increased Knowledge &
Effectiveness
ENGAGEMENT! = Learning...
Marcum, “Out with Motivation, In with Engagement,” National Productivity Review (1999).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement vs. Motivation Goal: learning and greater
knowledge Assumes equality among
participants Assumes activity, and motivation Is ongoing, temporal Seeks meaning/care Holistic
Goal: initiate action
Protagonist assumes responsibility
Seeks control, influence
Incidental
Biological core
Atomistic, linear, deterministic
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
From Motivation to Engagement
However sophisticated, motivation endeavors seek to control and manipulate and are therefore unsuitable for managing knowledge workers.
An “engagement” mindset offers a more useful model for mutually beneficial working relationships with knowledge workers.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
In Brief:
Motivation = control and manipulation
Engagement = learning and involvement in a social context
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Rewards
Rewards signal that the task itself is not worth
doing
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Implementing Engagement: Suggested
Guidelines Think partnerships, not “employees”
Scan for interests and competencies, not past records
Focus on achievements, not processes
Provide for continuous learning Test with challenges and
opportunities Negotiate projects, avoid
assignments
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement Guidelines(continued): Provide networked, participative
digital environment Dismantle boundaries; review and
restructure processes and procedures
Foster teamwork and collaboration Measure and improve morale Seek to build an environment (Ba)
that is both fun and purposeful
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Management Models: Engagement Vs. MotivationLeader as coach and
facilitatorScrambling to keep up with
the pack
Running a tight shipLeader in control, giving
directions
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Review
Motivation = control and manipulation (Baaad!)
Engagement = learning and involvement (GOOD!)
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Rewards
Rewards signal that the task itself is not worth
doing
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Engagement
Engagement occurs when an individual or group undertake tasks related to their interests and competence, learn about it continuously, participate freely with (equal) associates, immerse themselves deeply, and continue the task with persistence and commitment because of the value they attribute to the work.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
ENGAGEMENT AND “DISCOVERY”
Discovery (definition):–Uncovering, disclosing, or bringing something to light for the first time
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Discovery (learning) Strategies
Allow for initiative and self-direction
Allow choice in methods utilized Utilize new technologies Provide for work in teams Provide “room” for perseverance
and adaptation as competence is acquired
» Marcum, “From Information Center to Discovery System,” Journal of Academic Librarianship (2001).
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Managing Discovery
An engaged staff offers the greatest potential for making discoveries and accomplishing important goals cost-effectively.
Analytical Laboratory Management Association
Good Luck … Jim Marcum