Motivational Plan Essay

Motivational Plan Essay
Petrina Murfitt
Grand Canyon University: EDA 575
July 6, 2011

Motivation is giving somebody a reason or incentive to do something. It can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is focused by an awareness or satisfaction in the task itself and usually occurs within the person rather than relying on external force. Extrinsic motivation is from outside the individual. Some common extrinsic motivators are rewards or punishments like evaluations or money, pressure, and threat of reprimand. The key to a school’s success is the motivation of the staff. It is clear that schools need motivation plans that inspire, provide anticipated incentives, and keep the staff involved in the process and results of the school plan. A successful leader needs to understand and be able to use the tool that motivates each member of their staff. The following motivational theories will help in creating a motivation plan for my school.
Motivational Theories Self-determination theory states that a person’s level of independence is determined by the fulfillment of three essential psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Bachman & Stewart, 2011, p. 183) Autonomy refers to being the foundation of one’s own actions and achieving equivalence between the activity and their own cohesive sense of self. Competence is the need to have an effect on the situation and to attain wanted results. Relatedness is the aspiration to feel associated to others. The more self-determination desires that are fulfilled the better the level of one’s own self-determination and motivation. If staff members feel a need for their input and see the outcome of what they do as a benefit, then they should become more motivated in their job setting. Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory states that there are two types of motivators, one type which results in job satisfaction and the other which merely prevents dissatisfaction. The theory differentiates between environmental factors such as the workplace and co-workers (the hygiene – dissatisfaction factors) and internal perceptions such as importance extracted from the effort itself (the motivators – satisfaction factors). Herzberg described motivators as inner encouraging aspects which always inspire the employee’s to put forth their best efforts. These motivators for teachers can include, “recognition from department heads, empowerment, student’s achievement or career advancements” (Rasheed, Aslam, & Sarwar, 2010). McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y are based on a negative (theory x) and a positive (theory y) belief in humans. Theory X states that people dislike work and will try to avoid it whenever possible. These people are innately lazy and need an excessive amount of oversight to make them productive (Marques, 2011). Theory Y states that people believe work to be a natural part of life and says that most people will accept or even seek responsibility. People want to work and will accomplish their jobs and that leaders should make sure that they have the resources required to complete their organizational objectives (Marques, 2011). Goal Setting Theory is based on when the goals to be achieved are set at a higher standard employees are motivated to achieve better results and put in use their best effort. It coincides with the idea of people believing that they are capable of accomplishing a hard task. An ideal goal should present a condition where the interval between the beginning of behavior and the end are close. Behavior is essentially goal oriented, which means our actions are usually motivated by a need to achieve some specific outcome (Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, 2008, p. 16) When difficult goals are set and accepted by others, the results are in a much more productive environment. Through self-monitoring while making goals, individuals anticipate their achievement or disappointment based on capability, effort, or difficulty of the task.
Motivation Plan The plan is comprised of the previous four motivation theories. Communication, listening and accountability are the main areas of focus for the motivation plan. Below is a general outline of the plan: 1. Communicate the vision: write it down in many places, post it where all people can see it, and communicate it constantly to the entire staff. 2. Communicate what is expected of each staff member: let the staff members know in clear and concise terms what it is that is expected of them, allowing them to see the big picture. 3. Listen and ask for staff ideas and feedback: give the staff a chance to help improve the school by providing more diverse and creative ideas. A decent, operational plan will always be in a state of changeability, allowing for changes to be made whenever necessary. 4. Give the staff accountability as well as authority to perform their responsibilities: by giving the staff the opportunity to handle complications on their own or to make choices in times of need you are giving them a way to increase your schools guidance as well as developing a better capability to deal with hard circumstances. 5. Keep an enjoyable, comfortable and approachable work environment: the more tension you can keep out of the workplace the better. People should want to enjoy coming to work. 6. When a staff member does something right, let them know: provide encouraging and honest feedback when the condition permits it. Do it right away, trying to not have a staff member wonder if they did a good job or not. 7. Celebrate the small successes as well as the big ones: every successful step is a reason for celebration. The positive accomplishment of any job creates a promising ambition for an individual. Create phases along the way to identify these accomplishments and let everyone benefit from them. 8. Make individual plans for all staff members: find out what inspires each person and work with them to make a suitable motivational plan that will work for them. 9. Follow-up on each person's goals and give constant feedback on how they are proceeding. Depending on the person and the situation you can do this weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly. Always leave room for adjustment of the goals should the condition need it. 10. Do what you ask of your staff: demonstrate to your staff that you are not just telling them what you want, but that you are working for it also. Do your work the same way you want them to perform theirs.
Follow-thru with all aspects of the plan and make sure to update the goals when needed. Try to not let outside factors, such as upper administrative peer pressure push you to make changes that are not needed. The necessity for assistance and follow-thru of this proposal needs to include all staff members. The school needs to offer the support and independence for each portion of this plan. The school leader needs to act as any good leader would. They need to be there for their staff and always watch out for potential signs of change in the school environment. Staff must be kept motivated. A properly structured motivation plan that involves all people concerned is of major importance. Providing constant feedback, incentives and the ability to change are all a part of this motivation plan. If the plan is used and modifications made to fit each distinctive situation that may arise, it can give many rewards and the school will benefit.

References
Bachman, C. M. & Stewart, C. (2011) Self-Determination Theory and Web-Enhanced Course Template Development. Teaching of Psychology, 38(3), 180-188.

Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. H., & Johnson, D. E. (2008). Management of Organizational Behavior. Upper River Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Marques, J. (2011). Turning Inward to Connect Outward: Interbeing as Motivational Path in Today’s Workplace. Interbeing, 5(1), 19-29, 67.

Rasheed, M., Aslam, H., & Sarwar, S. (2010). Motivational Issues for Teachers in Higher Education: A Critical Case of IUB. Journal of Management Research, 2(2), 1-23.