Team Motivation definition

Team motivation is an essential component of teamwork. It requires employing a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational strategies to bring out the best in each member of the team. It is vital to highlight that in order for the team to function successfully and efficiently, its cohesiveness and coordination must be strengthened. People must learn to work both independently and together. A team’s success is determined by these two factors. These are demonstrated in the following steps.

The rewarding model is used in positive reinforcement. It is when team members are taught the benefits of performing desired behaviors. In this model of training, when a team member does an act the boosts the team spirit or otherwise helps the team, he sees a positive consequence. This is often in the form of a reward which can take the form of gifts, tokens, public recognition and incentives such as fewer duties. Positive reinforcement works well in boosting the morale of team members. It avoids the retaliatory aspect of negative reinforcement. An example of positive reinforcement is where I would give the hardworking team members a siesta while assigning some of their duties to the lazy team members. This is done so that the rest of the team sees the value of being proactive on the team (West).

Use of negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement involves the use of threats and aversive consequences to persuade the team members to take a desired course of action. Negative reinforcement works well in discouraging undesirable behavior. It is focused on discouraging the undesirable actions of the team. For example, when a team member fails to complete a task on time, negative reinforcement would take the form of severely warning the team member of the repercussions that would befall him/ her were the action to be repeated. Such repercussions include dismissal, less pay or suspension (Parker).

Use of Punishment

I would sue punishment sparingly. Punishment is effective but can be avoided. The above two steps are critical in avoiding scenarios where punishment has to be used on team members. However, when necessary, I would employ punishment. I would employ the punitive measures immediately after the act that deserves it. This is important in ensuring the proper link is established psychological in the head of the team member and the act the attracted the punishment. This link is critical for the punishment to be effective (Foucault and Sheridan).

Establishing Clear Links between Efforts, Goals, and Outcomes

I would do this by clearly showing each team member what their goals are and what is required of them to meet the goals. This would give them a sense of direction and purpose. As a matter of fact, the team members shall have a mandate that they must meet in order to be useful in the team. This is essentially what the expectancy theory emphasizes. To motivate the team members, it is necessary to tighten the Efforts to performance to Outcome (EPO) links.

Conclusion

To effectively motivate a tam to perform well, it is necessary to use a combination of various factors and models that are designed to motivate a team. These factors work well and overlap in certain areas. The point is to use them collaboratively to achieve the desired goals. I would largely lean towards the positive reinforcement approach. It has been proven to be effective on various levels without developing unnecessary tension between teammates.

References

Foucault, Michel, and Alan Sheridan. Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. Book.

Parker, Glenn M. Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for Developing Successful Collaboration. Hoboken: Jossey-Bass; 2 edition, 2008. Book.

West, West A. Effective Teamwork: Practical Lessons from Organizational Research (Psychology of Work and Organizations). Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell; 3rd Revised edition, 2012. Book.