Motivation and Performance: A Guide to Motivating a Diverse Workforce

Many organizations approach the issue of employee engagement and motivation by tapping into age, gender and other stereotypes. Motivation and Performance challenges these notions, bringing together evidence that group differences are often exaggerated and that getting to the heart of what really motivates individuals is what's most important. This book is a practical guide to ensuring that organizations consider all motivators - job security as well as the need for personal growth - to improve employee satisfaction, boost organizational productivity and reduce staff turnover. Underpinned by original research, Motivation and Performance features case studies from finance, retail, the public and other sectors to show how the principles of motivating employees apply at all levels of the organization, not just at the leadership level, and how values and motivation can be changed and developed. Complete with a framework for conducting effective visits to front-line locations, it will help HR professionals ask the right questions, choose whether to implement external motivation-building programmes and make a real impact on an employee's desire to progress in the company.

Table of Contents:
Section - 01: Introduction; Section - 02: A Model of Motivation; Section - 03: Generational Differences; Section - 04: The Biology of Stress and Well-being; Section - 05: Measuring Motivation; Section - 06: The Power of Communication and Conversations; Section - 07: Intrinsic Motivation; Section - 08: Work Engagement, Organizational Health and Culture; Section - 09: Extrinsic Motivation and Rewards; Section - 10: Culture and Values; Section - 11: The Importance of Motivation Gaps; Section - 12: Outsourcing Motivation; Section - 13: The Dark Side and Derailed Motivation; Section - 14: Best and Worst Practice from Real Companies;

About the Author :
Adrian Furnham is professor of psychology at UCL, and adjunct professor of management at the Norwegian School of Management. He has written over 1,000 scientific papers and 70 books and is among the most well-known psychologists in the world. Ian MacRae is Director of High Potential, an organizational consultancy providing customised psychological tests and reports for improving performance, predicting potential and developing people. He is a PhD candidate at Maastricht University.

Review :
"Few topics are as important, yet poorly understood, as workplace motivation. This book provides an authoritative guide for leaders and professionals interested in leveraging the science of motivation to enhance individual, team, and organisational performance. A must-read if you care about evidence-based management and understand the limits of intuition." "Everyone knows that an engaged workforce is more productive and profitable yet so many try to achieve this with a singular 'silver bullet' solution that often harms as much as it helps. Motivation and Performance gives balance to the complex factors at play, shows leaders where to look and guides their judgement. It clearly shows just what startling results can be achieved by getting it right and how dire the consequences of getting it wrong. Leaders of any size of organisation can learn and profit from this book." "This book is an extremely valuable resource for leaders of businesses of all sizes and anyone working in HR. It contains great practical tools such as templates and guidelines for best practice. The anecdotes and case studies bring the academically informed points to life articulately making it relevant and accessible to readers." "There is no doubt that despite its huge significance and decades of work, organisations do not yet set out to systematically review and improve motivation and/or performance. Why not? There are quick wins to be had, and this book describes very clearly the constructs required to make substantial and long-lasting improvements." "As a small business owner and teacher, I found this book a valuable resource as well as being interesting and often entertaining. It uses stories and examples to highlight many of the issues and opportunities that all businesses need to know about. I would recommend this book to my students and business owners." "Motivation and Performance is an excellent balance between theory and practice. Any business professional would benefit from the very practical examples, and step-by-step processes provided throughout. As well, the inclusion of the 'why' behind these processes give reason and credibility to the suggestions offered."