Interviewer: How important is motivation for a manager?
Professor: Oh, motivation is extremely important. I’d say it’s the most important aspect of a manager’s job. A manager’s job is to get the job done, whatever that job might be. So a manager has to motivate the workers, both as a team and also on an individual basis. Without motivation, the job just won’t get done.
Interviewer: So how do managers go about doing this? It doesn’t sound very easy.
Professor: No, it is a complicated issue. But managers have special tools. They are trained to use them to boost motivation and increase production to a maximum.
Interviewer: Tools?
Professor: Yes, tools like praise, approval and recognition. And then there is trust and expectation. They are all important for workers.
Interviewer: And money? What about money?
Professor: Yes, money is a factor but you might be surprised to learn that it comes out last on the list of these tools that we are talking about.
Interviewer: So, what comes before money? What sort of things are more important for workers?
Professor: Well, all of the things that I have already mentioned, and then job enrichment and good communication between the workers and the bosses.
Interviewer: And have you got any examples of real life situations to back up your claims?
Professor: One good example is the firm Western Electric. When managers started taking an interest in their workers, there was a huge increase in production. They started to talk to the workers and encouraged them to get involved in decision-making. Workers began to feel that their contributions were important. And it paid off.
Interviewer: Productivity increased?
Professor: Yes, hugely. The Swedish company Kochums is another example. The company was on the verge of collapse when managers decided to try a change in motivation practice.
Interviewer: What did they do?
Professor: Well, basically it was a change in attitude towards their workers. Managers decided to stop giving orders and to try persuading them instead.
Interviewer: And it worked?
Professor: Absolutely. In just ten years they managed to turn a 15 million dollar loss into a 100 million dollar profit.
Interviewer: So, let’s get this straight. Are you saying that workers are not interested in earning more money?
Professor: I’m saying they’re not just interested in money. It is important of course. We need to enjoy a certain standard of living. But, as I mentioned before, there are other things that are just as important: praise, approval, recognition, trust and expectation, job enrichment and good communication.
Comments
I liked the podcast. We can use it for life too, it's very importante
Exactly ..the motivation is so important not only in the workplace ..also in our life all of us have to have a motivation to continue this life ..I like this podcast :)
Many praise to you BC learning team,
very helpful transcription, I'm worker in Oil & Gas company our manager have a good motivation practice towards a workers.
Hello Team
"Motivation in work place" --Could this be written as "Motivation at work place"? Is the usage of "at" grammatically correct?
Hello Pavan,
'at' sounds a bit odd -- most of the time the phrase is 'in the workplace' (note the spelling and 'the').
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
I'm at first time at BC and when I tried to do the 1st task I didn't understand how to drag words to correct order... But! After 15-20 minutes after my tryings, I realised that I had to pick the world once and then pick right place for this world)))
Hello Matthew,
Welcome -- we're glad you found us.
I'm glad you figured it out! Just so you know, in tasks where you move more than one word into a box (for example, Task 2 on our Biotechnology page), you have to click or press on top of the small hand at the right end of words to add a new word into a box.
It's actually not difficult, but it can be confusing at first. Please don't hesitate to ask us for help if you need it.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Great topic and I got inspired by the conversation and advices
Thanks from from my bottom of heart
Hi everybody from spain,
I agree with the advices that the professor of Business Studies give us, but in my opinion this is not real nowadays because in most of the companies you have to motivate yourself if you don't want to be fired at least in Spain. According with my professional experiences in large companies the managers that I've had are very bussy focused in their own tasks and not in motivate their staff. I was working in Iberia airlines and the big motivations for the employees were to work hard in order not to be fired or sending to the airport, I don't know if I've had a bad experience but I'd like to find a manager in the future that motivate his staff everyday, of course if I'm manager someday in my life I'm going to try to follow the advices of the podcast.
good conversation .
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