1. THE POWER OF MOTIVATION IN A LANGUAGE SCHOOL
PASE CONFERENCE 2011
THE POWER OF MOTIVATION IN A LANGUAGE SCHOOL
by Wojciech Graniczewski

2. RECENT TRENDS IN ORGANISATION
Innovation and change versus stagnation
Variety versus homogeneity
Flexibility versus stability

3. RECENT TRENDS IN MANAGEMENT
Flat structures versus pyramid structures
New approach to leadership and motivation

4. THE NEEDS OF OUR STAFF ARE STILL SIMILAR BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE DIFFERENT
We need to find new ways to satisfy
(and manage) the needs of our employees

5. FACTORS AFFECTING JOB ATTITUDES
Leading to dissatisfaction
(extrinsic)
Leading to satisfaction
(intrinsic)
Company policy
Achievement
Supervision
Recognition
Relationship with the boss
Work itself
Work conditions
Responsibility
Salary
Advancement
Relationship with peers
Growth

6. What is motivation at work?
High motivation is a staff member’s visible
positive attitude towards the school, its goals
and the job to be done, demonstrated in action.

7. What are the main motivational drives?
LIGHT
towards benefits
away from problems
DARKNESS

8. Understanding staff needs and drives is the first step towards effective management of motivation at work.
Our staff can either make or break
our school’ s business. Their positive
attitude is essential for our success.
Our responding to the expectations
and needs of our staff is as important
as it is with regard to customers.
We must define the roles that our staff
members play in the school’s success
and make sure they perform them effectively.

9. Our staff want to: earn wages that will enable them to pay their bills
have medical and other insurance coverage
save for old age security benefits
acquire friends at work
win recognition
be acknowledged for special efforts and contributions
have opportunities for self-development
improve their skills, knowledge, and know-how
demonstrate and use special gifts and abilities
realise their ideal(s).

10. Our staff also expect:
knowledgeable, experienced, and expert management
clear and fair policies, procedures, and work standards
business integrity
clear job descriptions
two-way communications
effective supervision and positive discipline
good company repute and customer relations
company survival and growth
opportunities for personal growth
a share in the company's success

11. Good employers respond to those needs by offering and providing:
adequate pay and job security (to the degree possible)
clear company policies
organised work procedures and standards
a safe and fair work environment
an atmosphere of teamwork and cooperation
open lines of communication (formal and informal)
systematic feedback
social activities and other benefits

12. Good employers respond to those needs by offering and providing:
training and development programs
opportunities for promotion
company / industry information
information on customer feedback
information on the market situation
sharing of company goals and objectives
future expectations
plans for the future
guidance, mentoring and coaching
adequate motivation

13. UNDER CONSTANT SCRUTINY
As school owners and managers we are under constant scrutiny by the people we hire. 
Our staff care to know to whom they entrust their fate, reputation and security.
They consider their work as a major factor that shapes their lives and the lives of those dear to them.
Once they feel confident that the employer and their place of work is what they wished for and expected, they are ready to contribute above and beyond "the call of duty“.

14. THE SKILL / WILL MATRIX
(or train)
(or promote)
(or dismiss)
(or whip)
The matrix can be used to assess your employee's skill and willingness (motivation) to do a specific task or job.
Based on that assessment, you can choose how to best manage the employee towards success.

15. PRINCIPLES OF GUIDING
Be clear regarding expected outcomes and limitations of time, budget, etc.
Discuss and set methods.
Check for understanding.
Identify and provide required training.
Accept early mistakes.
Give responsibility and authority for the pieces of tasks employee can do.
Structure tasks to minimize possible risks to employee and company.
Provide frequent feedback.
Require frequent checking early in the project, but relax control as
progress is shown.
Praise and reward for success.

16. PRINCIPLES OF DELEGATING
Be clear regarding expected outcomes and limitations of time, budget, etc.
Involve in decision-making.
Frequently ask employee for opinions.
Check for understanding.
Give responsibility and authority because employee is competent
and committed.
Provide feedback.
Ask for checking at key milestones or when employee has questions.
Praise and reward for success.

17. PRINCIPLES OF DIRECTING
Discuss what would motivate employee.   Agree on what is possible.
Be clear regarding expected outcomes and limitations of time, budget, etc.
Set clear rules, methods, and deadlines.
Check for understanding.
Give responsibility and authority for the pieces of tasks employee can do.
Structure tasks for quick wins.
Identify, organise and provide required training.
Provide frequent feedback.
Require frequent checking.
Praise and reward for success.

18. PRINCIPLES OF EXCITING (motivating people)
Discuss why task is important and why employee is best choice.
Show future benefits and gains.
Discuss what would motivate employee. Agree on what is possible.
Be clear regarding expected outcomes and limitations of time, budget, etc.
Check for understanding.
Give responsibility and authority because employee is competent.
Provide frequent feedback.
Require frequent checking (verbal or written).
Praise and reward for success.

19. Participatory management versus autocratic management
Leader Decides
Followers Decide
Autocratic
Consultative
Group Decides
Delegation
Decide and Tell
Decide after consultation and/or recommendation
Followers share in decision
Delegation of decision with clear parameters
Style #1: Autocratic Decide unilaterally and announce decision.
Ask for paraphrase to make sure you have been clear.
Style #2: Consult Almost decided, check reactions before final decision.
Style #4: Majority Majority vote with leader having one vote ... no veto power.
Style #6: Delegation Delegate the decision with clear parameters of freedom.
Ask for paraphrase to make sure clear.
Style#3: Recommend Solicit inputs before deciding.
Style #5: Consensus All agree after discussion.

20. What are the most effective modern ways of motivating people for good work?
Participatory management
Coaching
Cross-training
Delegation of responsibility
Systematic supportive evaluation

21. COACHING
The overall purpose of coaching is to provide help and support to people in an increasingly competitive and pressurised world in order to help them make right decisions, develop their skills, improve their performance, increase their motivation and maximise their potential.
”Coaching encourages learning, invites creativity and delivers higher performance. It respects the individual, builds confidence and generates a culture where responsibility sits with the performer, not the manager” (Downey)
”Unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their performance It is about helping them learn rather than teaching them”. (Whitmore)

22. COACHING Coaching is: future-oriented rather than past-oriented
about ”how” questions rather than ‘’why” questions
about empathising with people in order to help them move forward
about inviting people to find their own solutions
about motivation for better performance and development
Coaching helps:
to invent and verbalise solutions to problems,
to see and present a broader picture
to compare intended behaviour with actual behaviour and motivate for
changes

23. CROSS-TRAINING improves understanding of different departments
Cross-training is a motivational and problem-solving technique. It should be carefully planned and presented as a learning opportunity (ex. to show to BO staff what FO does or to teachers what administrators do, and vice versa).
Cross training:
improves understanding of different departments
increases job flexibility
prevents stagnation, leads to better coordination and teamwork
erases differences, enmity and unhealthy competition
increases knowledge, know-how, skills and work performance
leads to the sharing of overall organisational goals and objectives
improves overall motivation and the sharing of responsibility

24. JOB ROTATION
Job rotation is a more sophisticated form of cross-training. It usually involves extended periods.
With job rotation, the employee is not considered as a trainee, but is responsible over certain job functions, for which he or she has to prove himself.
Both cross-training and job rotation create a team of workers who are more knowledgeable, can easily replace each other when needed and who gain new confidence regarding their professional expertise.  
These two techniques lead to greater motivation throughout the company.

25. MOTIVATION SOME MYTHS AND TIPS
Can we really motivate people?
Not really – they have to motivate themselves.
We can't motivate people any more than we can empower them by giving them decent working terms and conditions, training, authority, responsibility, challenges , sense of purpose, esteem and opportunities for development and self-realisation.
We need to set up the environment where our employees best empower and motivate themselves. The key is knowing how to set up such environment for each of your employees as well as for the whole team.

26. MOTIVATION SOME MYTHS AND TIPS
You know what motivates you, and so you know
what will best motivate your employees.
Not really. Different people are motivated by different things A key to success is to understand what motivates each individual.
You can't comprehend the principles of employee
motivation because it is a science.
Not true. There are some very basic steps you can take to support your employees to motivate themselves towards increased performance in their jobs.

27. MOTIVATION SOME MYTHS AND TIPS
Money is a the best motivator.
Not really. Money, a nice office and job security can prevent people from becoming less motivated. However, usually they don't help people to become more motivated.
Fear is a very effective motivator. Perhaps. But for a very short time.
Increased job satisfaction means increased job performance.
Research shows this isn't necessarily true at all. Increased job satisfaction does not necessarily mean increased job performance. If the goals of the organization are not aligned with the goals of employees, then employees aren't effectively working toward the mission of the organization.

28. MOTIVATION SOME MYTHS AND TIPS
Motivating employees starts with motivating yourself.
Yes. Enthusiasm is contagious. If you're enthusiastic about your job, it's much easier for others to be enthusiastic too. A great place to start learning about motivation is to start understanding your own motivations.
Supporting employee motivation is a process, not a task.
Organizations change all the time, as do people. Therefore it is an ongoing process to sustain an environment where employees can strongly motivate themselves.
Have one-on-one meetings employees regularly, not only
for annual appraisal.
A very good idea. Employees are motivated more by our care and concern for them than by our supervision. Getting to know them better can’t happen unless we set aside time to be with each of them from time to time.

29. MOTIVATION SOME MYTHS AND TIPS
Cultivate strong skills in delegation.
Convey responsibility and authority to your employees. Let them carry out certain tasks and decide how they will carry out the tasks.
Delegation not only free up a great deal of time for you but also allows employees to take a stronger role in their jobs, which usually leads to more satisfaction, fulfillment and motivation as well.
Implement at least the basic principles of participatory management.
Use them to identify the most important goals, to check if the goals are being met and to decide about possible corrective actions.
Establish goals that are SMARTER: specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic, timely, extending of capabilities, and rewarding to those involved.

30. MOTIVATION SOME MYTHS AND TIPS
Reward for good performance. Focus on employee behaviors, not on employee personalities. Performance in the workplace should be based on behaviors toward goals, not on gaining popularity.
Reward soon after you see it. The shorter the time between an employee's action and your reward for the action, the clearer it is to the employee that you highly prefer that action. 
Celebrate achievements We are often focused on a getting "a lot done". This usually means identifying and solving problems. Experienced managers know that acknowledging and celebrating a solution to a problem can be every bit as important as the solution itself. Without ongoing acknowledgement of success, employees become frustrated, skeptical and even cynical about efforts in the organization.

31. LEADER’S DOS AND DONT’S SUPPORTING BETTER MANAGEMENT AND FOSTERING MOTIVATION
1. DO what you say you are going to do when you are going to do it.
2. DO be responsive (return phone calls, s).
3. DO publicly support your people (never reprimend them in public). 4. DO admit your mistakes and take responsibility for your actions. 5. DO ask and listen. 6. DO smile and laugh. 7. DON'T show anger or be cold, distant, rude and unfriendly.
8. DON'T send mixed messages to your employees so that they
never know where you stand and what you want.
9. DON'T BS your team.
10. DON'T jump to conclusions without checking your facts first.