BUS272 TB

Chapter 5 Motivation in Action 165
yan Holmes is CEO of Hootsuite, a highly
R
successful company offering social media
marketing and social media management
services to corporate clients. 1 In a single
year, his business grew from 60 employees to 200.
As of 2013 he had 350 employees and the company
was experiencing quarterly revenue growth of
300 percent. In this high-growth atmosphere, Holmes
knew it was incredibly important to keep his employees
motivated and engaged. “People aren’t as productive
or passionate when they feel like separate
cogs in a machine. Being social and building
communities is what makes us thrive at
work,” says Holmes. “This is as true
in a company like ours as in a
multinational with 100,000
employees scattered across multiple continents. The goal is always to
find positive and effective ways that let people meet, interact, and collaborate.”
So how does Holmes create the motivational team environment that he seeks?
First of all he makes recognition a cornerstone of the corporate culture. The company’s
online performance management system allows anyone in the company to publicly recognize
a colleague for excellence in areas such as teamwork, growth, passion, or entrepreneurial
spirit. The company also funds monthly theme parties. The only rule is that each party
must be organized by two departments that don’t normally work together. This rule helps
create a sense of engagement and community between groups that would otherwise rarely
interact. In addition, the parties themselves provide a great opportunity to have fun together
and create the warm social atmosphere that helps this social media company thrive.
In this chapter, we focus on how to apply motivation concepts. We review a number of
reward programs and consider whether rewards are overrated. We also discuss how to create
more motivating jobs and workplaces, both of which have been shown to be alternatives
to rewards in motivating individuals.
OB IS FOR EVERYONE
• Ever wonder why employees do some strange things?
• Are rewards overrated?
• When might job redesign be most appropriate?
• Do employers really like flexible arrangements?
• Would you find telecommuting motivating?
• How do employees become more involved in the workplace?
THE BIG IDEA
Organizations can
use piece-rate wages,
merit-based pay,
bonuses, stock
options, and
employee stock
ownership plans to
motivate employees.
More effective,
however, is making
jobs themselves more
motivating.
Ward Perrin/Vancouver Sun