Drives, what are they and why are they important?
Drives and motivation make a great combination together
Drive: “Inner drive, motive,” are some of the definitions for this word. Actually, they all come down to the same thing, drives determine why someone does something. What moves someone? Why do some people enjoy their work and others less s? In this article, we take an in-depth look at why some employees are more motivated than others, why that is, and consider the extent to which it is related to a person’s personal motivations.
Drives are personal
Every person is unique, with their an individual and that translates to their motivations as well. If we confine ourselves to the workplace, for example, we find that people go to work for very different reasons. “I do it purely for the money,” says one. “The contact with my colleagues,” replies the other. “Developing myself further,” adds another. There are many other motivations like this.
Different drives
The main drivers identified are: reward, status, power, recognition, independence, ideals, self-development, creativity, working conditions, social contacts, security, structure, influence, variety and work-life balance. Basically, a lot motivations often applied in combination. Income is then linked, for example, to status and recognition or self-development to creativity and independence.
Not everyone knows their drives
Besides people who know exactly what their drives are, others have little or no idea. Of course, they too have drives, but they are not really aware of them. Things are done because they are supposed to be, because one would not know how else to do it. This is not necessarily negative. After all, it is not always necessary to wonder the why of things. Especially if someone is otherwise comfortable with that. On the other hand, for some individuals, it does lead to an identity crisis and they desperately ask themselves, “Why am I even doing what I’m doing? ” In that case, it would be advisable to start investigating that thoroughly.
Discovering drives requires an individual approach
It should be clear by now that the various drives can by no means be considered a uniformity. Moreover, they are also not obvious to everyone. It can also be a considerable puzzle for employers and HR managers to figure out exactly what someone’s motivations are. It requires an individual approach. Those who think in generalities will be deceived. Are employees suddenly extra motivated when they are offered a salary increase or more favorable fringe benefits, for example? Or is there more to it? For HR managers and executives, there is a challenge here. As we have seen, pay is an important, even decisive driver for some employees; others, however, see more in a better workplace atmosphere, more variety or a better work-life balance.
Link between drives and motivation
Although working conditions in the Netherlands are generally not that bad, research by the Ministry of Social Affairs shows that stress is a major cause of sick leave. In addition, a significant portion of the working population reports experiencing burnout symptoms. (about 1 million people). The happiest employees often turn out to be those whose work fits well with their motivations. They also tend to be a lot more motivated because they actually perform exactly what they were born to do.
Drives may change
Yet drives can change over time. They may suddenly be much less prominent than before. Take an employee who has always been under the impression that pay and status were the primary drivers, but despite a great job and an excellent salary, is still not entirely happy with his career. Deep inside, personal drives demand attention. For example, the employee reflects that he had actually always wanted to do something for humanity, but because of his focus on income and status, that completely fell by the wayside. When that realization breaks through, that person may himself or herself be able to explain why he or she is less motivated. Often, however, employees have no idea why they are dissatisfied. The key then is to find out what drives do play a role. Taking a drives test can be an excellent tool in this regard.
Increase motivation
Every company or organization benefits from motivated employees. This leads to better results and a reduction in absenteeism. HR managers have an important task in this: namely, to ensure that the number of motivated employees is optimal. As we saw earlier, employees feel best when their motivations match the work. Therefore, it is important to identify the various drivers within your workforce. You can then use this data to see to what extent each individual employee’s job duties or work situation can be aligned with his or her motivations as much as possible.
Drives test
An important tool, developed by hrmforce, that can help you do this is the motivational test. It analyzes both the factors that motivate and those that do not. In this way, this motivation assessment maps personal drives and helps employees understand not only what increases their motivation, but also what lowers it.
Are you interested in taking a drives test? Then contact us for more information or a free demo.
