Improving team dynamics & engagement via motivational maps

Did you know?

“….international literature shows one of the most important ways in which leaders

contribute to organisational development is through their impact on the

motivation, development and well being of staff.”

DfES Independent Study into Leadership,

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Jan 2007

Having a skilled and motivated team is among the most crucial elements of successful organisations. Group of dedicated employees can take on most difficult task, but fostering great team spirit and maintaining high performance can be very big challenge in itself. Motivational Map is a diagnostic tool which enables individuals and organisations to understand how motivated they are, what motivates them best and provides practical tool to increase motivation at all levels.

This exercise has sound academic credentials, but its biggest strength is that it has been proved in practice on thousands of people in all types of organisations: business, education and public sector. It is an exercise which, by focusing on a particular dynamic, helps reach better understanding and therefore awareness, which in turn helps maintain motivation.

There are many ways for conducting personality tests and increasing awareness, however Motivational Map also provides ideas for Reward Strategies, Appraisal System and Team Building Tool. The report can be constructed for both individual team members and the whole team.

There are various benefits of this exercise. Among the most important are:

• The opening new channels of conversation between members of the team and the leader
• One of the most important skills of the leader is Team Building. Increased awareness of the leader about the team and individual team members leads to better understanding of the dynamics in the group
• Improved relationships between people involved in the exercise
• Through the increased awareness the leader can also improve the motivation and focus of the team
• Experiencing conversations of more natural and human nature also deepen relationships which in itself increase awareness and have positive impact on team dynamics and motivation
• Motivational Maps also allow individual team members to understand each other better and adapt accordingly to accommodate different working and communication styles from within the group. These lead to more harmonious and productive working environment.

In order to produce a Motivational Map Report, participants are asked to complete a questionnaire (either online or paper based). The questionnaire is scored and report produced. The report includes 3 Top Motivators with their description and brief description of the lowest motivator. Motivational Map describes 9 Motivators. Their full description can be found here.

Motivational Maps can be used effectively in many different scenarios. Some examples include:

• Handling conflict
• Building high performing teams
• Managing teams
• Managing and communicating with staff – different motivational styles
• Sales – understanding yourself and your client
• Change Management of any type
• Decisions making
• Making effective and lasting decisions
• Building effective teams – by understanding their motivators, and many more...

Motivational Maps also find their place in business coaching as one of the tools for unlocking potential of the team or individual.