Why not more attention to psychology in HR?
Posted on | June 22, 2010 | Comments Off
A friend sent me a link for a youtube video. It is a talk by Dan Pink that examines recent research. This contends bonus schemes based on reward and punishment don’t work. You can view it by looking at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
I am wondering, if the most important motivators are not financial but psychological,then what does it mean for the way we manage people ?
Do we find different incentives outside of bonus schemes, pay grades etc? Do we provide rewards based on the psychological needs below?
According to the U – tube clip there are three motivators that lead to better performance:
- Autonomy – giving the maximum control to the individual on how they contribute to the organisation.
- Mastery – presenting challenges where people can learn.
- Purpose – having a purpose that inspires.
The current practices of HR sometimes contradict these motivations. Many organisations, aware of risks, seek compliance to set procedures or routines. My contention is whilst compliance is necessary in some organisations, it does not mean that there has to be a total compliance philosophy.
When it comes to mastery – are we prepared to set challenges as managers that enable our staff to progress and develop? Or do we let them carry on with repetitive tasks and treat people like horses?
And in respect of purpose – does our organisation inspire? are we truely committed to the best service for our clients? Are we honouring the values and ideals of why the organisation founded? What do we need to do to make it so? Do we as individuals have a purpose?
Some ideas that came out of the you tube clip:
- Giving staff free time to come up with suggestions for improvement
- Seeking ways to challenge and engage staff so they use their creativity within the business.
In terms of rewards it may be better to raise basic salary, and have less bonuses, but more rewards that are not directly cash based. These ideas are clearly contradictory to current practice but may be worth exploring.
Helixhr has psychological approaches, that can help with these motivators. This is the discovery of purpose and the development of potential/mastery through psychological feedback and coaching and improving teamwork which adds to the purpose of the organisation. Give us a call to find out more.