Quick Hit: The Importance of Progress

The Harvard Business Review has some great breakthrough ideas in their Jan-Feb issue, but I was really fascinated by their findings on what really motivates workers.  In their survey of a range of “knowledge workers,” HBR found that what employees value the most wasn’t incentive or recognition – which are among the things that managers believe employees value most – but progress.  The ability to get things done and make forward progress: this is what drives and motivates:

On days when workers have the sense they’re making headway in their jobs, or when they receive support that helps them overcome obstacles, their emotions are most positive and their drive to succeed is at its peak. On days when they feel they are spinning their wheels or encountering roadblocks to meaningful accomplishment, their moods and motivation are lowest.

I find this a particularly insightful finding for both the non-profit sector and volunteer programming, where recognition and incentive are difficult to come by, anyway.  This kind of study reinforces the importance of creating highly functional non-profit organizations that allow people to get real and meaningful work done, as well as volunteer programs that actively manage volunteer expectations and give participants good tools.  Read the article here.

I’ll be taking this information to heart as I manage people and projects going forward.



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