Legal Research

"Do Something! Motivating Employees"

This post was written by Allison Shields: "On a recent flight on Southwest Airlines, I was reading through their in-flight magazine, Spirit, and I came across a piece entitled School of Thought, a part of their "Life Apps" feature. It was a short piece highlighting a study conducted by author Dan Ariely that revealed some misconceptions about what really works when trying to motivate people.

...One common complaint I hear from law firm managers is that they have difficulty motivating their employees, particularly when it comes to non-billable tasks, and that effort seems to be lacking in a number of areas. This issue often arises when we discuss marketing. Lawyers just cannot understand why associates don't work to develop business when they know that developing business is the best way for that associate to increase their compensation.

The answer may be that focusing on compensation is a de-motivating, rather than a motivating factor.

...To really motivate others where the work requires creativity, innovation or decisionmaking, instead of focusing solely on salary and the promise of monetary bonuses (or the threat of job loss), incorporate the following:..."

Full text and the active link are available by clicking on the author's name.

Source: Legal Ease Blog, 21 July 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.

Full post as published by Stark County Law Library Blawg on July 22, 2010 (boomark / email).