Employee performance rides on commitment; which rides on motive, means, and opportunity
The proposition is that people need three things if they are to commit to excellent performance. These are: the Motive to excel; the Means to excel; and the Opportunity to excel.
If any one of these three conditions is missing, there cannot be commitment. At least not in the sense described here. There may be good intentions, without the means or opportunity to deliver against them; there may be the ability to deliver, without the opportunity or desire to do so; and there may be a ‘golden opportunity’ to make a real difference, which remains unfulfilled through lack of motivation or capability. In none of these cases, though, can there be a commitment to excellence.
The aim, then, is to stimulate people’s intrinsic motivation to contribute to the best of their ability…At the same time, leaders can strive to stimulate conditions in which these motives can be more effectively mobilized and applied for business benefit…the motivated application of these in a particular instance can only occur if the opportunity to do so is available. This requires leaders to work to break down the organizational, technological, perceptual and other barriers that inhibit performance
Individuals are likely to perform better where the content of their role aligns with their personal strengths and interests. To maximise contribution and commitment, the scale and scope of these roles should ideally expand over time, whilst ensuring that people’s developing capabilities keep pace with the degree of challenge that they face. Where mismatches occur, these are likely to create anxiety (high challenge – low capability), boredom (low challenge – high capability), or apathy (low challenge – low capability); all of which are dysfunctional for individuals and organizations alike.
The context within which people work.
The degree of choice that people have within their work…there should be adequate and increasing scope for self-management and genuine participation; and for the creative self-expression of individuals’ talents and motivations.
The following two factors are also important:
The congruence that exists between the organization’s stated purpose and values, and people’s everyday experience of organizational life…Commitment is likely to be undermined if people’s views of what’s going on differ from the official line. People will deduce the organization’s de facto purpose and values from their own and others’ perceptions, interpretations and evaluations of everyday events
Managing the creative tension between continuity and change…Commitment is both threatened and potentially enriched by organizational change
