Motivation and Achieving Great Results, Essay Example

Introduction

The two main methods that managers can use to achieve great results with others are communication and motivation. In the movie Invictus,  both leadership skills are represented. Nelson Mandela overcomes resistance of collaboration through setting a shared vision for the two opposing groups: Afrikaners and the native African tribes.  His approach towards these two tools is built on a shared understanding, agreement, and a shared goal. Both motivation and communication can be used to make people complete tasks that will bring the organization closer to its goals. While motivation focuses on incentives to make employees perform better against the common goals, communication is designed to share information and ideas, as well as the mission and vision, achieving a higher level of employee commitment to the goals. Both tools can be used to increase commitment towards change.

Motivation and managing change

In order to use motivation in an organization, it is essential that managers understand what inspires and motivates their employees (374). Once the manager knows how to motivate the employees, he needs to create an incentive system that is suitable for modifying behaviors. According to the official definition provided by Chapter 15, “motivation is an incentive or drive to complete a task, function, or idea” (374). Motivation has a positive impact on commitment to goals and productivity, therefore, it is an essential tool of managers. All employees have various intrinsic desires to do well, be recognized by the organization, achieve a promotion, or be rewarded by a bonus. Motivation of employees (388) can be completed through reward systems tailored to employees’ needs.  In the movie Invictus, Mandela creates a shared vision (winning the game) to encourage collaboration. This results in positive change in interracial relations, and the outcome of the project.

Communication and change management

Communication is essential for creating a shared vision and goal among employees, and learn more about their preferences, values, as well as their intrinsic desires. Further, communication is a tool for delivering information to those who need it. Communication is defined as “the act of transmitting information, thoughts, and processes through various channels” (374). Mandela recognizes the names of all players to be able to address them personally and connect with them. He is a good listener, and genuinely interested in people.

Communication should be clear, focused, and suitable for all audiences. Nelson Mandela faces a challenge when he has to address two diverse groups with different priorities and values.

In order to ensure that all messages are received and understood well, managers should use multiple channels of communication, such as reports, face-to-face discussions, social media, email, body language, and memos, among others. This is clearly represented in Invictus. Mandela does not only address people through speeches, but meets with stakeholders face-to-face, as well.

Related theories

One of the most commonly used theory of motivation is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (375). According to the theorist, people have different levels of needs, such as physiological, safety, affiliation/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.  Nelson Mandela appealed to people’s belonging/esteem needs, as well as their needs for self-actualization.

Another theory related to motivation is the ERG theory (375), also focusing on individual needs: existence, relatedness, and growth. This theory can be applied to the leadership approach of Nelson Mandela. The leader considered the individual needs of both parties, and aligned them to create a shared vision: uniting the nation and achieving great results.

As it has been noted, effective communication is essential for motivation. There are, however, several barriers of communication that need to be addressed by managers, such as filtering emoticons, poor listening skills, information overload, and differing perceptions. Nelson Mandela went out in person to meet with the Commission and change the vote for the support the union and shared vision. He uses advanced techniques to overcome these barriers, such as  active listening, constrained emotions, and simplified language (380). Managers also need to develop communication networks that facilitate interaction among employees and the management.

The Expectancy Theory (384) states that people who expect desired rewards are likely to perform better against goals. The Reinforcement Theory states that positive reinforcement is able to modify employee behaviors. The main tools of managers under this theory are positive reinforcement, avoidance learning, and empowerment. Nelson Mandela uses this method to continue building a shared commitment towards change.

Conclusion

Managers who would like to become effective communicators and motivators need to develop some essential skills that help them share ideas, gain understanding, and change employee behaviors through communicating the vision. The main skills and traits that successful managers need to develop are compassion for others, conscientiousness, forgiveness, grit, gratitude, humility, and gratitude. All the above can be expressed through communication and motivation schemes, as represented in the movie Invictus portraying Mandela’s people-oriented leadership. Managers also need to develop self-awareness (383), such as mindfulness, wisdom, and openness in communication. They need to understand employees’ needs in order to tailor their communication and motivation to them, just like Nelson Mandela did in the movie Invictus.

Works Cited

“Chapter 15: Communicating and Motivating Others”. John Wiley and Sons. 2014.

“Invictus” Movie. IMDB. 2009.