As members of the military, the amount of pay that an airman
receives is based upon rank and time in service, so financial incentives,
outside of permanent promotions, are not options that can be used for
motivating employees (Gordon, Smith, Gutierrez, & Gordon, 2010). In lieu of financial incentives, the military
system utilizes a system of tools and resources that address the four drives to
motivate employees: acquire, bond, comprehend, and defend (Nohria, Groysberg,
& Lee, p. 2-3).
In addition to receiving promotions, which can be few and far
between, the military boosts employees’ sense of well-being (Nohria, Groysberg,
& Lee, p. 2) by offering personal awards, such as medals and certificates,
as well as time-off and other non-monetary incentives that raise the visibility
of the individual and his accomplishments in relation to his peers. Military members typically share unusually
close bonds with each other and most often work in close-knit teams that create
an environment of trust and friendships.
This unique work environment addresses the needs of the employees to
bond with their co-workers (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, p. 2). Members of the military are given
well-defined jobs that enable them to become specialists and to progress into
positions of management based upon their knowledge and performance in their
particular jobs. By being able to fully
comprehend and take responsibility for their job responsibilities, the
employees feel that their jobs are important and that they are contributing
positively to the accomplishment of the mission (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee,
p. 4). To ensure the fairness of
recognition programs, and maintain the transparency of the processes (Nohria,
Groysberg, & Lee, p. 4), the military uses a sometimes overwhelming array
of regulations and processes that define how an individual can qualify for a
particular form of recognition and how it is awarded.
The well-structured and time-proven processes for managing
military personnel provides a good, not perfect, model of how employees can be
motivated and driven to high performance with resources other than financial
rewards.
Gordon, D., Smith, D., Gutierrez, H., & Gordon, S.
(eds.). (2010). 2010 Reserve Forces
Almanac. Falls Church, NY: Uniformed
Services Almanac, Inc.
Nohria, N., Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. (2008, July-August).
Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model, Harvard
Business Review, pp. 1-7 (full article)
Ken, this is an interesting example. This week we read about how the motivating factors and work styles of employees may differ across generations (e.g. Millenials, GenXers, Baby Boomers). Do you think that the motivational systems that are in place at the California Air National Guard work equally well for employees all different ages? How does the system in place in the military different from the reward system you have in place in your own company?
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ReplyDeleteKen, thank you for giving us insight on how the military's rewards system functions. Do you think the military personnel are satisfied with this type of rewards system? Do they seem happy with it? Would they want more? Since monetary rewards are not available, do you think other things can be added to the rewards system to fulfill other "wishes" that the members of the military may have?
ReplyDeleteKen-
ReplyDeleteThank you for that insight into the rewards system at the California Air National Guard. You pointed out that many of the rewards are of a non-monetary nature (promoting strong feeling of well-being, honors and metals, feeling self worth, exceling in a specialty area, strong bonds/family-like environment).Jessica posed an interesting question with reference to age groups, but I wonder if the military attracts a certain "type" of person, with similar motivations, regardless of age?
Ken, I have also found that non-monetary rewards can be effective at fostering motivated "employees". Working for a government entity is similar in many ways to the military. I think Dawn has a valid point that the "type" of person may also indicate whether this type of reward system will be effective at motivating an employee. For myself, I have found that depending on the situation non-monetary rewards can be extremely rewarding. I think it also depends on the context. For example, the military and government entities do not have the monetary resources to compensate their employees. This is a much different scenario than the private sector that has this capability in most situations. As you can tell, your post is extremely thought provoking. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDear Ken,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your posting. Great job - it brought back some memories to be sure. Certainly anyone that joins the military just for the money would need to have their head examined. That being said, there are many non-monetary benefits that are provided to service members that are hard to find in other work situations.
In addition to financial independence and meals and housing there was a definite sense of pride, giving back, and doing one's patriotic duty that I gained from serving. I definitely agree that working in the close-knit teams and being in that group dynamic had afforded me lifelong friends that I would still take a bullet for to this day.