The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

48 / MANAGING A TEAM

Using positive reinforcement

Rewarding progress and success

and recognizing achievements are

powerful ways to motivate your team.

By rewarding someone for doing

something right, you positively reinforce

that behavior, providing an incentive for

doing it again. There are two basic types

of reward: extrinsic and intrinsic. Many

people depend on and highly value

extrinsic rewards that are externally

bestowed, such as praise, a promotion,

or a pay raise. Others place a high value

on intrinsic rewards, which originate

from their own personal feelings about

how they performed or the satisfaction

that they derive from a job well done.

CASE STUDY

PRIORITIZING NEEDS

Theresa, a successful technical

writer and a single parent,

had been earning a good salary

and benefits that enabled her

to provide for her family’s

physical well-being: ample

food, comfortable housing and

clothing, and good medical care.

Her company then announced

that it was downsizing, and she

feared being laid off. This triggered

concerns about her safety needs

and meant that she became much

less concerned about the higher

order needs of belonging to a

group or her own self-esteem to

perform creative and technically

accurate work. Rather, she

was motivated to do whatever was

necessary to ensure that she kept

her job or could find a new one.

Once Theresa knew that her job

was safe, she changed back to

having a higher-order need,

energizing her behavior.

Many depend

on extrinsic

rewards that

are externally

bestowed, such as

praise, a promotion,

or a pay raise

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