The subject of team motivation is one which frequently appears across the pages of LinkedIn or industry websites I visit; not just the offshore energy sector but pretty much any industry you can mention.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic has thankfully been consigned to history, the shift for many to remote and hybrid working has had a knock-on effect when trying to get staff back into the workplace. The phrase ‘quiet quitting’ will be familiar to many, where disgruntled employees do the bare minimum in order to keep their job but are not willing in any way to go beyond this for their employer.
In an article from September 2022, global analytics and data firm Gallup suggested that over 50% of the US workforce as a whole could be classified as quiet quitters, such was their lack of engagement with their employer and their role.
Whilst it is easy to imagine these employees in soulless high-rise offices, tasked with somewhat humdrum activities hunched behind computer screens, it isn’t perhaps as obvious to consider lack of motivation in the maritime and energy arenas which MTCS primarily support.
The responsibilities that come with any maritime role are significant and personnel are keenly aware of the potential consequences of errors, but this doesn’t diminish the fact that we need to keep our people motivated.
How do we define motivation?
There are many definitions of motivation, one of the popular ones being that ‘it is the driving force behind human actions. It is the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-orientated behaviours’.
Beyond just being happy in their role, a motivated employee is more likely to undertake their role to the best of their abilities, with focus on the task at hand and consideration for their colleagues. A motivated individual is also more likely to go about their work in a competent and productive manner.
With recruitment being a perennial – not to mention time consuming and expensive – challenge, motivated employees are more likely to be loyal to the organisation, so staff retention becomes less of an issue and attracting new recruits is always helped by having a happy workforce already in place.
How about absenteeism through sick days? It’s another simple fact that motivated personnel are less likely to take spurious time off, something which also helps with continuity of operations and less disruption to scheduling of works and sourcing additional resources to cover their absent colleague.
It’s also common to see motivated employees having better relations with their managers, something which is always of benefit when it comes to being assessed and receiving feedback as part of a competence programme.
Who is willing and able?
Whilst there are many theories on how to motivate people in the workforce, there is one that resonates with me above all others.
There are numerous iterations of the ‘Willing & Able’ model adapted by organisations the world over, but I prefer quite a simple version and one which is proven to be an effective tool.
It assumes that a person can be in one of four ‘states’ with reference to their ability to perform their job role. The diagram below illustrates these four states and suggests that an individual may move between states throughout their specific period of employment and their career.
Unable/Willing
An example of this person may be a new start to the organisation, perhaps a graduate or fresh out of education and brimming with enthusiasm to start their role. They may be highly motivated, keen to learn and positive about their new role, however, they will naturally lack competence at this early stage in their career.
Able/Willing
This is the place we all want to be (and where we want our personnel to be) and, ideally, is the logical progression for the Unable /Willing individual. To get them here, they will be provided with a well structured personal development program including role-specific training, coaching, mentoring, assessment and feedback.
Able/Unwilling
This is the tricky one: a person who has the capability to do the job but is unwilling to do it. At one time they may have been both willing and able but something has changed and they have slipped into a state that is, unfortunately, all too common across many workplaces.
How often have we heard, “It’s not my job to do that” or “I shouldn’t have to do that”? The Able/Unwilling person may well believe that the task is ‘beneath them’ and better assigned to a more junior person; this is getting into Quiet Quitting territory and HR intervention feels perilously close.
Unable/Unwilling
At this point you might understandably be thinking, “Why would anybody be doing a job they can neither perform nor wish to perform?”. And you’re quite right to ask this, so we’ll explain the model a little further.
Shifting states within the model
To better understand the Willing & Able model we need to now look at why a person may fluctuate between different states. Whilst we all might aspire to be willing and able do our job, the day-to-day reality can be quite different for a number of reasons, including:
- Complacency and boredom associated with doing the same (possibly repetitive) task day in, day out
- Lack of support and recognition from management
- Lack of refresher training and continuous professional development (CPD)
All of the above may cause a slip towards Able/Unwilling due to lack of support and/or recognition, or even heading into Unable/Unwilling territory should the individual be tasked with a new activity that they are either reluctant or un-engaged with perhaps through lack of training and guidance.
The shift to Unable/Unwilling is never far away
Should the Able/Unwilling person be deprived of appropriate training and supported by ongoing CPD then their knowledge and skills will fade. This can be particularly evident when it comes to embracing emerging technologies or new working practices (the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” obviously springs to mind). It is inevitable that they will become both unable and unwilling.
Likewise, should the once keen and enthusiastic new starter be left unattended without appropriate training, supervision and development plan then they will become unwilling to be in the role as they are simply unable to do their job. They will become disheartened, confused, overwhelmed and unmotivated.
How do we keep the workforce Able and Willing?
As you’ve probably guessed, a solution that I’m backing is to motivate them and, from there, keep them motivated.
There are many theories and trains of thought around motivating an individual that are far beyond the context of this article and usually comprise reward-based incentives such as salary increases, performance related bonuses, profit sharing and additional leave.
However, beyond material and financial reward there is genuine worth in personal achievement within one’s work; yes, there is still value in ‘a job well done’ and the betterment of oneself and the wider organisation.
Unfortunately we cannot assume everyone shares the same degree of personal pride in their work so therefore let us consider how we ‘motivate’ someone who is Unable/Willing.
Firstly, we must assume that such an individual is wanting to change and achieve a state of Able/Willing. If not, then perhaps this person isn’t a good fit for the organisation and both sides need to re-assess the employer/employee relationship.
It sounds obvious, but if the person is unable to undertake their work (through lack of skills, knowledge, and experience) then we need to help them become able.
Together with the individual, there should be a training needs analysis specific to their role which will identify where there may be gaps in their abilities. From here a role-specific training plan can be created (delivered in-house and/or provided by an appropriate training provider) which can also be tailored to the individual’s existing skills and experience.
Ideally, the individual should be afforded the opportunity to see this as a starting point and that ongoing learning is part of their career progression and personal development.
Coaching/mentoring at the worksite is a valuable approach to keeping in touch with employees and frequently ‘checking in’ helps ensure that the slip back towards Unable/Willing is minimised. These should provide an opportunity for engagement and for two-way dialogue to develop, where the individual can speak honestly and openly, and highlight any areas of concern.
More formal assessment and feedback on individual performance provides clear objectives on how an individual may achieve competence in their work. Having an agreed process in place for assessment ensures that the reporting is based on set criteria and doesn’t stray into personal or even biased commentary.
Having experienced and competent supervision at the worksite allows an Unable individual carry-out tasks in a safe and controlled manner where margin for error is minimised, and where their confidence can grow as they become more familiar and competent with the activity.
We will now consider an Able/Unwilling individual, who we must assume were once Willing. What has led them to become Unwilling? Typical reasons may include:
- Lack of recognition for their work
- Lack of support by colleagues or management
- Poor teamwork at the worksite (supervision, collaboration)
- Poor working conditions
- Inadequate equipment and/or lack of resources to keep equipment operational
- Lack of training and professional development
- Lack of SMART objectives – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound
Some of these points are operational, others more cultural, but all can be identified and addressed with the right processes in place to help keep everyone in the desirable quadrant on the Willing & Able model.
In summary
Although not the sole driver, professional development is undeniably a key contributor to motivating and maintaining a workforce to be both willing and able.
Whilst people will naturally fluctuate between the different states, regular engagement, dialogue and feedback will help identify issues in the early stages and enable plans to be created and implemented to rectify the situation.
- Good supervision – consistent, experienced, impartial, knowledgeable, approachable – at the worksite.
- Recognition and input from senior management.
- Well-structured continuous professional development to achieve competence and maintain confidence.
