Statistics Correlation

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Finally, manager should have a one-on-one meeting with the problem employee to discuss the situation. Such meetings should start with an affirmative assertion. The manager should appreciate the problem employee’s past performance and his future value to the organisation. He should describe the problem at hand and state that things “should not and will not” continue the way they are right now. For example, John should have said to Rishi – “You have been performing really well in the past and I would like to discuss the future possibilities of us working together. I know that you are not happy right now and even I am not contented with your performance. I respect your contribution to our organisation and your skill set but I don’t not approve of your behaviour in the present situation. I feel that you can help me to find out a solution which will lead to mutual benefits and brighter prospects of working together”. Post this manager needs to ask the right questions known as “leverage questions”. Such questions test the managers picture about the situation and even bring the differences in open that can lead to root source of the problem at hand. For instance- John should have confronted Rishi by saying that “I shifted you to another project assuming that you need new challenges to motivate yourself and perform well. In what way can I help you other than this? John might have replied- “You cannot help me because no matter how well I perform, I don’t get appreciation and reward for it”. This way John could have got to know that Rishi’s delayed promotion was the reason behind his poor performance and would have built further strategies accordingly. Post such interaction and identification of the root cause of the problem, a manager should state the situation at hand and conclude with a possible solution. In the above case, John could have told Rishi that he will have a word with the management about his situation and if possible, convince the management to offer him a fast track promotion based on his contribution in the upcoming projects.

Following the above stated three steps, a manager may or may not be able to solve the problem but the payoffs of such an approach surely extend beyond the present situation at hand. Furthermore, this method not only increases the chances of motivating the problem employee but also can motivate the entire working group in the organisation. Even if a manager fails to motivate a particular employee, people will be moved by the culture at the work place that can turn out to be one of the major factors of employee satisfaction. Although, some employees may react quickly to this approach, others might require more time to build good relationship with the managers but at-least the employees will show signs of improvement or move towards it. In the end, a manager will have not only a productive employee to work with but also a positive environment that will further facilitate organisation’s growth.

References:

- How to Motivate Your Problem People by Nigel Nicholson:

https://hbr.org/2003/01/how-to-motivate-your-problem-people