How to Motivate a Lazy Person in Your Workplace into an Efficient Employee

In order to achieve success, all companies need to make sure that their employees are properly motivated. This can be done through making sure the employee is properly engaged in all necessary aspects of the business. Many companies' HR departments are seeking new ways to increase productivity in the workplace. Often, the human resources will reach out to other areas of the company to develop new methods of motivation.

To comprehend this, it is important to understand firsthand its close relation with performance. A close look at performance shows that people prefer it to work results. Motivation focuses on the direction, persistence, perseverance and the excitement that an employee may develop inside him to do the work assigned to him. Employee motivation comes when he/she is willing to perform the work given to him.

Douglas McGregor's theories focused on different human behaviors. He was among the first people to initiate the idea of motivation. He explained it vividly in his Y and X theories. The people under X theory are lazy and hate taking responsibility, they perform only when they are closely watched. People under Y theory, on the other hand, are those who want to work naturally.

The beliefs of managers of theories X and Y - whether or not the people are lazy or truly enjoy work - form the main differences between these theories, revealed through a detailed inspection. The result is that, by theory X people require motivation, external coordination and control to perform work and encouragement for quality work. In contrast, by theory Y, people are considered smart, capable of good work on their own and not in need of control, coordination or influence of anyone but themselves.

It is a well accepted fact that opinions of people, act as a major factor for their behavior. Opinions are always influenced by each ones personal experience.This same fact can be applied as a basis for motivational theories also. According to McGregor, who is a motivational expert,states that managers can be classified as Theory X and Theory Y managers, based on their opinions.

Theory X managers have the belief that generally people are lazy and so motivating them is necessary. Now, it can be of two types - negative or positive. Positive ones include presenting incentives or awards for outstanding performances, while the negative one includes instilling a sense of fear in the employees. The threat of firing them from their workplace due to lack of performance is instilled in the employees. The manager generally does not trust the employees as he thinks that his employees are not good at taking responsibilities. In almost every organization or every place, one can see the instances and examples of it.

However, managers who exercise the Y Theory tend to believe that employees provide their own motivation and do not need motivational input from outside sources. Managers who practice this theory type will allow their subordinates to carry out their responsibilities in their own time, but they often find that their job is still carried out effectively and efficiently. Based on their belief and practices, Theory Y managers never have to threaten their employees jobs or attempt to drive fear into the hearts of their workers because the employees are self-motivated and appreciative of their jobs.

In an overall view of an organization, existing in the present corporate and business environment, we can find that both theory y and theory x people coexist. There is no particular organization with exclusively, theory y or theory x people. They coexist almost in every sphere of activities. Hence it is difficult to pinpoint each set in a given group.