RE: Rewarding and Motivating Professionals

[WMack <WMack@pec.com>]

In his post (heavily edited version included below), Mr. Roberts raises 
some interesting points which highlight some of the more subtle points
of Dr. Deming's message.

Dr. Deming was not opposed to the ranking and rewarding of 
employees because he thought it was bad for morale.  Dr. Deming
felt that there was no scientific, mathematical, or statistical
justification
for the evaluation of employees.

Dr. Deming challenges a core, often unstated belief, the belief that
there are significant numbers of more able or less able employees.
If you accept that 99%+ of your employees are average, you arrive
at a different set of questions.

Instead of asking how "to raise contributions of the less able," you
begin to ask "Why are there differences in results?"  Instead of 
asking how "to discourage defections of the ablest," you begin to 
ask "Why do we have employee turn-over?"  Instead of asking how 
"to keep everyone motivated," you begin to ask "How do I 
minimize the differences in results?"

As the shift in questions implies, once you accept that the
employees are all about the same, the responsibility for 
improvement shifts from the employee to the manager.  This is
what Dr. Deming meant about leadership.  Instead of trying to
motivate employees to change, leadership is about finding
ways which improve the results of the employees as a whole.

Leadership is not about hoping employees will improve given
the right type of "motivation."  It is about changing the work
place to allow all employees to do better.  It is about 
management taking responsibility for change and not trying
to pass off the responsibility to the employees.  This is a
subtle, but awesome shift in thinking for most corporations.

Wayne Mack

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Frederick Roberts
> 
> That said, how does one lead a group of professionals without
> encouraging destructive intra mural competition? 
> 
> Capable ones want just reward for their contributions. Confident ones,
> however capable, want reward for their self-perceived contributions. 
> 
> The objectives are:
> 
>     1. To keep everyone motivated to do his best.
>     2. To discourage defections of the ablest.
>     3. To raise contributions of the less able.
> 
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