Chapter 3

Leading Technical People

 Motive & Motivation

Definition of Motive:
• “An inner state that energizes, activates, or moves, and
that directs or channels behavior toward goals.”
– Berelson & Steiner
Definition of Motivation:
• “The willingness to exert high levels of effort to reach
organizational goals, conditioned by the effort’s ability to
satisfy some individual need.” – Robbins
• “3 measures of resulting behavior: direction, strength, and
persistence” – Campbell
 Nature of the Individuals

• The way we try to motivate someone

depends on our assumption about their
basic nature.
• McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y (Two
assumptions about basic nature)
 Nature of the Individuals

"Theory X":
• Management is responsible for organizing the elements of
productive enterprise--money, materials, equipment,
people--in the interest of economic ends.
• With respect to people, this is a process of directing their
efforts, motivating them, controlling their actions, modifying
their behavior to fit the needs of the organization.
• Without this active intervention by management, people
would be passive--even resistant to organization needs.
They must therefore be persuaded, rewarded, punished,
controlled--their activities must be directed. This is
management's task....
 Nature of the Individuals

Additional beliefs of "Theory X":

• The average person is by nature indolent‫— آرام طلب‬he/she
works as little as possible.
• He/She lacks ambition, dislikes responsibility, prefers to be
led.
• He/She is inherently self-centered, indifferent to
organizational needs.
• He/She is by nature resistant to change.
• He/She is gullible ‫ ب ھوال‬, not very bright, the ready dupe
‫ س ادہ ل وح‬of the charlatan ‫ ش عبدہ ب از‬and the demagogue
‫ بازاری لیڈر‬.
 "Theory Y"
• Management is responsible for organizing the
elements of productive enterprise--money,
materials, equipment, people--in the interest of
economic ends ( identical to theory X).
• People are not by nature passive or resistant to
organizational needs. They have become so as a
result of experience in organizations.
• Peter Drucker emphasized the necessity of
abandoning Theory X, especially in managing
knowledge workers such as engineers and
scientists
 Motivation Theories:
Content Theories:
Based on human needs and people’s effort to satisfy them
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs
• Herzberg's 2-factor theory
• McClelland’s Trio of Needs
Process Theories:
Assumes that behavioral choices are based on expected
outcomes
• Equity Theory (Adams)
• Expectancy Theory (Vroom)
• Porter-Lawler Extension
• Behavior Modification (Skinner)
 Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
(The appearance of one need usually rests
upon the prior satisfaction of another.)
• Physiological needs: air, water, food, shelter, sex
• Safety needs: safe work, with security that the
physiological needs will continue to be met (through job
tenure and medical, unemployment, and disability
insurance and retirement provisions)
• Affiliation needs: affectionate relations with friends,
family, and people in general, and group acceptance
• Esteem needs: self-respect or self-esteem, and the
esteem of others (expressed in reputation, prestige, and
recognition)
• Self-actualization (or self-fulfillment) needs: the
desire to become everything one is capable of becoming
(to become actualized in what one is potentially)
 Herzberg's 2-factor Theory

• The growth or motivator factors that are intrinsic to

the job are [in order of decreasing importance]:
achievement, recognition for achievement, the work
itself, responsibility, and growth or advancement.
• The dissatisfaction-avoidance or hygiene factors
that are extrinsic to the job include [also in order of
decreasing importance]: company policy and
administration, supervision, interpersonal relationships,
working conditions, salary, status, and security.
 McClelland’s Trio of Needs
(Different people have different needs)
• Need for achievement: the drive or desire to
excel, to accomplish something better than has
been done in the past. (entrepreneurs)
• Need for power: the desire to control one’s
environment, including resources and people.
(managers)
• Need for affiliation: the need for human
companionship and acceptance. (coordinators,
integrators, counselors, and sales)
 Motivating And Leading Technical
Professionals
General Nature of the Technical Professional
• Having a high need for achievement and deriving their
motivation primarily from the work itself.
• Desiring autonomy (independence) over the conditions,
pace, and content of their work.
• Tending to identify first with their profession and
secondarily with their company.
• Seeking to maintain their expertise, gained through long
and arduous ‫ ک ٹھن‬study, and stave off ‫ک و روک نے ک ے‬
obsolescence ‫ ترکمتروک پن‬through continuing education.
 Motivation Factors for Engineers

1. Type of work, interesting, diversified (45.0%)

2. Salary (33.9%)
3. Location, good place to live, family (31.2%)
4. Opportunity for advancement (29.8%)
5. Challenge, more responsibility, chance to use creative
ability (16.9%)
6. Reputation, prestige of company (13.7%)
7. Working conditions, personnel policies (11.7%)
8. Growing organization, growing field (6.9%)
9. Security, retirement plan, benefits (6.8%)
10. Opportunity to learn, broaden experience, training
programs (6.6%)
 Motivation and Leading Technical People
LEADING TECHNICAL PEOPLE
Dimensions of Technical Leadership
Successful technical leaders should master five strategic dimensions

1. Coach for peak performance: listen, ask, facilitate, integrate,

provide administrative support
2. Run Organizational Interference: Obtain resources, support
professionals and minimize the bureaucracy
3. Orchestrate Professional Development. Facilitate career development
4. Expand Individual Productivity through Teamwork. Make sure teams are
well oriented regarding goals and roles.
5. Facilitate Self-management. Assure technical professionals are empowered
to make their own decisions
 Leading Technical Professionals…

Leading as orchestration ‫( کاری سازینہ‬McCall

identifies four general areas where the leader can make a difference)
• Technical competence.
• Controlled freedom.
• Leader as metronome (A device used to mark time by
means of regularly recurring ticks or flashes ).
• Work challenge.