Motivation Makes the World Go 'round

Most people won't do anything if there's no positive result in the end. Usually people think about how important their input is related to the amount of output they receive (amount of work to amount of praise/pay, amount of exercise  to the amount of calories burned, time put into homework compared to the grade recieved, etc).
The following table is something Microsoft uses when looking at how their employees are motivated and their level  of proficiency.

Level 1: Basic	Level 2: Intermediate	Level 3: Advanced	Level 4: Expert
Maintains a climate in which people want to do their best	Creates and maintains a climate in which people want to do their best	Empowers others and energizes them to do and to be their best	Inspires and motivates whole organizations with ample positive energy
Is aware of each person’s strengths, but does not consistently use this knowledge to motivate his or her actions	Assesses each person’s strengths, and uses them to get the best out of him or her	Looks for positive attributes, and concretely reinforces them, promoting confidence and optimistic attitudes	Recognizes each person’s strengths, development needs, and professional goals, and inspires them to succeed
Makes individuals feel his or her work is important; is someone people like working for and with	Invites input from each person, and shares ownership and visibility	Designs and provides incentives to encourage widespread participation and regularly incorporates stress-busters to minimize pressure points	Appropriately rewards and acclaims individuals, groups, and organizations for stellar achievements
Able to motivate a limited range of individuals within the organization	Able to motivate a wide range of individuals, including direct reports, team members, and project members	Successfully motivates people and organizational units	Successfully motivates the entire organization

In today's business programs in college across the United States, students are learning the importance of teams. We hear it over and over again, the importance of teams and leadership within  business in almost any position or situation. Microsoft heads do a great job of motivating their employers, but something you may not consider is the motivation between employees and their peers.
Microsoft believes in such a thing as over motivating. Employees should be encouraged by motivation and incentives, but a person would also want their employees to have their own intrinsic motivation that makes them want to do well for themselves and the company without a physical reward or getting praised. Also, putting a large emphasis on individual motivation can get in the way of group success at times. For this reason,  when hiring employees, Microsoft looks into not only how the person is motivated, but how they motivate others. Some questions and interviewer may ask are things like, "Describe a time you tried motivating someone and it didn't work. How did you fix this?" Motivation is important in a company from the top to the very bottom and at every stop along the way.

Motivational Strategies of Microsoft

Hey followers!

I just found an article about employee empowerment at Microsoft, and wanted to share it with you:

http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Motivational-Strategies-Microsoft/163367?topic

This article talks all about how much Microsoft Corporation need its employees, and what they do to empower and motivate them.  Microsoft is a company well known for its innovation in software and technology. But what most people don't know is that Microsoft is also a company that has remarkable employee empowerment. It also says that Microsoft realizes that without its employees they are nothing and that to keep these employees within the company, executives are thinking up new ideas to have the employees be valued.  Microsoft values their employees so much that they trust the recruitment of new employees to current employees. That is empowerment at its finest if I do say so myself. Letting employees know that the top management at Microsoft trust their employees to bring the best of the best to the company and shape the future of the company is a big responsibility and Microsoft does this without another thought. 

Microsoft is a company with a lot of trust they put into their employees to make them feel needed, and it's really simple.  A simple idea that creates one of the top companies in the world the best place to work for.  This whole article is eye-opening and shows how easy making employees feel empowered is, and that the little things make a huge difference here.  This makes Microsoft a precedent and a leader in the industry, and shows companies around the world what needs to be done to make a great company.  Sure, there are a lot of profitable companies that have great products, but Microsoft has it all; great products, very profitable, and happy employees.  More companies need to take this more seriously. 

I definitely want to work for a company like this! It would make me feel important and happy to go to work everyday!

I hope you found this article intresting.  Have a great day!

Katelyn Fisher

Employee Motivation and Retention Strategies at Microsoft Corporation

I read a case online recently about Microsoft's motivational theories within the last 20 years.  Although Microsoft is a great place to be employed now, it wasn't always the best.  Microsoft faced lawsuits and unhappy employees due to the company's size growing rapidly.  Cuts were made in order to recover profits and the employees lost many benefits.  However, a new Senior VP of HR was appointed in 2006 and she changed the way HR and the employees communicated.

She revamped the entire system with new benefits and new workplaces to motivate and retain employees.  Her new system, myMicrosoft, helped employees correspond to other departments, mainly HR.

Although Microsoft may have moved from a great work place, to a poor work place, and back to an employee friendly environment, this shows that the company is willing to work through problems and that employee happiness is a high priority.  Microsoft obviously believes that employees that are treated well, work better which helps the company.

I think this shows that Microsoft is truly a great place to work, seeing as though they put their employees happiness so high on their list.  What do you think?

Monica Brown

http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Human%20Resource%20and%20Organization%20Behavior/HROB129.htm

Motivation within Microsoft

I recently read an article by Stephen McConnell, a former Software Practitioner at Microsoft. He describes how it has been found that motivation is the single most important contributor to productivity. Microsoft takes this very seriously. The company finds it very important to motivate their employees in a positive environment in order to be an efficient company. McConnell goes on to describe work days of 12, 14, even 16 hours. Hearing this most people would cringe at the thought, but at Microsoft, their motivated employees are more than willing to put in extra hours in order to achieve a goal. Happiness within the company leads to more productive workers that want to see their company do well and want to be an integral part of that success.
A big part of Microsoft's motivational tactics is morale. Each group at Microsoft has a morale budget and are allowed to use it on anything- food, games, trips, or anything. The idea is that if employees are given things that make them happy, they are in an environment that are glad to work in; they don't need a higher salary or bigger office. Even small rewards like t-shirts boost the morale of employers.
Microsoft knows that a happy worker is often a hard worker and they are doing everything they can to keep that true!
Do you think they are things Microsoft is missing?

Thanks for reading!

Alivia Lindbeck


http://www.stevemcconnell.com/articles/art05.htm 

Microsoft's Perks for Employees

Hey it's Katelyn from Team 4.  I wanted to share this with you guys! I saw this video on You Tube that showed all the perks that goes on at Microsoft for its employees.

I think that it fully represents how happy employees of Microsoft are, and how free and creative they feel.  I think that Microsoft does a great job of making their employees happy to create a calm, and happy work environment.  This video definitely makes me want to work for Microsoft! The guy in the video seemed very happy, and although it didn't show him working much, and just showed all the perks they have to offer. We all know that Microsoft is a very successful company and with all the perks they have, they must be doing something right. 

It is important for companies (now more than ever) to please their employees in order to make for a stress-free work environment and allow their creative juices to flow.  This is beneficial for all stakeholders, as it allows for the company to be its best: financially, socially, and environmentally.  For Microsoft Leaders, they are doing an exceptional job of making the Microsoft Organization a happy and healthy place to work.

Well, fellow followers, that is all for now.  I hope this posting makes you realize what great things are happening at Microsoft!

-Katelyn Fisher

The Secret to Successful Motivation at Microsoft

        I recently read an article in Bloomberg Business Week about Microsoft and how well they motivate their employees. It is based on excerpts of the book "The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management" by Dave Thielen. Their main secret to success is simple, yet not commonly practiced. They rely on employees to self motivate, by constantly creating new ideas and never being punished for a bad idea. You can imagine what this would be like on a day to day basis. You have a department and within that area, you independently work on projects that interest you. That it in itself is pure motivation in my mind. Most of your work might never get published or even seen by someone in management, but when it does you have the entitlement of contributing to an extremely successful company.

       

        The excerpt, written by a previous Microsoft employee mentions that at Microsoft, there are no excuses. This seems like a harsh way of life, but at their company, it is really a positive. You are only measured by success. It doesn't matter what you did all day or what happens in your life that may have affected your work. If you develop something successful, you will be given the credit due. There isn't someone over your cubicle asking you why you didn't think of a great idea that day. People that work at Microsoft are intelligent and creative, they don't need someone to check up on them because they love what they do.

        Everyone has their own way to work and be motivated, personally I would love this environment and think Microsoft does a great job of managing their employees!

-Kelsey Van Gieson

GROUP 4

Link to article: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/news/coladvice/book/bk990611.htm