There has been a major shift in our world of work over the last 30 years. As William Charland described it, we are moving from the pyramid, a top-down shape of work, to one that is relatively flat, a diamond shape.

The pyramid shape of work suited the Industrial Era because it allowed leaders to control the quality of their manufactured products by imbedding fairly static processes and limiting the impact of new ideas. Middle management was quota driven. Motivation (keeping people coming to work and doing their job with enthusiasm every day) in this repetitive (even boring) paradigm was externally induced through raises, signing bonuses, holidays and health benefits.

In the new economy those external motivators just aren’t cutting it. Jobs in the diamond shape of work are no longer static. Instead, constant change, an overload of work, and new things to learn pop up at an exhausting pace. Research confirms what we see every day. Money just doesn’t count for much when we are too stressed by the pace and pressure at work.

There is one carry-over from the pyramid to the diamond: health benefits have remained high on the list of ‘must haves’. That is because diamond demands have resulted in higher rates of burn-out with corresponding increases in long term disability claims. This certainly doesn’t make for a very healthy organization (pardon the pun).

There is lots of evidence that increasing the quantity or quality of the same old external motivators isn’t keeping people from burning out or leaving. Data abounds on the rising costs of medical and stress leaves, mental breakdowns, employee turnover rates, and presenteeism. Furthermore, taking that tack quickly drains the organization’s coffers. So what do employers need to know about motivating their people in this new work paradigm that requires employees to hang in there (be present), achieve more (be highly productive) keep up with the rapid pace of change, and be innovative and creative to help the organization succeed?

Employers need to shift from using external motivators to induce desirable behaviours to equipping their people to motivate themselves. Internal motivation happens naturally, with no effort whatsoever on the part of the employer, when people are able to do work that is a good fit for them. Work is a good fit for them when they get to do work they love, in a way that suits them and in a way that reflects their particular realities. When people are doing work that is a good fit, you can’t hold them back from being fully engaged, highly productive, innovative and creative employees.

Employers need to make sure their people get the tools and skills to define what work that fits looks like for them, because people have never learned to define this for themselves.

Stay tuned for the next blog posting to hear a little bit about a ‘how to’.