Tools for Motivating Team Members

Understanding motivation is simple but not easy. Remember, motivation is basically a function of two things: expectations and reinforcements. The team charter described in chapter 4 contains a section on clarifying expectations regarding member roles and responsibilities. Some responsibilities are shared by all team members, but if everyone is responsible for everything, many things will fall between the cracks.

To help make members' roles and responsibilities clear, you should consider helping your team create a "Team Roles and Responsibilities Matrix" like the sample shown in table 20 for a work team in an engine manufacturing plant. It has proven to be a great tool to help clarify expectations. Dedicate a team meeting for members to systematically identify every activity and task the team must execute during a typical work period (a week, month, etc.). These items form the rows of the matrix. Names of team members along with titles of resource personnel assigned to assist can be listed across the top, forming the columns of the matrix. Letter symbols are to be placed in the appropriate squares. Your team will want to establish its own set of symbols, but consider using some or all of the following used in table 20:

P = Primary responsibility. This team member is being relied on to accomplish this activity or task for the team.
R = Rotate. The primary responsibility to accomplish this task is rotated among the team members designated with this symbol.
A = Advisory responsibility. This team member should be consulted before this activity is completed.
S = Support. This team member should help out on this activity if time permits or if there is a particular problem associated with the performance of the activity on a particular day.
V = Veto. This team member has veto power over decisions associated with the activity. Other members may be involved, but this member can decide whether the activity will go forward or not.
TF = Task force. This team member is to evaluate whether the activity is being performed effectively and efficiently .

TABLE 20: Team Roles and Responsibilities Matrix (Sample)
Activities and Tasks	Team Members	Elected Team Leader	Management Representative	Union Representative	Maintenance Contact	Engineering Contact
Production to build schedule		P	S
Day work schedule	R	S
Job assignments/rotation	S	P
Overtime scheduling			P	A/V
Absenteeism/tardiness records		P	S
Identification of safety concerns	R			S		S
Documentation of corrective actions	TF				S	S
Documentation of costs	TF		S
Documentation of quality (scrap, rework )	TF		S
Housekeeping	R				S
Documentation of production counts	R		S
Scheduling/facilitation of team meetings		P	S
Documentation of problem-solving efforts	TF		S
Machine maintenance scheduling		S	A/V		P
Tools, supplier, stock requisitions	R				S
Disciplinary records			P	S
Vacation scheduling		P	A/V
Training certificates and scheduling		S	P
P = Primary responsibility; R = Rotate; A = Advisory responsibility; S = Support; V = Veto; TF = Task force

Be sure that time is dedicated for clarifying expectations regarding your role as well. As a team leader who is also a peer to other members of the team, what special duties are you expected to perform? Will you represent the team at meetings within the organization? Are you the person the team expects to meet with management to set productivity goals? Are you expected to be the point person to interface with the team's "customers" and "suppliers"? If you are an area manager associated with several other teams , how often are you expected to interact with each team? Should you attend every team meeting? Do you need to check in with each team at shift start-up and closing time? Who is expected to enforce team rules? Are you in charge of discipline when team rules are violated? The bottom line is that every person on the team needs to have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Motivation is as much a function of expectations as it is reinforcements.