BUSINESSHow to motivate employees to work more productivelyPractice Pointers. By Karen S. Schechter, amednews contributor. Oct. 20, 2003. Question My partner and I have a busy pediatric practice that, by most standards, is adequately staffed. In spite of this, the quantity and quality of the work performed is disappointing, to say the least. Most staff members would agree that they enjoy their jobs. So how do I motivate them to be more productive? Answer The most important concept to learn is that no one can be motivated by someone or something else. Motivation comes from within. As a manager, you have two primary tasks to help ensure that the people you hire have the appropriate motivation to make the practice successful. First, the right people must be hired. The term "right" means that they possess the values important to your partner and you, and are willing to work toward your practice's goals. Second, management must establish a working environment that provides staff the opportunity to perform their best for the practice. Let's discuss each one individually. "Right" does not refer to the person's skill sets -- this discussion assumes that each worker has skills appropriate for the position. Rather, the question is whether the person being considered for a position will fit the practice's personality, which is formed in great part by the values deemed to be important by the physician owners. This is not to say that what one person values is better (or worse) than another person's values. There simply needs to be compatibility between the two. For example, if one of the practice's values is flexibility, then it may not be appropriate to hire someone who likes only to do specific tasks at specific times and cannot be flexible, whether due to personality or commitments outside work. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2003 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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