Motivation is a key factor in employee engagement, development, and job satisfaction. At the same time, motivation is a nuanced target of assessment: it does not always present itself in a straightforward manner, and measuring it is not unambiguous. A reliable understanding of motivation requires a carefully designed, multi-method assessment process that combines interviews, observation, and psychological assessment tools.
Understanding motivation requires a holistic assessment
In working life, motivation manifests in many different ways. It may be based on internal drivers, such as the desire to develop, to influence, or to do meaningful work. In addition to intrinsic motivational drivers, motivation can also result from external factors related, for example, to compensation, status, or stability in working life. Individuals are motivated by different things, and even more importantly, it is essential to understand how these motivational factors align with the opportunities offered by the organization. For this reason, motivation is also mapped as an essential part of the overall assessment in personnel evaluation.
Assessing motivation is important also from the perspective of practical benefits:
- Performance prediction: Motivation complements cognitive ability and turns competence into action.
- Commitment and job satisfaction: A motivational profile helps to understand the type of work environment in which a person thrives. This information supports personnel selection and may reduce employee turnover in the long term.
- Career planning: When an employee’s career motives and areas of interest are known, career paths and development can be supported systematically.
- Supporting leadership: The supervisor gains insight into the conditions that strengthen an employee’s motivation. This helps to plan leadership in an individualized and proactive manner.
Personnel assessment helps to understand the background of motivation
Motivation can be examined in personnel assessment in several ways. In semi-structured interviews, the candidate’s career goals, work-life values, and interests related to the role in question are discussed. In addition, various psychological tests add objectivity and comparability by identifying which motivational factors are most central for the individual.
Through a multi-method approach, the assessment does not rely solely on the question “what motivates you?”, but instead outlines different dimensions of motivation: where the person wants to go (orientation), in which situations they become energized (drivers of action), and which factors support commitment (Markkanen, 2009).
Personnel assessments often also make use of separate motivation questionnaires or modules, the purpose of which is to map more precisely which factors motivate the assessed individual in working life. Through the questions, the drivers of work motivation are identified—that is, the concrete elements that cause a person to become engaged, committed, and perform at their best.
Examples of motivational factors
Examples of concrete motivational factors include:
- Recognition: the experience that one’s work is valued and acknowledged
- Influence: the opportunity to participate in decision-making and to influence one’s own work or the direction of the organization
- Challenge: the desire to take on demanding tasks and continuously develop toward new goals
- Stability and predictability: a sense of security, clear structures, and operating models
- Meaningfulness: the desire to do work that has a positive impact on others or on society
- Balance: combining work with other areas of life
- Creativity: the opportunity to bring one’s own ideas and new solutions into everyday work
- Autonomy: freedom to decide on working methods and use of time
- Professional competence: the opportunity to utilize and develop one’s own expertise
- Collaboration: effective interaction and teamwork
- Financial reward: the experience of receiving compensation that corresponds to one’s competence
The results of questionnaires can be visualized in various ways, providing a comprehensive picture of which drivers are emphasized for the assessed individual. In this way, the structure of motivation does not rely solely on individual statements or interview observations; instead, it forms a multifaceted and comparable profile that particularly supports the assessed person in better understanding their own motivational factors and work-related personality.
From the client’s perspective, this information supports not only recruitment decisions but also the planning of career paths and professional development. For example, a person whose motivation strongly emphasizes influence and meaningfulness may, in the long term, seek a more responsible role or opportunities to participate in strategic work. When these drivers are known, career paths can be designed in a way that helps motivation to be maintained—and even strengthened—over time.
Considerations in assessing motivation
Avainsanat
Julkaistu
Ota yhteyttä
Matias Saarni
040 359 0156
matias.saarni[at]avila.fi