Moving motivators: a management tool to understand your team's motivations

Management 3.0: find out what makes everyone tick, so you can work better as a team!

Moving Motivators is a very special card game! It was specially designed for management purposes. It shows what drives team members, and helps you get to know them better and manage the team more effectively. Everyone can say what they feel, so the workshop will help you avoid counterproductive situations for the team.

This game was initially developed by Jurgen Appelo in his book Management 3.0. What is management 3.0? What are the motivator cards in the game? When should the Moving Motivators template be used and what benefits should be expected? You’ll find all the answers here, so you can run the workshop as a team!

What is management 3.0?

The end of traditional top-down management methods

The term of "management 3.0" implies that there were two management eras before this one. The first was the advent of taylorism: the manager was the “boss” and took all the decisions, while the employees were merely operatives. Those who succeeded were rewarded and climbed up the greasy pole, while those who failed to meet their targets lost out. It was a top-down management system only.

Then, management changed with the rise of Lean management. The manager was still the “leader” but employees became “co-workers”, and information flows were no longer one way. The buzzwords were sharing, communication and worker-participation. The organizational structure became more horizontal and the balance between personal and professional life began to be taken into account.

Management 3.0 was born in the early 21st century with the advent of new management methods and processes. This method focuses on teamwork and communication amongst teams.

A better balanced relationship between managers and their teams

Outlooks have changed: objectives are now set all together, and the manager is an integral part of the team. Team members work hand in hand, paying more attention to others. Independence and initiative are encouraged. The decision-making process is more transparent, the teams are consulted and their opinion counts. Fulfillment and well-being in the workplace have become a major concern for organizations.

Team performance on the rise

When team-members feel acknowledged and respected, they feel more committed to their work, and the results are there to prove it. Managers are also more willing to stop “managing” and asking people to report back to them, and more prepared to give the teams more autonomy. That way, everyone is happy and feels they are moving forward. You no longer necessarily have to climb up the ladder to move on. People can just change jobs within their company or have a career change. It’s how the new management methods operate.

Playing as a team for more effective management

Games are part of the new Management 3.0 tools. Game-based management prompts and encourages team members to communicate and help one another. Learning a new game is also an opportunity for teams to learn new rules. Playing and working as a team are two separate things. Playing can be an opportunity to get to know other members better and find out other aspects of their personality while having fun at the same time. Naturally, each management game, beyond the fun aspect, sets a concrete objective for the team.

Moving Motivators: ten cards for teams to voice their intrinsic motivators

The Moving Motivators game focuses on intrinsic motivators. Intrinsic motivators are quite different from external incentives such as bonuses or promotions. Intrinsic motivators are not linked to concrete rewards but to our emotions and what drives us personally.

Below are ten intrinsic motivators used in the Moving Motivators template in the form of digital cards:

• Curiosity: “I’m in constant need of new experiences.”
• Expertise: “I need to be in control and to feel competent at what I’m doing.”
• Relatedness: “I need to get on well with others and have regular social contacts.”
• Freedom: “I need leeway in my actions and initiatives.”
• Order: “I need to work in a stable environment with a clear set of rules.”
• Power: “I need to feel I can influence my environment”.
• Acceptance: “I need people to approve of what I do and who I am.”
• Purpose: “I need my work to have a purpose.”
• Status: “I need my job to give me a certain social status.”
• Values: “I need my personal values to be reflected in my work.”

How to play Moving Motivators with Klaxoon’s template

1. All team members read the ten cards, i.e. the suggestions for intrinsic motivators listed above.
2. Each player organizes the cards in order, based on how they feel: from the things that have the least impact on their commitment, to those that have the most.
3. Then the facilitator (usually the manager but not necessarily) suggests a possible change that the team needs to think about. For example, a change of business model within the organization.
4. Based on the suggested change, team members then move their cards: if the change has a positive impact on the intrinsic motivator on the card, i.e. it is strengthened by the change, they move it up the scale.  If the impact is negative, they move the card down the scale.
5. Each member analyzes the cards they moved down and thinks of solutions that they or the team could implement to lessen the negative impact.
6. Then it’s time for the team to debrief with a round table where everyone can put forward their top motivators and what changes, if any, need to be made.

When to use the template and its management benefits

Organizational changes, new team projects, lulls in activity… These changes can either be a source of stress for some team members or a boost for others. The Moving Motivators workshop is a way to unveil your team’s intrinsic motivators to be able to plan a change and find solutions together that will positively impact the team. Play Moving Motivators as a team to:

• Identify what drives the team
• Assess each team member’s satisfaction level
• Understand what really matters for them
• Anticipate the impact of a change
• Debrief on a recent change

Getting to know your team better makes for more effective management: knowing what drives your team members helps you to assign projects and responsibilities accordingly. Ask team members what truly makes them tick. This will boost their commitment and productivity. By anticipating changes, and investigating the impact a decision can have on team members, you can reconsider your strategy and take the best management decision.

Other management templates to be used with Moving Motivators

Although the Moving Motivators template is suggested for use as a team in this case, it is adaptable, as are all of Klaxoon’s templates. For example, use Moving Motivators for your individual management meetings, such as one-on-ones or annual interviews. Why not play alone to learn more about yourself and think about your own motivations?

Have you played Moving Motivators as a team and liked the concept of digital card games? You’ll find others in the library.

For example, if the “Acceptance” and “Relatedness” motivators were used often during the workshop, use the Kudo Cards as a team! Games are an opportunity for team members to congratulate one another and provide positive feedback.

Were the “Freedom” and “Power” cards a hit during your Moving Motivators workshop? Then schedule your next workshop with the Delegation Poker game, which is also derived from management 3.0. It aims to reallocate responsibilities and decision-making within the team.