We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Lawrence M. Miller, Institute for Leadership Excellence

If you want to lead a self-managing and highly motivated team, this course if for you. It is intentionally short and to the point.

The instructor has authored ten books on management, leadership and motivation and has consulted with major corporations for more than forty years. This short courses distills the most critical lessons needed to motivate your team members.

Read more

If you want to lead a self-managing and highly motivated team, this course if for you. It is intentionally short and to the point.

The instructor has authored ten books on management, leadership and motivation and has consulted with major corporations for more than forty years. This short courses distills the most critical lessons needed to motivate your team members.

A high performing team is highly self-managed and self-motivated. But, it is the manager who creates the conditions, the encouragement and provides the coaching that brings the team to this point of self-management. Creating a sense of worthy purpose is essential, as well as a team dynamic that creates bonds that unite the team and brings out their most positive energy. Caring and psychological safety have proven critical. You will learn how to build this sense of purpose, and create the social system that unites team members.

You will also learn how to deal with negative behavior in the most positive way possible.

In this course you will learn the following:

  • Identify Sources of Motivation that will motivate all team members.
  • How to use both Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
  • How you can optimize Social Reinforcement from the team itself.
  • How to develop a system of motivation in the organizaton.
  • How to analyze behavior and its influences using the ABC Model of Managing Behavior.
  • How to use reinforcement schedules
  • How to distinguish the difference between performance problems that require new skills versus motivation.

Why learn from me? I have helped almost one hundred companies develop systems of teamwork and motivation over the past forty years. These companies include Honda, Toyota, Shell Oil Company, Merck, American Express, 3M and many more. I have been hands-on in manufacturing, healthcare and technology companies.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Identify sources of motivation in the three major types of motivation.
  • Develop an analysis of problem behavior.
  • Identify ways to improve the social motivation derived from team membership.
  • Increase intrinsic motivation derived from the work itself.
  • Develop a plan to increase the motivation of team members using a scientific approach.

Syllabus

Introduction

In this lecture, Lawrence M. Miller introduces his course on team motivation and explains that effective team leadership involves being in control of one's own behavior as well as motivating the team. Miller emphasizes that team motivation is a dynamic relationship between the leader and the team, and the purpose of the course is to help leaders manage their teams to become high-performing. Miller suggests that learners go through the course with a study circle, where they can discuss and apply the lessons they have learned. He also provides action learning assignments to encourage learners to apply what they have learned with their teams. Finally, Miller highlights his extensive experience in developing self-directed teams and lean management, which he will share with his learners.

Read more

In this lecture, Lawrence M. Miller outlines the objectives of his course on team motivation. He emphasizes the importance of understanding different sources of motivation for team members and optimizing them. Miller also highlights the importance of social motivation and developing a plan to increase motivation using a scientific approach. The course also covers problem behavior and ways to correct or change it positively, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and problem-solving methodology. Miller encourages learners to think about their team's current state and ideal state to better understand their team's motivation and behavior. The lecture aims to help learners develop a plan to increase their team's motivation and create a positive and productive work environment.

To appreciate some very basic dynamics of highly motivated and high performing teams.

In this lecture, Lawrence M. Miller discusses Google's research on high-performing teams and emphasizes the importance of psychological safety in team performance. He notes that team members' personalities are not as critical as the culture and environment of the team. Miller highlights that psychological safety is created by an environment where people feel accepted, listened to, and respected. A team leader's role is to create a culture where everyone cares about each other and their well-being, listens well, and demonstrates empathy. Miller concludes that creating a psychologically safe environment is not about control or commanding, but about caring. Leaders who create such an environment can have a more committed team and achieve higher performance.


Lawrence M. Miller, an instructor, discusses the basics of effective team management. Miller highlights the importance of regular team meetings with a clear agenda, like a daily huddle in manufacturing. He also emphasizes that psychologically safe teams foster experimentation, which is crucial for continuous improvement. In addition, Miller notes that highly motivated teams must know how they are performing, which can be achieved through scorecards. He suggests that teams should have shared ownership of the process and know their inputs, outputs, and customers to effectively problem solve. These fundamentals of team management, including engagement in continuous improvement, shared ownership, regular meetings, and scorecards, are essential for high-performing and motivated teams.


I am attaching to activity documents that I think will be helpful. The first is a PDF file that is a Self-Assessment that can be used by you and your team to identify areas for improvement. The behavior definitions in this assessment have been developed over many years by several different client organizations as they have implemented a process of team management. The second document is an Excel spreadsheet that has proven useful as an agenda and action planning form. You will notice that there are standard agenda items, which you may change; and, there are lines for new business. When you put in the start time, time allocated for each topic, the times automatically adjust for total time and time remaining. I suggest you try using this with your team and modify it as you see fit.

The Hierarchy of Motivaton

The job of management is to optimize all available sources of motivation to increase those behaviors that contribute to the success of the organization.

The instructor discusses the hierarchy of motivation and its role in optimizing employee performance. Miller identifies three types of motivation: spiritual, social, and situational. At the top of the hierarchy is spiritual motivation, which involves finding purpose and contributing to something greater. Social motivation is the next level and is driven by connections with others. Finally, situational motivation is about the immediate payoffs and consequences of an action. Miller notes that as a manager, it's essential to optimize all three types of motivation to create a high-performing team. Managers must engineer prompts and consequences that trigger desired behavior and align the team's purpose with their work.

Lawrence M. Miller discusses the power of purpose in motivating individuals and teams. He emphasizes the importance of sacrificing for something noble and worthy, which helps individuals feel more noble and worthy themselves. Leaders understand this mystery of sacrifice and call upon their followers to sacrifice for noble causes. In the workplace, it's crucial to understand the organization's worthy purpose and communicate it to every team member. This helps motivate individuals and create a sense of pride and joy in their work. Miller provides examples of companies like Toyota and Honda, whose visions focus on contributing to humanity and creating joy for customers. As a manager, it's essential to identify and communicate the worthy purpose of the team to create a motivated and purposeful work environment.

The Power of Purpose - Activity


Lawrence M. Miller discusses social motivation and its importance in the workplace. Social motivation refers to the dependence we have on others for motivation, energy, and a sense of purpose. Miller emphasizes that social motivation is crucial in creating a sense of teamwork and common purpose among team members. As social creatures, we are wired to bond with others to accomplish tasks, and a healthy social system is essential for our mental health and the health of organizations. Miller provides a brief history of the world, highlighting how the development of the mass production model led to a disintegration of the social system in the workplace. However, lean organizations and self-directed teams are helping to create greater social intimacy and productivity. Trust is critical to building and maintaining a healthy social system in organizations.

•Identify factors, causes, that either increase or decrease trust within the members of your team.

•What factors increase or decrease trust between your team and other teams?

•What may increase trust or distrust between yourself as a team leader and the members of your team?

•Finally, what is one thing that you can do differently to increase trust among team members and with yourself.

Instructor Larry Miller explains the concept of situational motivation, which is the most immediate and practical form of motivation. Based on behavior analysis, situational motivation follows the ABC model of antecedents, behavior, and consequences. Antecedents are factors that come before behavior, such as a green light or objective setting in an organization. Behavior is the action taken in response to antecedents. Consequences are the result of the behavior. By understanding this model, managers can optimize performance by setting up effective antecedents, pinpointing behaviors, and using different forms of consequences. While situational motivation is not the only way to motivate, it is the most accessible and easily changeable.

Getting the Most From Intrinsic Motivation

Larry Miller discusses the controversy surrounding intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcement or motivation. He argues that the belief that extrinsic reinforcement destroys intrinsic reinforcement is a misinterpretation of research. The study showed that when people come to expect to be paid for a task, their performance drops off if the payment is removed. However, extrinsic reinforcement may not just be monetary, but can also be praise, approval, status, or the possibility of promotion. Miller gives an example of how extrinsic reinforcement can support intrinsic reinforcement by discussing how he motivated his daughter to read the newspaper by promising to buy her a car if she read it for 80 weeks. Miller argues that intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcement can support and reinforce each other.

In this lecture, Larry Miller discusses how to optimize intrinsic motivation in the workplace. He suggests that if an employee is already motivated to do something, don't start extrinsically reinforcing them. He emphasizes the importance of a big challenge, autonomy and self-control, wholeness of work, job rotation, being multiskilled, decision making, and continuous improvement to optimize intrinsic motivation. Miller explains that developing competence is crucial as the better one gets at something, the more rewarding it is. In every workplace, employees should have the opportunity to gain more knowledge, skills, and increase their competence on a never-ending basis.

Optimizing Intrinsic Motivation - Activity
The Science of Behavior Management


Larry Miller introduces a mental model for analyzing performance problems and motivation, emphasizing that not all performance problems stem from motivation. He divides performance problems into two categories: can't do and won't do. Can't do includes skills that require practice and knowledge, whereas won't do includes motivation problems. Miller then introduces an ABC analysis, which stands for antecedent, behavior, and consequence, as a tool to analyze performance problems and intervene. He notes that the analysis is applicable to motivation and provides concrete tools to improve it.


In this lecture, Larry Miller emphasizes the importance of definitions in understanding and improving behavior. He discusses the definitions of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction, highlighting that they are empirical definitions determined by the results of the behavior. Positive reinforcement is the presentation of a stimulus resulting in an increased rate of response, while negative reinforcement is the removal of a stimulus with the same result. Punishment is the presentation of a stimulus resulting in a decreased rate of response, while extinction is the removal of a reinforcing stimulus to decrease a behavior. Miller emphasizes the need to use scientific methodology and data to understand and modify behavior effectively.

In this lecture, Larry Miller stresses the importance of pinpointing behavior when it comes to motivation and changing behavior. He argues that using terms like "lazy" or "bad attitude" are vague and do not address the root cause of the behavior. Miller shares an anecdote about teaching inmates how to interview for a job and how he focused on pinpointing specific behaviors, such as walking in a straight line and making eye contact, rather than attempting to change their attitudes. He found that when their behavior changed, their attitudes changed as well. Miller emphasizes the need to pinpoint behavior rather than using vague terms and attempting to change attitudes.


In this lecture, Larry Miller stresses the importance of pinpointing behavior when it comes to motivation and changing behavior. He argues that using terms like "lazy" or "bad attitude" are vague and do not address the root cause of the behavior. Miller shares an anecdote about teaching inmates how to interview for a job and how he focused on pinpointing specific behaviors, such as walking in a straight line and making eye contact, rather than attempting to change their attitudes. He found that when their behavior changed, their attitudes changed as well. Miller emphasizes the need to pinpoint behavior rather than using vague terms and attempting to change attitudes.

Larry Miller stresses the importance of visual displays of feedback for motivating teams. He believes that a large, colorful scoreboard that is kept up to date every day, every hour is necessary for effective team motivation. To create a successful scoreboard, managers must consult with their team to define the key data variables that define good performance, get baseline data, and create a visual display that is big and creative. By doing so, changes and variability can be easily seen towards the goal line, which is more motivating. Without a visual display of feedback, managers cannot claim that they have tried to motivate their team.

Scorekeeping and Visual Display Activity

In this lecture, Larry Miller discusses the importance of goal setting in management and continuous improvement. While management by objectives (MBO) has become a controversial approach due to its history of creating fear and avoidance behavior in employees, Miller believes that setting goals and targets is essential for success. He emphasizes the importance of breaking down big goals into achievable short-term targets that engage the team in the process. He also stresses the importance of experimentation, always watching the data, and continuously improving behaviors and developing skills. Additionally, Miller highlights the value of ownership and engagement in the goal-setting process to ensure success.


Principles of Effective Reinforcement
The Balance of Consequences
Engagement in Continuous Improvement
Punishment, Anyone?
Activity - Systems of Motivaton
Summary
Final Thoughts on Motivation
Bonus Lecture: Some Additional Resources

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Taught by an author and consultant with forty years of experience, which may offer practical insights for immediate application
Emphasizes psychological safety, which aligns with contemporary approaches to team management and fostering positive work environments
Explores the ABC model of behavior, which provides a structured approach to analyzing and addressing performance issues within a team
Includes self-assessment and action planning documents, which may help learners apply concepts and track progress with their teams
Requires learners to consider their team's current and ideal states, which may be challenging for those new to team management
Discusses the importance of scorecards and visual displays, which may require additional resources or tools for implementation

Save this course

Save Motivation: A Quick Course on Motivating Your Team to your list so you can find it easily later:
Save

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Motivation: A Quick Course on Motivating Your Team with these activities:
Review 'Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us'
Provides a deeper understanding of intrinsic motivation, which is a key component of the course.
View Drive on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book 'Drive' by Daniel H. Pink.
  • Identify the key concepts of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
  • Reflect on how these concepts relate to your team's current motivation levels.
Review Basic Psychology Concepts
Refreshes foundational knowledge of psychology, which is helpful for understanding motivation theories.
Browse courses on Motivation
Show steps
  • Review introductory psychology materials.
  • Focus on topics related to motivation and behavior.
  • Take a short quiz to test your understanding.
Team Motivation Assessment Project
Applies the course concepts to a real-world scenario by assessing your team's current motivation levels.
Show steps
  • Design a survey to assess your team's motivation levels.
  • Distribute the survey to your team members.
  • Analyze the survey results and identify areas for improvement.
  • Develop a plan to address the identified areas.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Motivational Presentation
Solidifies learning by creating a presentation that summarizes key motivation principles and strategies.
Show steps
  • Outline the key topics you want to cover in your presentation.
  • Research and gather relevant information and examples.
  • Design visually appealing slides.
  • Practice your presentation delivery.
ABC Analysis Practice
Reinforces understanding of the ABC model by applying it to various workplace scenarios.
Show steps
  • Identify several performance problems within your team.
  • For each problem, analyze the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences.
  • Develop potential interventions based on your analysis.
Design a Team Scorecard
Applies the concept of visual feedback by designing a scorecard for your team.
Show steps
  • Consult with your team to define key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Gather baseline data for each KPI.
  • Create a visual display of the scorecard.
  • Regularly update the scorecard with current data.
Review 'The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team'
Expands on the course's focus on team dynamics and provides strategies for building high-performing teams.
Show steps
  • Read the book 'The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team' by Patrick Lencioni.
  • Identify the five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.
  • Reflect on how these dysfunctions may be present in your team.

Career center

Learners who complete Motivation: A Quick Course on Motivating Your Team will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Team Leader
A team leader is responsible for guiding a group of individuals toward common goals, and this course in motivation is directly applicable to your success in this role. The course provides actionable insights into identifying sources of motivation among team members, which is a major facet of team leadership. You will learn how to optimize social reinforcement, a key element for building high performing, cohesive teams. Furthermore, the course's focus on analyzing behavior through the ABC model will help you address negative behavior and performance issues in the team. Taking this course can help you develop a structured approach to enhancing motivation, creating a positive team dynamic, and ultimately, improving team performance. A team leader who has studied these topics is much more likely to create an environment of positive engagement and high productivity.
Project Manager
Project managers are responsible for the overall planning, execution, and completion of specific projects, often involving teams of various sizes. This course on motivation is a must-have for project managers because a key aspect of your job is motivating the team to stay on track and deliver results. With a scientific approach for motivation, you will learn how to optimize both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. This course introduces you to the ABC model of behavior management, providing the tools to address performance problems within the team. As a project manager, the ability to understand and apply motivation is an asset that helps create a collaborative and productive work environment, which ultimately leads to successful project delivery. This can improve your management skills, as well as the efficacy of the team.
Human Resources Manager
Human resources managers are leaders within organizations that oversee recruitment, training, and employee relations. A course focused on motivation, team dynamics, and behavior management is useful for human resource managers because you are responsible for managing the employee experience, and this requires you to understand what motivates employees and how to foster a positive work culture. You will learn to identify motivational sources, use reinforcement schedules, and analyze performance problems. These concepts can be directly applied to creating a motivated workforce. You may also use these concepts to design effective training programs that enhance job satisfaction and motivation. As an HR manager, understanding the dynamics of motivation will significantly improve your ability to ensure employees are engaged and productive.
Operations Manager
Operations managers are responsible for overseeing the day to day functions of the company. This course on motivation is valuable for operations managers because a key part of your job is to ensure smooth processes and high productivity, which are heavily influenced by employee motivation. You will learn to develop a system of motivation, analyze behavior using the ABC model, and distinguish between performance problems. As an operations manager, your success is linked to your ability to create a system that promotes efficiency and high performance, and a motivated workforce is required for that. This course on motivation provides the tools for you to create a motivated workplace, allowing you to meet operational objectives. Operations will improve when employees are energized, motivated, and have a sense of purpose.
Training Manager
Training managers oversee employee development and learning initiatives within an organization. This course on motivation is useful for training managers because an understanding of motivation is essential to designing and delivering impactful training programs that encourage engagement and knowledge retention. You will learn to identify motivational sources, optimize social reinforcement, and develop a system of motivation that can directly inform the design of training programs. The training manager benefits from understanding intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. The concepts learned in this course will help you to ensure that training is not only effective, but also motivating, so that employees are eager to apply the knowledge they have gained. This is why taking this course can help you become a more skilled training manager.
Supervisor
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the work of a team of employees, making the concepts in this motivation course highly relevant. As a supervisor, you directly influence your team's morale, engagement, and productivity. This course helps you understand how to create a work environment that fosters self-management and motivation. The course is a strong resource for you to learn to optimize social reinforcement and how to deal with negative behavior to ensure the team functions smoothly. Taking this course will help supervisors create a positive workplace that drives results, allowing you to improve the performance of the team and increase productivity. A focus on motivation makes management easier as teams are more self-directed.
Management Consultant
Management consultants are professionals who analyze and provide solutions to organizational problems, including challenges related to teamwork and employee motivation. This course in motivation is beneficial for management consultants as it provides a structured approach to understanding and improving team dynamics. The course teaches you how to identify motivational sources, optimize social reinforcement, and develop a system of motivation within an organization. The course also trains you to analyze behavior using the ABC model, which can help you identify and solve complex performance issues. As a management consultant, this knowledge is helpful to provide clients with actionable, effective solutions to improve their team's performance and productivity. This understanding of motivation helps you to become more effective and impactful.
Program Manager
Program managers oversee multiple related projects to achieve strategic objectives. This course in motivation is useful for you, since it provides valuable insights into leading and motivating large teams, which is key to your success. The course helps you develop a plan to increase the motivation of team members using a scientific approach and understand how to create a high-performing team environment. By delving into the ABC model of managing behavior, you will be able to deal with negative behaviors within the program teams more effectively. This course is beneficial to program managers looking to improve program execution and outcomes. A more structured approach to motivation can help make managing a program go much more smoothly.
Instructional Designer
Instructional designers are involved in creating learning materials, such as courses and training manuals. Since they are focused on how to engage and educate learners, they will find the lessons in this motivation course extremely useful. An understanding of motivation is critical to designing learning experiences that resonate with others. This course will help you understand how to optimize social reinforcement and intrinsic motivation, which are key factors in engagement. You may use these tools to develop courses that increase knowledge retention and participation. An instructional designer who understands how motivation works can create more impactful learning experiences. A focus on intrinsic motivation will improve the quality of learning materials.
Business Development Manager
Business development managers are responsible for identifying and capitalizing on new growth opportunities for an organization. While sales is a key component of this role, motivation also has a direct impact on how well a business development team performs. This course may be useful for you because you will learn how to optimize social reinforcement within your team, and develop a company culture that is motivated. This course also covers how to use the ABC model of managing behavior, which can aid in correcting problems and improving performance. A motivated team creates better results and makes your job as a business development manager easier. Such knowledge will lead you to close more deals and improve the value of your business.
Nonprofit Manager
Nonprofit managers oversee the operations and programs of nonprofit organizations. This course on motivation may be useful to nonprofit managers because motivating volunteers and staff is a crucial aspect of your role. This course provides insights into identifying sources of motivation and creating a supportive team dynamic. You could use the course materials to increase the effectiveness of volunteer engagement programs, and be able to deal with negative behavior in a positive way. By optimizing motivation using the principles outlined in the course, you can improve the engagement of your people, which will translate to better outcomes for your nonprofit's mission. A team with high morale makes it easier to impact the world in a positive way.
Sales Manager
Sales managers are responsible for leading and motivating a sales team to meet targets and achieve revenue goals. Since a sales team's success depends upon its drive and ability to close deals, a course focused on motivation is particularly useful for a sales manager. This course will teach you how to identify sources of motivation, optimize social reinforcement, and develop a system of motivation within your team. You will also learn how to analyze behavior using the ABC model, which is helpful in addressing performance problems. Sales managers will be better equipped to create a motivated sales team that is more likely to reach and exceed targets, after taking this course. Motivation is what allows a sales team to perform well despite competition and challenges.
Marketing Manager
Marketing managers are responsible for strategies and campaigns, but also for leading a team that executes those strategies. This course on motivation may be useful to marketing managers since a motivated team can be much more creative and effective. You can use this course to learn how to identify motivational sources, optimize social reinforcement, and build a system of motivation that can drive greater team engagement and productivity. By understanding the ABC model of managing behavior, marketing managers can address performance issues, creating a more positive and productive work environment. By optimizing the motivation of the team, campaigns will be more effective, and better results will be achieved.
Coach
Coaches are professionals who work to guide individuals or groups toward achieving specific goals. While the role of a coach can vary, many types of coaches would benefit from a course focusing on motivation. This course may help any kind of coach because you will learn how to identify sources of motivation, and how to optimize both social reinforcement and intrinsic motivation. This course will also teach you how to analyze behavior using the ABC model, which can be used to deal with performance problems. A coach with this knowledge can develop more effective strategies for improving motivation and facilitating growth. Whether you are a sports coach or a professional development coach, motivation is the key to helping your clients succeed.
Consultant
Consultants work with client organizations to provide expertise and advice on various issues. While consultants work in many different capacities, this course may be useful to many consultants since it provides a framework for understanding motivation, and can help you better understand your clients. By learning how to optimize social reinforcement and how to create a system of motivation, consultants can help clients develop a more engaged and effective workforce. This course on motivation will help you become able to analyze behavior using the ABC model, which enhances your ability to solve problems for clients. These skills can lead to more effective recommendations and better client outcomes. Consultants of all types can benefit from a deep understanding of motivation dynamics.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Motivation: A Quick Course on Motivating Your Team.
Save
Explores the science of motivation, arguing that intrinsic motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—is far more effective than extrinsic rewards. It provides a strong foundation for understanding the principles discussed in the course. Reading this book will help you understand the science behind motivation and how to apply it to your team. It valuable resource for anyone looking to create a more engaged and productive work environment.
Provides a framework for understanding and overcoming the common challenges that teams face. It complements the course by offering practical strategies for building trust, managing conflict, achieving commitment, ensuring accountability, and focusing on results. This book valuable resource for anyone looking to improve team dynamics and performance. It is commonly used as a textbook at academic institutions and by industry professionals.

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser