Form Before Function - Only Structure Can Improve Performance
August 2003
By: William Denney, Ph.D. 

"Care and Quality are internal and external aspects of the same thing. A person who sees Quality and feels it as he works is a person who cares." 
- - - Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig

Recently, I was asked to participate in a panel discussion about how to manage and motivate Gen-X employees. I remember similar discussions in the past about Yuppies, baby-boomers, and a myriad of other designations (social, cultural, racial, generational) that we think help us categorize and understand employee groups.

We continue classifications and pursue these discussions because many managers believe that if we can find the secret to motivating different employee groups, they will enjoy their work and will therefore produce quality products and services. But the fundamental premise is wrong. People are not inspired to work harder just because we provide foosball in the break room, tacos in the cafeteria, or for that matter, more money. There is no special psychology for each new generation. But more to the point, you can't motivate people externally to like their jobs.

What brings joy to work, and therefore the real motivation to do it day in and day out, is the structure of the environment within which we find ourselves. Each day, whatever our job, we are part of processes, some of which we merely participate in and some of which we depend on to support our functions. We can either be the innocent victims of these processes, or the joyful designer and willing participant in them.

An environment of ill-defined or broken processes negatively affects our performance and in turn our attitude and motivation toward our jobs. Perhaps it's the inconvenient placement of raw materials on the manufacturing floor or poorly calibrated equipment. It could be the frustration of up the line processes that negatively impact what we do, such as a report that never arrives on time or an accounting system we depend on that has inaccurate information. Frustrating and undependable processes not only affect performance and attitudes, they also contribute to a harmful and depressing corporate culture, which can itself perpetuate unproductive behavior and performance.

If we understand that we work in structures of interrelationships that we can document and improve, we will overcome old attitudes of blame and guilt. Rather than trying to change or motivate people, management should constantly encourage employees to improve the processes within which they work. We should strive to better understand how processes impact each other. If we realize that our entire organization is simply a system of linked processes, we will avoid the tendency to find fault with one another and turn our attention to developing a deeper appreciation of the forces within which we operate. 

Human nature doesn't change with each new generation, and labeling employee groups doesn't help us become better managers. As they enter the work force, our children will want the same thing we do, our grandparents did, and every generation before them - the satisfaction and joy of doing a good job. Even the very best intentions on the part of management cannot externally motivate that to happen. Only the structure of well documented and constantly improving processes can fundamentally change performance and attitudes, and therefore inspire a corporate culture that is a joy to participate in and which will itself in turn continue to motivate us to do great things. 

Dr. Denney is a business manager and consultant with over 25 years experience in large international corporations. His qualifications include: Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award & the Texas Award For Performance Excellence. He is a Certified Quality Manager & Certified Quality Auditor (American Society For Quality). He can be reached at WilliamHDenney@sbcglobal.net or at 214-324-0667.