Saturday, March 29, 2008

Understanding employee behavior - Back to the basics of Neuroscience

"The Brain at Work" article (SHRM, March 2008 edition) explains that science is deeply rooted in explaining why people behave the way they do and also on how to better manage them. The article points out that workplace behavior is not always motivated the way many people think (giving incentives). Though it may work for short-term, not in the long run because of the way our brain is wired, when targeted change is in an employee's intrinsic behavior.

Some important lessons from Neuroscience highlighted in the article that can have implications for HR professionals, trainers include

  1. People need enough sleep to integrate learning into long-term memory.
  2. Learning should be broken down into "bite-size nuggets" to make it effective.
  3. Social fairness and respect gives brain a chemical boost.
  4. Stress can cause people to think unclearly.
  5. Uncertainty arouses fear circuits and can decrease ability to make decisions. However, employees’ ability to think clearly can be hindered when employers fail to meet expectations or create uncertainty (in a healthy way with some direction) in the workplace.
  6. Employees need some ownership over situations to better accept changes. Even a little choice helps.
  7. Engaging people in more active learning techniques improves retention.

Having knowledge of how our brain functions and things that people are sensitive to will enable better training decisions, and facilitate managers to better manage their teams.

The complete article can be accessed at the following link.
http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/0308/0308fox.asp

11 comments:

kailashsa said...

hi i am Uday from Newdelhi India. i am going to start HR magazine. i am looking for Writers who can contibute to magazine. anybody who is interested can contact me on my mail id udaykailashsa@gmail.com

Sailaja said...

Hi Uday,

I would be happy to contribute to your magazine but my busy schedule schedule may permit me to do so only occasionally.

Rach said...

Hi,
I really like your article, I do believe that there are many ways to motivate employees, and there are certain procedures that can be taken by managers to manage there teams more productively.
I actually came across a video on You Tube which is really interesting, you might like it;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzCQ219bxl8

Sailaja said...

The You Tube link was interesting. Thanks for sharing Rach!!

William Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William Smith said...

Hi! wanted to read more of this article but getting error with the link. Can anybody help me with that? Really great blog.

V Stevens said...

Hi Sailaja,
That is a nice post with a great info. You can know how to eliminate negative behavior and replace it with creative thinking, new ideas and new thoughts through seminar by Jack Canfiled in Bagalore on 14th April 2012.

V Stevens said...

Hi Sailaja,
That is a nice post with a great info. You can know how to eliminate negative behavior and replace it with creative thinking, new ideas and new thoughts through seminar by Jack Canfiled in Bagalore on 14th April 2012.

Anonymous said...

With many people struggling to find work it can be a worrying and daunting time, becoming a consultant in your field can be an excellent solution that allows you to demonstrate your skills and make a difference to an organisation. On top of this it also will tide you over financially and give you important work to do. Von Essen Consulting is a project consulting supply chain that already has thousands of talented consultants in a variety of industries all around the world. They provide excellent support and guidance throughout your placement too to ensure you are able to achieve the highest standard possible.

sarjit soni said...

very happy to read this post. motivate employees by employer is a very good thing every employer should motivate their employee
consulting services

Cliff Hazel said...

Understanding employee's behavior can help you to motivate them the right way and help them to be productive.

Your list is fantastic and very helpful!

I think the next thing after understanding them is to put your knowledge into action. Start motivating them. Here's a blog on how to do it.
http://intellitalent.com/how-to-motivate-and-re-engage-your-team/