A University of Iowa College of Business professor says motivational posters with inspirational messages that adorn many of our workplace walls often do little to motivate or inspire employees.
Prof. Ken Brown (UI photo)
Ken Brown, a UI professor of management and entrepreneurship, says for a poster like that to have real impact, it has to be bundled with what managers are actually doing day-to-day to keep members of their staff working toward a common set of goals.
“For example, in my home gym, I could post a picture of somebody doing exercises but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get fit by looking at it,” Brown says. “You actually need to have something that backs up the statements, the inspirational quotes or whatever it is that’s on your wall if you want to make change.”
Brown says some workers may mock the posters as confirmation their leaders are completely disconnected from what’s really going on in the workplace.
“I’ve certainly worked with students and managers that are working with a firm that has a very competitive, bottom line-driven culture,” Brown says, “and they put up signs that talk about, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work,’ ‘It’s important that we work together,’ ‘We’re all in this together,’ when the reality is exactly the opposite.”
A business called Despair.com offers de-motivational posters, with sarcastic messages like: “The glass is half-empty: Deal with it.” and “Adversity: That which does not kill me delays the inevitable.” Brown says he’s never bought one of the Despair posters, but he’s tempted, as he finds them hilarious.
“People recognize that motivational posters and motivational quotes are sometimes hypocritical, which spawns a desire for people to make fun of that,” Brown says. “It spawns a desire for people to escape from the frustration by having a laugh with other people.”
Of course, some people like the original posters, with photos of pole vaulters or pouncing panthers. Brown notes he can have two students sitting side-by-side for a lecture and one may think it’s the worst class ever, while the other may say it was a fascinating, life-changing experience.
“Different people react differently to the same stimulus, the same poster, and that’s a reality that we need to understand as leaders and managers,” Brown says. “So we have to be sensitive to context, get to know our people and understand that it may not be the same thing that motivates everybody on our teams.”
Brown says his research finds people who are naturally upbeat tend to react positively to employee motivation techniques, while those who aren’t, don’t.
