6 tips to motivate middle managers

Six main factors motivate managers in healthcare and other sectors--and surprisingly, the desire for advancement falls in the last spot, according to a new survey from Insigniam.

Insigniam surveyed 200 middle managers across industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotech and healthcare, to find out their primary drivers for sucess. The results indicated primary motivators were:

  1. Type of work (37 percent)

  2. Leading others (21 percent)

  3. Reputation/recognition (15 percent)

  4. Client/customer expectations (11 percent)

  5. Leader expectations (3 percent)

  6. Drive to advance in the company (3 percent).

The survey also found the vast majority of managers feel well-motivated within their job:

  • 50 percent reported they were highly motivated
  • 38 percent were "somewhat motivated"
  • Four percent were unmotivated or somewhat unmotivated
  • Eight percent wereeither somewhat or highly demotivated

One respondent told Insigniam that reorganization at the top often hurt motivation, stating "I'm further from C-level management and feel more removed. When I feel marginalized, motivation decreases."

A majority also said they were either highly inspired (44 percent) or somewhat inspired (39 percent), and a full 81 percent believed the work they did is meaningful and will make a difference. 

Healthcare leaders can motivate middle managers and other employees by example, FierceHealthcare previously reported, using stories and anecdotes both to put a human face on their organization and illustrate leadership values. And leadership lessons specific to healthcare can come from unexpected sources as well, from elementary schools to military deployment.

To learn more:
- read the survey results (.pdf)