How to maximise your employees’ performance

Without enthusiastic employees, your business won’t succeed. Keep an eye on these three key areas to maintain staff productivity

There are many theories and models out there that promise to help you manage your team efficiently and make the most of the skills they have. One that’s particularly helpful when it comes to getting the most out of employees, though, is the AMO model set out by the academics Peter Boxall and John Purcell.

Boxall and Purcell explain that there are three elements that must be present in order to achieve high levels of performance from any employee: ability, motivation and opportunity. If an individual has all three elements, they’ll contribute great things to the business, performing to high levels in terms of their output and productivity.

So, the question is simple: how do you give your employees the AMO they need?

Right person, right job

Initially, an employer should ensure that highly skilled and qualified individuals occupy positions that match their ability. However, ability is the component that’s easiest to change in an employee. Training can build on their skills and help mould and prepare them for a particular role in the organisation. But it’s also worth bearing in mind that ability can decrease over time too – whether as a result of absence, not doing a particular function regularly, or even with age – so ability must be monitored and sometimes managed.

The next ingredient of high performance is motivation. This is closely linked to conduct and is more of a choice on the employee’s part; do they actually want to perform well or not? Of course, motivation starts with effective recruitment, because certain individuals will be more motivated and have a higher work rate than others.

However, if an employee is not motivated, what can be done?

Remuneration is clearly one factor here, so employers often start by considering increasing salaries or offering productivity bonuses. This might be effective in the short term, but to ensure long-term motivation, you’ll need to consider what the employee values about their job.

It’s a good idea to review what’s known as intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards are more tangible, such as pay, bonuses or holiday allowance. These are like defibrillators; if the heart has stopped beating, a defibrillator can restart it. If the employee has lost all motivation, then real, tangible rewards like these may help to bring their interest back.

Intrinsic rewards, however, are more psychological, and these range from a feeling of personal growth to being more autonomous at work or having valuable social interactions.

If an extrinsic reward is a defibrillator, intrinsic rewards operate more like pacemakers, ensuring that the heart keeps beating regularly. If your employees could be more motivated, then perhaps taking steps to improve their job satisfaction will help to get them feeling more passionate about their work.

Room to grow

The last element of Boxall and Purcell’s AMO model is opportunity. This is all about providing the employee with an opening to achieve higher levels of performance. This is particularly important when it comes to high-potential junior employees who may well have the ability to rise through the business.

Allowing these employees the opportunity to showcase their ability and motivation will encourage a higher level of performance. If an employee feels as though their skills aren’t being fully utilised, or that they could be achieving more elsewhere, it will make it difficult to retain them.

Finally, remember this: every employee is different, and not everything can be easily categorised into these three general areas, but by developing a clearer understanding of any given employee’s ability, motivation and opportunity, you can improve your workplace and increase their productivity.

John Moody is Director at In-House HR

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