One of the leading factors that affect the productivity in a project team is motivation. There are a few steps the project manager can take to ensure that the foundation of sound motivation is in place in the project environment. Motivation is a blend of technique, understanding and creativity. It is not a science - a formula project managers could use - but like most endeavors requiring human interaction, it is more art than science. Here are three basic orientations that people have that can motivate them in a project.

Relationship Oriented - These types of people are motivated by the relationship between themselves and the people they come into contact with. How everyone gets along is important. Teams and interaction are critical to their achievement. They tend to not like working alone and are most productive in a group environment. A stereotype is the team member who has the ability to make everyone feel comfortable in the project. Typically, but not always they are extroverted and have a wide circle of friends. People in this group have good relationships with people on a personal as well as professional level. They are the ones likely to organize staff social events.  And they do not like doing tasks where they are on their own.

Status Oriented - A status-oriented person is concerned with their position in the project. They look on each task as an opportunity to display to the world their own skill, ability and be recognized for doing so. How the world perceives them is important. They form links to people who have a level of influence in the organization, and often get things done through these affiliations. They are usually willing to compromise to get something done if the alternative is that it is not done at all. People in this group often want to know what other people (especially superiors) think before taking a stance. A task that will require interaction with influential people is one they will put their hand up for.

Goal Oriented - A goal-oriented person is motivated by achieving things. They are focused on targets and will move heaven and earth to achieve their target. They like nothing better than the challenge of setting and reaching a goal. They also tend to be very focused – often to the detriment of their relationship with the people around them. They can sometimes be very dogmatic and unbending in their desire to achieve. People in this group want decisions made now, and consultative decision making is something you do only if you must. Often, they are perceived as poor communicators but people who get things done at all costs.

The project manager needs to have a good understanding of the factors that motivate the people in the team and apply the correct incentives. It is not a one solution fits all, and that is where most project managers fail, they design events or strategies to motivate the team, but the results are not the same across the different members of the team.