The Reality of IT as a Cost Center
Unless you work for a software company, Application Development is a cost center, not a revenue center. It doesn’t bring anything directly to the bottom line. Oh, sure, you know the indirect impact is enormous. How would the company sell the newest version of whatever widget they produce without the systems your team builds and supports? However, it can get a little esoteric in the boardroom at times. Your team shows up as a number in parentheses or with a minus sign next to it on the balance sheet. Someone’s always looking to make it smaller or keep it from growing.
If you manage a team of programmers, you have almost certainly had the “We’ve got to do more with less” talk from your company’s leadership. As much as you might argue that directive, you often are faced with making it happen. How do you do that?
Understanding the Human Side of Programming Teams
Strange as it may seem to those outside of IT, programmers are honest-to-goodness, real-life human beings. They have the same basic needs as salespeople, marketers, or even accountants. I know. Crazy, right?
I joke about that, but the perception is there. To be fair, developers are different. I’ve been one or managed teams of them for over thirty years, so I can speak with some authority on that matter. But I can tell you this as well. As different as they are, they are not so different from the rest of humanity when it comes to motivation. The drive to do your best is baked into your personality; each person has a specific recipe that makes the dough rise.
The Two Core Types of Developer Motivation
Motivating factors boil down to two large categories: intrinsic and extrinsic. Both of these are important. Learning just how much each contributes to the fire in the belly of every individual on your team is crucial to getting the most out of them.
You probably already know the definitions for the terms intrinsic and extrinsic, but I will shine a little light on them anyway. There may be something you haven’t thought of before. It gets busy in IT. Sometimes, you just get tempted to bark orders and hope people respond. That’s actually a part of extrinsic motivation but not a terribly effective strategy on its own.
Understanding Extrinsic Motivation in Software Development
Extrinsic motivation comes from tangible rewards and a desire to avoid punishment. It’s a simple carrot and stick kind of thing. Work hard. Get your stuff done on time. Meet your goals. Not only will you get to keep your job, but here’s some extra cash for your trouble. And maybe we’ll post your face on the company website as “Employee of the Month.” Sure, that kind of stuff works to a certain degree, and some people view their job as mostly a means to an end, but even the most nine-to-five, heads-down code slinger needs more, even if they don’t tell you.
The Power of Intrinsic Motivation for Developers
That’s where intrinsic motivation comes in. This is a motivation that comes from within. What brings joy? What provides personal satisfaction? What makes someone feel like they have accomplished something, whether or not anyone rewards them or notices? When it comes to managing people, this kind of motivation is the hardest to provide consistently, but it’s the kind that consistently yields the most positive results.
Making Work Meaningful for Development Teams
Work can’t always be fun. Sometimes, it’s a pain. People often have to work long hours and sacrifice leisure time for the company’s sake. That’s always a tough sell for a manager, but if your people know why their work is important and how much of a difference it makes, they feel rewarded when a job is well done. Remind them frequently how their contribution to the team has meaning. That kind of coaching feeds self-worth, and it stokes the fires of intrinsic motivation.
Case Study: The Self-Motivated System Administrator
There was a man I worked with once who was the very embodiment of the power of intrinsic motivation. He was a system administrator. That guy worked day and night. Even when he was sick at home and should have been resting, he would do stuff related to his job. I talked to him about it once. I told him no one expected him to spend all day, every day, thinking about work and doing work-related things. He said, “Well, I have a hobby I really love that the company just happens to be willing to pay me to do.”
Key Takeaways for Managing Motivated Developers
That’s an extreme example, but it’s worth your attention for two reasons. First, people like the system administrator I worked with will always turn in superior work. They are working for themselves, after all. They perceive very real rewards simply from doing the job. When interviewing candidates, look for people with that kind of self-motivating personality.
Second, and this is very important, never take advantage of an intrinsically motivated person for the sake of budget. Just because they might do the job for less, and often they will, and just because they won’t gripe and complain when they are overlooked for recognition and promotion, and often they won’t, doesn’t mean you can ignore their extrinsic needs. Everybody has bills to pay, and someone out there might be willing to pay that exemplary employee what they are worth, even if you won’t.
