Demotivation Index - Take the Test!
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Organizational De-Motivation Index
Instructions
- Read each of the 12 statements below and circle the number that you feel best correlates with where your organization is, from 1 (Never Occurs) to 5 (Sometimes Occurs) to 9 (Always Occurs).
- Total your scores and refer to the scoring key to determine your organization’s "De-Motivation Index."
Part I: My Organization
1. Creates a company environment of internal politics as the way to get promoted
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
2. Promotes destructive internal competition between workers.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
3. Changes the rules in the middle of a project.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4. Creates unclear expectations regarding employee’s performance and results.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
5. Creates a bureaucracy of forms, reports and unnecessary rules for individuals to follow.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
6. Over manages (tells what to do, how to do, and controls) vs. leading and does not allow autonomy.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
7. Withholds information that individuals need to perform their jobs, lying and claiming it’s a misunderstanding.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
8. Takes time from people by having them attend unproductive meetings.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
9. Emphasizes criticism and negative feedback vs. recognition and positive feedback.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10. Tolerates poor performance of others so that high performing people feel taken advantage of.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
11. Treats people unfairly and show favoritism to a select few.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
12. Underutilizes the capabilities of people and inhibits their personal growth.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Total your score and refer to the "De-Motivation Scoring Matrix" below.
TOTAL SCORE ________
| Scores | Interpretation | Your Possible Action |
| 12-24 | Very positive & motivating environment | No action necessary on your part. You are lucky to be in this type of organization. |
| 25-36 | Good & motivating environment | Maybe not everything you would like but still a conducive working environment. |
| 37-47 | Fair motivating environment | Still a pretty good place to work as long as you feel your talents are being utilized and you are growing personally. |
| 48-60 | Occasionally de-motivating environment | Can be irritating at times, but if you can still perform the way you want to and are happy with your compensation, overlook some of the small things. |
| 61-72 | Getting to be a de-motivating environment | You're probably beginning to lose some sleep over this. Where did you score over "5" and can you do something to change this? |
| 73-84 | De-motivating environment | You're probably not performing the way you want to because of too many of these distractions. Your health and personal life can suffer if the situation does not improve. Seriously consider leaving when the right opportunity presents itself. Start a consulting business on the side. |
| 85-96 | Very de-motivating environment | Update your resume and start looking for a new job unless you believe in miracles and the situation will improve soon. |
| 97-108 | The worst of all possible situations | Why are you still there? |
Part II: Putting You Over the Top
If your score was 72 or higher and you're still uncertain as to what action to take, answer the additional questions below. This may help you in reaching a decision in terms of how long you should remain committed to your organization.
The person I directly report to and the management team he/she is part of:
1. Cannot be trusted and relied on–has no integrity of character.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Cannot Be Trusted & Has No Integrity - Trusted Often & Has Some Integrity - Can Always Be Trusted & Always Has Integrity)
2. Is inconsistent–goes in the direction that the political wind is blowing.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Very Inconsistent - Somewhat Inconsistent - Often to Always Inconsistent)
3. Tries to pretend to be somebody they are not and wants to be popular.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Seldom Pretends - Sometimes Pretends - Often to Always Pretends)
4. Does not set the right example and cannot be taken seriously.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Does Not Set Example & Not Taken Seriously - Sometimes Sets Example & Taken Seriously - Often to Always Sets Example Taken Seriously)
5. Does not encourage the contributions, ideas and opinions of others when making important decisions.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Never Encourages - Sometimes Encourages - Often to Always Encourages)
6. Does not respect the knowledge of others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Never Respects - Sometimes Respects - Often to Always Respects)
7. Takes, but does not give credit for results.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Always Takes & Doesn't Give - Sometimes Takes & Sometimes Gives - Always Gives & Seldom to Never Takes)
8. Has no vision of the future and tries to make him/herself essential to the organization.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(No Vision & Makes Essential - Some Vision & Some Essential - Has Vision & Does Not Make Self Essential)
9. Is unwilling to admit mistakes in front of his/her employees.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Unwilling - Sometimes Willing - Often to Always Willing)
10. Does not share information that would be useful to others or explain the reasons for decisions he/she makes.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Never Shares or Explains - Sometimes Shares & Explains - Often to Always Shares & Explains)
11. Is unwilling to change his/her mind even when someone else comes up with a good idea.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Unwilling - Sometimes Willing - Often to Always Willing)
Total your score and refer to the "Over the Top Scoring Matrix" below.
TOTAL SCORE ________
| Scores | Intrepretation | Your Possible Action |
| 77-99 | Your immediate environment is ok | You and your boss are in the same boat. Can you work together to try to change things? |
| 66-76 | Things could be better. | How can you work together to try to make your organizational life more tolerable and survive? |
| 44-66 | On shaky ground | What is the chance of someone recognizing the real problem and removing him/her? If chances are not good–make plans to move. |
| 34-4 | One rotten barrel can spoil the apple. | Get out before you do something stupid like killing your boss. |
| 11-33 | You are over the top! | If you didn’t know what to do before, now you know–get out! |
Where the Rubber Hits the Road
Investigate where you scored 5 or over in Part I, or 5 or under in Part II. This will provide some insights as to how motivating or de-motivating your organizational environment is and what changes may be necessary.
Your Actions as the Manager
Refer to the statements in both parts of the De-motivation Index. These were management actions that Drucker felt contributed to employee de-motivation.
Which actions do you need to change to create a more positive and motivating environment?
Copyright © Robert W. Swaim, Ph.D. (2004). All Rights Reserved.
