[c]

Signs of an unmotivated team

• Not being prepared to take responsibility when research work is incomplete or project  deadlines have slipped
• Blaming other team members when things start to go wrong
• Research team members seem unaware of the progress of the project, key milestones, other colleagues’ responsibilities or current tasks
• Poor attendance at meetings, unproductive meetings, actions not being completed or poor punctuality
• Team always seems to be busy, but little emerges in the way of concrete results
• Team focuses on procedures, but loses sight of the end result

Motivating the unmotivated

• Check that working conditions are conducive to good working practice, e.g., meetings that are scheduled at the end of the day when people are tired may not be as productive as those scheduled earlier in the day. Additionally, consider the physical working environment of team members. Do they have appropriate equipment and work space to work effectively?
• Identify individual researchers’ motivational factors. These will vary among the group: some may be seeking more responsibility or input into the research, whilst others may like to get recognition and praise for what they achieve. It may not be an easy task as motivational factors change over time, but aim to keep up with any such changes.
• Ensure that researchers have sufficient training, development and support for their roles.  Aim to provide development opportunities within the role too.  Most researchers will value the opportunity to learn from you, whether in terms of your approach to grant writing, getting published or project management
• Make them 'teachers' or 'mentors' of PhD students or other junior members of the team – having identified responsibilities for their colleagues should increase their sense of commitment
• Delegate – people entrusted with 'star' activities/tasks will be motivated to achieve positive results and eager to report back progress to team members.
• Celebrate success, everyone likes to be on the 'winning team'.
• Seek advice from 'unmotivated' team members on what you could do to help improve their motivation.  (This may also help to increase their sense of worth, which could contribute to increased motivation!)