Motivate Yourself & Your Workforce - Understanding the Theoretical Interest 

The Workplace Motivators Assessment accurately measures how a person scores in six motivation dimensions, which helps us understand why people do what they do. This area does not measure ability; it reveals interest and motivation toward certain activities.

People who score Theoretical/Knowledge as a top interest (number one or two) will be energized when they can spend most of their time gaining knowledge to become a product expert. (Scroll down for more information.)

This driver also does not indicate intelligence. People who rank this as their lowest interest aren’t less intelligent. Both ends of the spectrum value knowledge They value it in different ways. Review this information if this is a person's lowest interest (number 5 or 6).

Diving into the Theoretical motivator continuum is crucial for your understanding. No matter where you and your team fall on the regulatory continuum, understanding the value of both sides is crucial for overall success.

Download this Image and the Workplace Motivators Assessment Memory Jogger. 

More About The Theoretical Motivator

Top Stressor and Dissatisfier:  Sometimes, we can feel dissatisfied with what we are working on without understanding precisely what is stressing us out. There are stressors and dis-satisfiers for each different type of motivator. Understanding Workplace Motivators can be a game-changer! It helps people understand their stressors so they can work to avoid them.  

Potential Overuse:  We all have something we can “overdo” without realizing it. (Like a blind spot when driving, others see it, but we don't.) Understanding what we tend to overdo can help in our personal and work lives, serving as a ‘watch out' for over-utilizing strengths

What Someone with this Top Motivator Will Feel Most Rewarded By

We all thrive in environments that reward our top motivations. Our Motivators are part of our greatest strengths and are the key to high-performance. Part of job fit is about ensuring that what the job rewards is also what rewards our natural drivers! The Theoretical Workplace Motivator can also be called the Knowledge motivator as this person has a natural drive to gain knowledge in life and in their work

 Additional Resources for More Insight...

• For All Six Motivators: 
  Workplace Motivators Assessment Memory Jogger 
  How Each Motivator Reacts in Crisis
  Management Tips for All Six Motivators - Most and Least
  Find the Perfect Hobby and Perfect Gift
  Best Volunteer Opportunities for Each of the Workplace Motivators

• For Hiring: Workplace Motivators Interview Questions

• For Sales: Using Motivators to Improve Sales
• Overview: Workplace Motivators Reminders and Research 
• Listen to, Watch or Read the Transcript of Suzie's Talk: Motivating Yourself and Your Workforce.

If Theoretical is Ranked #5 or #6, Least Interested:

If this motivator is ranked #5 or #6 it does not 'put gas in their tank.'  Their approach might be, "I tend to seek knowledge as needed and I don't enjoy theoretical conversations."

• Use past experience, intuition, and real-time research to solve an immediate need.
• They want only the knowledge necessary to accomplish the task at hand.
•  They pursue knowledge on a “need to know” basis.
• They have very specific needs in the workplace. One of the most important is access to well-organized resources, like Knowledge Bases or project briefs.
• Having the information they need on hand without having to guess at it will help them stay efficient and save time. This also allows them to solve problems on their own, rather than seeking out assistance from others, which lets them keep a brisk schedule.
• They usually prefer a fast pace. Being able to set their own standards and work according to them will be a huge boost in terms of their productivity.
• They want to get the information they need, execute the task, and move on to the next one as efficiently as possible.
• If they need to do research or to dig into the data make sure you have a reason to back up that work. Supporting their other top drivers will strengthen their effort overall.

Each interest, high or low, of the Theoretical motivator is important to understand for your team. Appreciate the people around you with these drivers and apply this knowledge to help them be successful.