Motivation by Association
How often does one of your friends talk you into going somewhere or doing something that you would otherwise probably not have considered? Or vice versa, what have you talked someone into doing with you? We all know about “peer pressure,” but have you ever really thought about what makes it effective? I call it “motivation by association.”
In your work environment, do you know people who bring happiness into every room they enter? Sure. You probably also know someone who can start to speak and cause all traces of positive energy to disappear instantly. Now, the really hard question: Which one are you? I freely admit that I have been in both roles at different times in my career. In retrospect, it’s easy to see that whether I was motivated positively or negatively was influenced to some extent by the various associations that existed in my life at the time.
Peer pressure is nothing in comparison to entire mass-marketing campaigns built on the premise of using information to influence the ideas and actions of others. If advertisements can motivate us to buy certain products, adopt different ideas, or take action on certain issues, why can’t we use those same techniques to accomplish great things at work?
Oh, wait, we already do, to some extent. We talk our peers into helping with a project in the shop. We convince our customers to request a certain product or service. We explain to our bosses that we need certain training classes. If we’re really good, we may even convince ourselves to try something new or to do something different.
I have a theory about why all of this works: I think we all have open associations with others, and information is flowing bi-directionally through those channels, influencing us, motivating us, or allowing us to influence and motivate others. In DICOM terms, an instance of association is when a channel is opened for the exchange of information (diagnostic images, usually) between two devices. Translate that out of machine language and into the various scenarios of human interaction. We allow ourselves to provide open channels for the exchange of information. The interesting piece behind all of this is that we may or may not realize, at the time, that information is being exchanged.
For example, what happens when several less-experienced technicians work together to prepare for the CBET certification test, and challenge some of the more-experienced technicians to go through it with them? Those senior techs immediately feel the power of motivation through that association.
There are other instances, however, when it’s really hard to discern where the communication channel is open and what information is being conveyed. More often, the negative-motivation associations seem to fit into this category. It can be as simple as a frown, or a critical look, in response to a comment from someone else. If we do that, we’re sending negative information through open channels to everyone else in the room, and it motivates them – although they may not realize it at the time. It causes them to have a negative perception of the situation, to feel less energetic, and to be less satisfied with their work environment.
This kind of message is extremely contagious, and often reaches pandemic proportions before anyone even notices. Are you placing this kind of peer pressure on others, to get them to join you in your discontentment? If so, the good thing is that you control the message you send out through your associations, and you can change the content. All it takes is a determination to be self-aware and a desire to become a source of positive information and, therefore, a positive influence.
If you’re someone who typically brightens the mood of others when you walk into the shop, realize the power of what you have to share. Use the fact that there will be open channels of communication with those around you, and flood those channels with positive communication. Use the peer-pressure or mass-marketing concept to draw people out of their misery and help them realize that the world around them has some good left in it. Better yet, convince them that they have some good things to share with the world, too, if they would open those associations.
By recognizing this basic DICOM concept of associations, combined with the methods of human persuasion we have all practiced since childhood, we can spread more positive motivation among our peers. We just need to be aware of what information we’re exchanging.
See more Medical Equipment Articles
See the Medical Equipment Auctions and Classifieds
This article is re-published by LabX with permission from Medical Dealer Magazine - MD Publishing.
