Identifying the Causes of Needs

Identifying the need is the first step. Doing so can ensure that we are working on a significant problem. The second step is to figure out why that need exists. The cause may not always be the obvious or politically correct one. However, if we do not address the real cause(s), then there is less chance that we will solve the problem. If we put time and money into solving the problem and fail, then that is time and money that was wasted. Better to focus in on the real causes.

Thomas Gilbert identified six different types of causes for people not performing the way they should: information, resources, incentives, knowledge and skills, capacity, and motivation. He discussed them in this order because they go, at least roughly, from the easiest (and cheapest!) to fix to the most difficult. In addition, the first three refer to variables in the environment, while the other three refer to variables within the person. Let's look at each one briefly.

Information. The most basic thing that everyone needs to know in order to do well at any task, whether academic or work-related, is information. First, they have to know what the task is, how it is to be done, where to find further information or materials, how it is to be assessed, and so forth. You might be surprised at how many jobsites and classrooms do not provide this basic information. In addition, people have to get information about how well they are doing the task. Without feedback on performance they cannot even maintain their level of performance, let alone improve.

Tools and Resources. The second necessary component for performing well is access to the necessary tools and resources. Nowadays, these can refer to a wide variety of things, including computers, software, machines, paper-and-pencil, adequate workspace, and much more. Clearly without a number two pencil, a student cannot do well on a standardized test. Without a high-quality lathe, a worker cannot produce parts to the right specifications. We can all think of a multitude of other examples.

Incentives. People do not do well on tasks if they have no reason to care about it. Sometimes we can count on the intrinsic motivations of students and workers. Often we cannot. One way around this is to examine the incentives in the environment. When you do this, it is important to see them from the performer's point of view, not the school administration's or the company's. For example, a recent administration of twelfth-grade proficiency tests at a local high school resulted in much lower than expected scores. Problem was, although the school administration and teachers really wanted the students to do well, the students had few incentives. The tests did not count for anything (including graduation), and the students didn't get anything out of them. It really wasn't too surprising that many students did not do as well as they might have. Examples in the workplace also abound.

Knowledge and Skills. Often the first thing that people think of when solving a problem in performance in school or on the job is teaching and training. However, this will work only in those situations where you are sure that the cause of the problem is a lack of knowledge and skills. As we have seen, sometimes people do poorly for other reasons entirely out of their control. The high schoolers mentioned above may have known a lot more than the tests revealed. Teaching it to them all over again is unlikely to help if the incentives aren't changed. Similarly, in the example cited above of the safety videotape, it is quite possible that most of the workers already have a good grasp of the safety procedures. If so, then a new training program (this time on videotape) is not going to change much. Instead, it would be better to examine what other factors might be causing the rise in the accident rate. Teaching and training can be quite expensive and time consuming; don't do it when people already have the needed knowledge and skills. Robert Mager has a simple test to determine this. It is called the "Gun to the Head Test." It's simple: ask yourself, "If I held a gun to their heads, could they do it?" If the answer is "yes," then they have the knowledge and skills. If the answer is "no," then you may have to teach them.

Capacity. Capacity and ability refer to the internal capabilities of the people themselves. If the capacity is not there, then probably no amount of incentives, training, and so on is likely to solve the problem. If the task involves lifting and moving extremely heavy equipment, then a "ninety-pound weakling" may not be up to the job. In that case you might have a couple of choices. First, you could find a task better suited to the actual capabilities of the person. Second, you could change the task. For example, the purchase of a good forklift might bring the job within the capacity of a much larger group of people. In education, we usually deal with mental capacity more than physical. Although this area can be more controversial, it is also true that most of us recognize that someone with low math abilities might never do well in physics and accounting courses. 

Motivation. Whereas incentives are external to the person, motivation is internal. In spite of all of the motivation speakers we have seen or the books we have read, it seems to be true that the underlying deep-seated motivation of individuals to do well on tasks can be extremely difficult to change. That's why it comes last on this list. Interestingly, though, for most people that only rarely turns out to be a problem, especially at the beginning of a task, a job, or a school career. Most of us want very much to succeed (even if we're not always too clear on how to do it). Most of us start a new situation (job, degree program, whatever) hoping and expecting to do well. We fantasize about how well we are going to do: impressing our superiors or even better members of the opposite sex, winning awards, getting good grades or significant raises. The real question is often not "How do we motivate people?" but "What did the situation do to destroy their motivation?"