Skill-Motivation Matrix Analysis

This assignment delves into the concept of the Skill-Motivation Matrix, using a case study of six team members (Alice, Bill, Chris, Doug, Erica, and Lisa) to illustrate their respective skill levels and motivation. The analysis categorizes each individual within the matrix and provides recommendations for leadership strategies based on their positioning. It further explores the benefits of shared leadership in enhancing team competencies like collaboration and communication.

Running head: SKILL-MOTIVATION MATRIX
Skill-Motivation Matrix
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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SKILL-MOTIVATION MATRIX
Answer 1:
The case study shows presents six members namely, Alice, Bill, Chris, Doug, Erica
and Lisa. Alice shows high responsibly and high skill while performing her duties. Since she
is involved in bringing about innovation and training employees, it can be construed that she
is a good motivator, hence, high on the motivation scale as well. Bill shoulders extra
responsibility but lacks some skills. Therefore, he is high on motivation but low on skill.
Chris exhibits lack of both motivation and skills. This is evident from the fact that he does
not show motivation and other members of the team XYZ doubt his skills. Doug is a member
and participates in three teams. This allows him to improve his talent and but he is still
required to improve his skills. Thus belongs to the high motivation and low skill quadrant
in the matrix. Erica is a good team member but her performance has declined. However, her
skill is not under question but it is leadership quality, which is under question. This has
placed her in the high skill and low motivation zone. Lisa is top performer and is a good
leader. Hence, she comes under the category of high motivation and skills quadrant (Patel,
Messersmith & Lepak, 2013). The above discussion is presented on a skill motivation
matrix as shown below:

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SKILL-MOTIVATION MATRIX
Skills
Answer 2:
The recommended strategy for Chris is directing which would involve him setting
the long and short-term goals he wants to achieve. The manager should set deadlines within
which Chris has to achieve these goals. The manager should use inspiring method to allocate
short term jobs which would allow Erica to succeed. These successes would elevate the
motivation level of Erica. Bill and Doug need o be guided to ensure that they are committed
to deliver high level of performance. Alice and Lisa are highly expert and motivated
employees. The manager should use delegating method to increase their participation in the
team (Asah, Fatoki & Rungani, 2015).
Answer 3:
As a leader, the desired role an ideal manager should follow is a combination of a
facilitator and coach. This is because the success of teamwork does not depend solely on the
leadership qualities of the leader. The success, in fact depends largely on the participation of
High Erica
Alice
Lisa
Low Chris
Bill
Doug
Low High
Motivation

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SKILL-MOTIVATION MATRIX
the team members, their efficiency and cooperativeness. The managers today coach the team
members on their job responsibilities to improve their skills and competencies. They should
also facilitate participation of the members while forming strategies for achievement of
targets. They should encourage both the senior and junior employees to participation in the
activities of the team and collaborate with each other. The discussion clearly shows that the
mangers as leaders should adopt the roles of facilitators and coaches to lead their teams
(Armstrong & Taylor, 2014).
Answer 4:
The following are the team competencies that would benefit from sharing of
leadership:
1. Collaboration:
Shared leadership would result in the senior members like managers and senior
managers of a team sharing responsibilities like making of reports and forming strategies to
achieve high level of performances. The team members would be influenced by the
efficiencies achieved due to this sharing of responsibilities within the team and would adopt
the collaborate style of working. This would result in strong understanding and high
performance among the team members (Shin & Konrad, 2017).
2. Communication:
Communication is a team competency, which profits from shared responsibility to a
great extent. This is because smooth and transparent communications between the managers
help in instilling the culture of transparent communication within the team. This results in
dynamic sharing of knowledge and information among the members and ensures success to
the team (Houghton et al., 2015).

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SKILL-MOTIVATION MATRIX
References:
Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Asah, F., Fatoki, O. O., & Rungani, E. (2015). The impact of motivations, personal values
and management skills on the performance of SMEs in South Africa. African Journal
of Economic and Management Studies, 6(3), 308-322.
Birasnav, M. (2014). Knowledge management and organizational performance in the service
industry: The role of transformational leadership beyond the effects of transactional
leadership. Journal of Business Research, 67(8), 1622-1629.
Hoch, J. E., & Dulebohn, J. H. (2013). Shared leadership in enterprise resource planning and
human resource management system implementation. Human Resource Management
Review, 23(1), 114-125.
Houghton, J. D., Pearce, C. L., Manz, C. C., Courtright, S., & Stewart, G. L. (2015). Sharing
is caring: Toward a model of proactive caring through shared leadership. Human
Resource Management Review, 25(3), 313-327.
Patel, P. C., Messersmith, J. G., & Lepak, D. P. (2013). Walking the tightrope: An
assessment of the relationship between high-performance work systems and
organizational ambidexterity. Academy of Management Journal, 56(5), 1420-1442.
Pearce, C. L., Wassenaar, C. L., & Manz, C. C. (2014). Is shared leadership the key to
responsible leadership?. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), 275-288.
Shin, D., & Konrad, A. M. (2017). Causality between high-performance work systems and
organizational performance. Journal of Management, 43(4), 973-997.