First Level Leadership

So what is Intrinsic Motivation?

Where does intrinsic motivation come from?

How do you buy Compliance? 

Usually by offering money and tangible benefits. These include salaries, bonuses, benefits and cash rewards. In the language of motivation theory, these are extrinsic rewards.

Extrinsic rewards can buy compliance; 

however, they will not create commitment and initiative. Such rewards do not appeal to your passion or intelligence. How do you manage those who barely drag their feet to work each morning?They simply show up because they need money. How do you break their monotony?

These motivational issues are more complex and demanding  

It is difficult to supervise because of the flatter organizational structure, rather employees need to be self managing. Self-managing requires initiative and commitment, which depends on passion, which extrinsic rewards can rarely provide. 

Internal motivation comes directly from the work

The work itself energizes the people and they feel passionate about it. Usually they see themselves helping people in some way. Far from having to drag themselves to work, they take the work home – physically or by thinking about it.

Does this mean extrinsic rewards have become unimportant?  

Of course not! The two kinds of rewards often support each other. As people leave unrewarding jobs, the loss of talented employees has become less tolerable. Therefore, managing motivation or intrinsic rewards had become a challenge.

Even if you fine-tune your extrinsic rewards, they will only yield to small improvement in retention. 

However, the biggest gains will come from systematically improving intrinsic rewards – making the work itself more fulfilling and energizing so that workers don’t want to leave.