When creating a culture of support and high performance we should reflect on the methods that we use to motivate staff. Striking a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation may be what is required. In a culture where there is internal joy in the work that is done for the essence of what is being performed or the outcome rather than for what employees can receive for doing the work, it may be easier to maintain levels of motivation. However, we must recognise that often people are doing a role that they may not be intrinsically motivated by or at least not all aspects of the role and this is where extrinsic motivation comes in.
When intrinsically motivated you do the act for the joy of it, the act is rewarding in itself. However, when you are extrinsically motivated you do it to earn a reward or avoid a punishment. It is important to consider what motivates you when you are considering a career move because money alone will not make you happy no matter how much you are getting paid, you need some intrinsic motivation.
A civil engineer may be intrinsically motivated because they love the work of designing bridges and they know that designing the bridge in the Philippines will result in a village not being cut off from supplies for 3 months of the year, they are doing good work. In addition, they know that if they get the design finished by the project deadline, they will also receive extrinsic motivation in the form of a monetary bonus in their annual review. The village gets the bridge before the monsoon season, the individual gets a bonus, and the company has the reputation for being reliable at delivering projects.
In her book Mindset, Carol Dweck highlights, people with a growth mindset find their work meaningful because they’re applying themselves, giving their best, solving challenging and important problems. These people are intrinsically motivated by the desire to learn and improve, to find meaning, and to serve a cause.
Extrinsic motivators rarely improve the culture of a workplace. Once the basic needs are met there is little more to be gained from extrinsic motivators in terms of improving how the team relates to each other. In a sales team, they may be motivated by the bonus and that will get them to go the extra yard, but it will not encourage them to support their colleague, pass on a lead or try and motivate other people, which are traits of a culture that people want to work in. If they are intrinsically motivated to feel good by supporting others, enjoy motivating a team, or just love the thrill of meeting targets then although the bonus structure is there it is not why they are doing it.
A knowledge of how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation works can assist us when determining how people are inspired and why they may behave in a certain way. It is helpful to know as a leader to ensure that you are motivating the individuals in your team in a way that is going to get the best outcome and improve collaboration. Structuring a team, so they are, in the main intrinsically motivated will go a long way to have a positive team culture.