I found last week’s class interesting because I actually never knew the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I had never heard of those concepts before, but it actually makes a lot of sense. I could never understand why people would live their lives as struggling artists or pursuing something that was never going to make them a lot of money; but it is because they are intrinsically motivated and do not care as much about external motivations. After learning the difference, I realized I am extrinsically motivated. I do consider myself a motivated person but I am always pushing myself for some outside reward. I’m always just focused on what the end result will bring: a promotion, a raise, recognition. I suppose that is a shallow way to be, I guess because I don’t feel like what I do really makes a difference.
I think the better motivation is intrinsic motivation. When people are intrinsically motivated the results and rewards are greater. People want to feel like they are making a difference, that their work is important and has some meaning. It is a terrible feeling to feel like your work means nothing to an organization and you never see results of your hard work. But how do you create intrinsic motivation in a corporate, non-creative setting when ideas are constantly ignored or shot-down by management? It is easier for companies like Google or Apple to create intrinsic motivation in their employees, but what about other businesses that do not necessarily need or want ideas from employees? These situations are hard to create motivation.
I think as a manager it is essential to create intrinsic motivation: people are happier, they do better quality work, and have higher morale. People need to understand what they are contributing and why. If someone just feels like they are in a grind and doesn’t care about their work, they could be motivated by having a clear understanding on how and why their job is important. I would say the majority of people don’t understand what impact they personally have on the company, and they are unable to see the big picture. Although I suppose some people just don’t really care either way; I don’t think you can motivate those who do not want to be motivated…..any ideas?
I like your points of making efforts to distinguish the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. These points are pretty valid and generally accepted as a global norm. Also, you took a great advance in leadership because of your great understanding of yourself and deliberately exercising the power to know your strengths. If you were a manager, I am sure you will provide your followers with big picture and let them clear understand the meaning of their work. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteThe notion of making (or not making) a difference at your job reminds of my own situation. I’m one of those people who are not sure about the job they’d like to do. For 3 years I was working as a personal banker and I was always dreaming of a job with no people interaction. Now I’m working as an accountant in an office that I barely talk to anyone all day and I don’t enjoy it much.
ReplyDeleteWith all the difficulties, when I was working with people, I would get immense satisfaction when I could help someone to resolve an issue on their account. Receiving feedback from people, even if it was just an appreciative smile, made me feel that I made a difference and that’s what matters to me. Additionally, while helping clients, I would pay attention to each person’s social interaction and could learn and improve my own interpersonal skills. I could learn something new almost every day.
Currently, I work in a completely different environment and I don’t get much satisfaction from seeing all the numbers add up correctly at the end of month, plus I don’t learn much. This experience has shown me that human interaction and constant learning are two great motivators for me.