Introduction to Employee motivation

Employee motivation is considered as a force that drives the employees toward attaining specific goals and objectives of the organization (Andreas Kaplan, 2014) . Basically, it refers to how well-motivated or excited a person is in the company, and how eagerly they anticipate accomplishing the assigned task and attaining the organizational objectives. It is an asset to have motivated employees for an organization as it helps the company reach its organizational goals effectively. So, the company has to ensure that the employees are fully motivated and satisfied daily (Kawash, Dielman and Cattell, 1972).

 

 

There are 2 main types of employee motivations, namely; 

1- Intrinsic motivation

2- Extrinsic motivation

 

Intrinsic motivation (IM) refers to engagement in behavior that is inherently satisfying or enjoyable. IM is non-instrumental in nature; that is, intrinsically motivated action is not contingent upon any outcome separable from the behavior itself (Lisa Legault, 2016). Intrinsic motivation refers to a person's motivation coming from inside (Andreas Kaplan, 2014 ). For example, they are motivated to do well at work since the outcomes are consistent with their beliefs. 

 

Extrinsic motivation (EM) refers to the performance of a behavior that is fundamentally contingent upon attaining an outcome that is separable from the action itself. In other words,

EM is instrumental.(Lisa Legault, 2016). Extrinsic motivation is when a person's motivation is fueled by external variables such as prizes and praise.(Reiss, 2012). Some people may never be intrinsically motivated, and only external incentives will help them complete their duties. But employers/ managers should keep in mind not to overuse these motivation types. For instance, Intrinsic motivational employees prefer to be recognized and appreciated for what they do. But, if they are over-praised just because they love it doesn't mean they will enjoy it every time (Reiss, 2012)  Hence, there should be a limit. 

Similarly, extrinsically motivated employees who love to achieve a reward or an award for their service would not care if they are awarded for every single thing. So it should be done methodically and not in a way that would demotivate the employees. 

 

It is necessary to understand the personality type and motivate them in the best way possible to do the work to achieve their goals willingly (Andreas Kaplan,2014)  Some employees naturally love to accept challenging roles, and such people should not be given less motivating roles that don't require a lot of thinking or hard work as it will also demotivate them (Sansone and Tang, 2021)

 

For instance, in a digital marketing company where all the employees work from home, some members would love to accept challenging roles where they have to research, come up with their own ideas to grow their areas whereas some staff members would not love to go the extra mile, but complete only the tasks that are given to them. It is the managers responsibility in this company to identify the different personality types of the staff members and give roles accordingly & appreciate them for what they do. 

 

Hence, motivating your employees will require a greater awareness of the many types and methods of motivation. With this knowledge, you should be able to correctly categorize your people and apply the appropriate motivator to boost employee engagement and happiness. For example, intrinsic motivation may work better for some employees, while extrinsic motivation may work better. Overall, employee motivation will lead the organization to succeed and thrive!

 

 

 

 

References

 

 

Kaplan, A., 2014. European management and European business schools: Insights from the history of business schools. European Management Journal, 32(4), pp.529-534.

 

 Kawash, G., Dielman, T. and Cattell, R., 1972. Changes in Objective Measures of Fear Motivation as a Function of Laboratory-Controlled Manipulation. Psychological Reports, 30(1), pp.59-63.

 

 Legault, L., 2016. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, pp.1-4.

 

Kaplan, A., 2014. European management and European business schools: Insights from the history of business schools. European Management Journal, 32(4), pp.529-534.

 

 Legault, L., 2016. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, pp.1-4.

 

Reiss, S., 2012. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation. Teaching of Psychology, 39(2), pp.152-156.

 

Sansone, C. and Tang, Y., 2021. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and self-determination theory. Motivation Science, 7(2), pp.113-114.