Have you ever heard of intrinsic motivation? Applying it in a company has many advantages and makes it possible to naturally improve the performance of your employees. In this article, discover its definition, the various factors that influence it, its advantages and, above all, how to use it to effectively encourage your teams at work.
Understanding intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation: definition
Intrinsic motivation corresponds to the desire to perform a task out of personal interest, for the satisfaction or for the pleasure that it provides, without waiting for an external reward. This type of motivation comes from within the individual and not from outside factors.
Sustainable benefits for organizations
Intrinsic motivation can be complex, but it has many benefits for businesses.
First of all, it is more sustainable than extrinsic motivation: it does not depend on the various rewards put in place by management or managers to push employees to excel. Rather, it's a deep commitment, a personal connection to work that doesn't depend on others.
Intrinsic motivation also encourages employees to focus on the quality of the work they do, not just on the quantity. Driven by their curiosity, intrinsically motivated employees tend to take on the challenges offered to them, to be more creative and to collaborate more to achieve their goals.
Finally, intrinsic motivation can protect employees against professional exhaustion, or burnout. Feeling less constrained in their tasks, stress is often experienced less strongly, which makes it possible to have happier, less sick and less absent employees.
The various intrinsic motivators
By definition, intrinsic motivation is unique to each person. However, some common motivational factors among employees are identified.
The meaning
Some people feel more motivated when their work is aligned with their values. This is also the case when they are able to recognize their impact on society or the environment.
Autonomy
A sense of control and control over a project can also be an intrinsic motivator. The fact of having autonomy in the organization of tasks carried out on a daily basis is therefore a second intrinsic motivator that is very common among employees.
Knowledge
Being interested in a subject, finding it rewarding and learning more every day can also be very motivating. The search for knowledge is therefore stimulating for some. Over time, this allows you to master a domain, which can be very satisfying.
The challenge
Some people particularly like to take on challenges, surpass themselves, push their limits. Having ambitious goals is therefore a motivating factor in itself. For employees who appreciate challenges, intrinsic motivation is linked to challenges, and even to competitiveness.
Pleasure
Finally, some employees are motivated by their work because they enjoy what they do on a daily basis. They may be passionate about their field of work, enjoy creating new things, or simply feel good about being surrounded by the other people who work around them.
The intrinsic motivational factors are very varied and it is impossible to generalize: each employee has his own experience and his own aspirations. It's up to you to discover them.
Encourage your teams through intrinsic motivation
To increase the intrinsic motivation of your employees, here are three measures that you can easily implement within your organization.
Offer autonomy to employees
A sense of autonomy is essential to cultivate the intrinsic motivation of employees. So give them the opportunity to organize their tasks and schedules as they want so that they have some control over their calendar.
You can also encourage initiative by setting up a crowdfunding platform such as Teamstarter. This way, employees will be able to propose ideas and implement them as soon as they have collected the necessary amount to do so. This type of initiative allows employees to find even more meaning in their work.
Develop a sense of belonging
The feeling of belonging also plays an essential role in the intrinsic motivation of employees. Indeed, to give the best of themselves, it is important that they feel connected to others. In close-knit teams, collaboration between employees is greatly facilitated and therefore makes it possible to carry out projects more effectively through mutual assistance.
Many elements can help develop a sense of belonging: organizing teambuilding events, offering effective communication tools, creating a work environment in which employees feel listened to and confident, etc.
Strengthen the feeling of belonging in business!
Download our infographic to find out how to develop a true sense of belonging within your teams and engage your employees for the long term.
In this infographic, you'll learn:
- The keys to cultivating a strong sense of belonging : Techniques for each employee to feel valued and involved.
- The impact of a sense of belonging on performance : Discover the figures in business.
- How to measure engagement results: Find out the different ways to analyze the commitment of your employees.
Download the infographic now! ⬇️
Implement continuous learning
Finally, to encourage your teams, it is important that everyone has the skills they need to best perform the tasks assigned to them. To do this, you can offer targeted training to employees who need it.
By mastering the subjects they work on, employees are naturally more motivated to provide quality work.
Intrinsic motivation allows employees to give the best of themselves in the tasks that are given to them. It is specific to everyone and can therefore be very variable depending on the individual: some are driven by the quest for meaning, autonomy, the search for new knowledge, others simply like to take on challenges. To encourage your employees as much as possible at work, get to know them, to better understand what motivates them professionally. Then suggest that they work with more autonomy, while developing their sense of belonging and their knowledge. With all these tips, you should be able to effectively apply theories about intrinsic motivation at work and improve the productivity of your employees!
Sommaire
