Ted Talk on Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators

Discussion – M7 – Ted Talk on Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators

[Learning Objectives Assessed: 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d]

What motivates people in the workplace? Money? Flexibility? Recognition? There are both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that come into play in motivating a workplace. Listen to Daniel Pink in this Ted Talk:

Directions:
In your first post, write a paper with at least 300 words and discuss the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, provide an example of each, and discuss two points that you found really interesting in this video.

Respond to one of your peer’s posts by commenting on the examples the students provided.

General directions for all discussion posts
View Discussion Rubric

Original discussion thread post due by Wednesday, (1) responsive post due by Friday. See Syllabus.

Original Post: Write an essay illustrating the lesson concepts and explaining your answers. This original post must contain a minimum of 300 words. Students must demonstrate critical thinking by paraphrasing the material into their own words (direct quotes should be used in a limited manner as this does not display critical thinking). All statements in the post that are not general knowledge should be cited to their source. Be sure to clearly relate the readings to the lesson concepts. Students may further synthesize this research relating to personal experiences. All citations should be in APA format with a reference listing at the bottom of the post in APA format.

ANSWER

The Difference between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators

Motivations are commonly separated into two different approaches based on the nature of the motivator. These approaches include intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Intrinsically motivated actions are performed due to the sense of personal satisfaction. In contrast, intrinsically motivated actions are performed to gain something from others, such as attention, praise, and promotion.

Extrinsic Motivators

Extrinsic motivation entails the behavior of individuals to perform tasks and acquire new skills due to avoidance of punishment or external rewards (Locke, and Schattke, 2019). In this case, one engages in activities not because they enjoy or find it please but to gain something of value or prevent something unpleasant. Some major extrinsic motivators include rewards, incentives and promotions. Individuals that are intrinsically motivated will continue to act and are conditioned to behave that way due to the consequence or reward. For instance, being paid to do a job is an extrinsic motivation since one can also spend the entire day doing something else rather than working, but they are motivated to go and work because they require the wages to pay their bills.

Intrinsic Motivators

Intrinsic motivation entails performing tasks because it’s personally motivating. This means that a person performs an activity for their own sake rather than the desire for external gains (Locke and Schattke, 2019). Therefore, intrinsic motivators focus on inherent satisfaction rather than a separable consequence. This has been a vital mechanism for open cognitive development in individuals. Intrinsically motivated individuals are moved to act for challenge or fun rather than focusing on external pressures, products or rewards. For instance, a student may read a book because it’s enjoyable to read books and is interested in the subject or story rather than reading a book because they have to draft a report to pass in class.

Interesting Points in the Video

One of the most interesting points in this video is that high incentives lead to poor performance. Ideally, intrinsic motivation focuses on achieving a goal without struggles to complete the task since the motivation comes from inner ambition and goals (Dan, 2009). On the other hand, extrinsic motivation eventually leads to lost effectiveness over time and burnout since the motivation comes from external rewards. Therefore, employees have to work hard to gain external goals, which may lead to poor performance. Financial incentives can lead to a negative effect on overall employee performance. Most organizations focus on incentives to motivate employee performance, while this approach is unexamined, outdated, and rooted more in folklore than in science.

Another important point in this video is that intrinsic motivation is more effective than extrinsic. Motivation needs to be built around intrinsic behaviors where the desire to do things because they matter, are enjoyable, interesting, and part of something important (Dan, 2009). The new operating system for business has revolved around three major elements: mastery, autonomy, and purpose. These elements have long-term benefits as compared to external rewards. The external motivators that most businesses think are a natural part of a performance are a surprisingly narrow band of situations.

The secret to greater performance isn’t punishments and rewards but the unseen intrinsic drive, which focuses on the need to do things for individual sake and because they matter. There is a need to repair the mismatch between business and science regarding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Getting past the extrinsic motivation can help strengthen the business and solve many problems linked to performance.

References

Dan, P. (2009). The Puzzle of motivation. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation

Locke, E. A., & Schattke, K. (2019). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Time for expansion and clarification. Motivation Science, 5(4), 277.