Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

This essay will deal with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation specifically dealing with the motivation of employees. Does natural motivation received from work increase productivity and happiness? Does external motivation work and does it continue to work after it is removed?

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation exists in any activity that we find pleasurable. When delicious food is eaten the motivation from brain via our taste buds is usually enough to make us continue to like that particular food. Likewise, in our work and workplace we may find enjoyment and satisfaction if we like our work. (Morris & Maisto 2005). Since it is almost a given that job satisfaction and enjoyment are important, just how important and what gives that satisfaction are the questions. "Love or Money" is sometimes the choice facing people in their career choice. "Love" in this case means loving a field of work because it has intrinsic reward. Intrinsic reward is the natural benefit we get from doing things we enjoy doing. Certainly, this is important, but the question arises "is it enough"? This question not difficult to answer since one may get a lot of satisfaction from work but if that work does not provide the necessities of life, the pleasure derived from it will not be enough to keep an employee working. What else then is necessary to motivate someone in his or her work? (Jensen 2006)

Extrinsic Motivation

In the previous paragraph, this author asserted that intrinsic motivation was not enough to continue motivating a worker. If we take this for a given truth, then will extrinsic motivation be enough to motivate an employee by itself? If an award of money or benefit is great, enough human beings will do many things that they feel are distasteful or at the very least do things they do not particularly like. A good example of this is someone who continues working an unenjoyable job for a lifetime because it puts food on the table and allows the upbringing of ones children. Ok, so we can all agree that extrinsic motivation is enough at least to make an employee work. (Morris & Maisto 2005)

However, we can also agree that this is not "Love" of work and not happiness. Therefore, to achieve proper motivation clearly it is necessary to have a balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The monetary or other awards of a job must be there and job satisfaction must also be there to balance the equation of how and what kind of motivation equals a good employee. This quote from D.G. Jensen (2006) appropriately sums it up: "But even if love and money are not perfect bedfellows--and they're not--both are essential, to some degree, for most people's happiness." (¶ 21)

The above quote being true, a manager must be aware that a balance of reward and intrinsic satisfaction is necessary if employees are to be motivated. (Jensen 2006)

Conclusion

Intrinsic or Extrinsic motivation is essential to the motivation and happiness of employees. Either of these kinds of motivation may be enough in the short or long run depending on that particular employee's situation and personality. However, without the balance of the two kinds of motivation the employee will more than likely not be a good producer and may instead steadily decrease in ability to produce. If the choice is between "love or money" and "love and money", the obvious winner is the latter.

Reference

Jensen D.G. (2006) New products Career development: articles http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2006_11_17/tooling_up_for_love_or_money/(parent)/68

Morris C.G., Maisto A.A. (2005), Psychology: an introduction, Twelfth edition, Prentice-Hall, Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education