INTRINSIC MOTIVATION - Frostburg State...

3

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

The young man entered the office building. It was typical of mostoffice buildings with the large stainless steel letters of the company on theside of the building. The well maintained grounds abounded with patios,trees and shrubbery. Large plate glass windows lined the interior wallsproviding visual access to these outdoor treats. Walking through a set ofdouble doors, the young man entered a reception area where he was greetedby the receptionist.

"I am here to see McGregor," announced the young man. "Yes," replied the receptionist. "He is expecting you." The

receptionist rang McGregor's office.In about a minute a middle aged man emerged from around the

corner. He thrust his hand forward to shake the young man's hand. After abrief exchange, McGregor escorted the young man to his office. They bothsat down in a small lounge area next to McGregor's desk. "So you're theyoung man interested in learning about directed play."

"Yes," responded the young man. Huizing said you were the experton intrinsic motivation."

"Expert remains to be seen," replied McGregor with a laugh. "Thatis for others to determine. However, I do have some expertise in directedplay and in particular, in facilitating intrinsic motivation within theworkplace."

"So, where do we start?" asked the young man."At the beginning," replied McGregor. He paused just long enough

to collect his thoughts. "Most of us start out working in a career of ourchoosing. Generally, we like what we are doing and we chose the careerbecause we thought that we would like what the career offers. At somepoint we begin to buy things not only to survive but to live well. Maybe atfirst it is because we work to provide food on the table and a roof over ourheads. Providing these basic needs is a concept which has always beenlinked to the idea of work. But at some point we begin to buy what somepeople call the "good life." We may buy the good life for a host of differentreasons. Some people buy the good life for prestige and status, somebecause advertising suggests that they need it, some because societydetermines success by it and some simple because it makes their lives more

Intrinsic Motivation / 2

comfortable. It doesn't really matter why people buy it because many peoplebecome trapped in a situation where they have to work to support theirpossessions. These obligations and responsibilities manifest themselves interms of mortgages, automobile loans and credit card debt."

"I think I see what you are driving at," responded the young man inan unsure and questioning tone.

"Let me give you a specific case," added McGregor. "Recently, Iwent to my twentieth year high school reunion. One of my high schoolfriends with whom I had long lost contact over the years had become ahighly successful trial lawyer in the Atlanta area. As I talked with him fora while, several things became evident. He complained a lot about his job,kind of like the war stories after the camping trip in the rain. Although hedidn't dislike what he was doing, he was not happy. The pressure of the jobwas getting to him and he was worried about medical problems that weremost likely job related. I asked him if he could walk away from his job.After a moment's thought he responded with a firm no. He was thinking ofthe mortgage, the family, and the lifestyle to which he had becomeaccustomed. The long and the short of it was that he was trapped. He wasno longer working because he wanted to work, but because he had to work.His work wasn't play anymore."

"So John's story is typical of many workers in the workplace today,"noted the young man.

"His story contains the basic elements of a motivation model andwhat we call the "work trap." John was definitely caught in the "work trap,"continued McGregor. "I have developed two simple questions which helpdetermine if you are caught in the work trap. I use them as a litmus test,sort of speaking." He took the notebook off the young man's lap andcarefully printed the first question on the next page. The question read, "Doyou enjoy what you are doing?"

"A simple yes or no answer will suffice. Listen to your gut as wellas you head. Focus on the work itself, not what you buy with yourpaycheck. If you enjoy what you are doing then you are probably workingbecause you want too; you are probably intrinsically motivated.


Do you enjoy what you are doing?

Can you walk away from your job?

Taking the notebook back from the young man, McGregor printedthe second question underneath the previous question. As he handed it backto the young man for his inspection, McGregor commented, "I call this the"walk-away principle." Can you walk away from your job?"

With but a brief pause long enough for the young man to look at thequestion, McGregor went on to clarify it. "I realize that most people are notsufficiently independent financially to simply leave their jobs. The questionencapsules a truth about our lives. Like John, are we tied to the obligationsthat our possessions create upon us or are we sufficiently free of them. Mostoften it is our perception more than some absolute dollar figure. Never-the-less, it is how we perceive our situation that is important. The bottom lineis that if you feel you can walk-away from your job, you are free; if not thenyou are working because you have too, not because you want too.

"Let me draw you a motivational model that explains the relationshipbetween intrinsic and extrinsic motivation regarding work." McGregor tookthe notebook again. He flipped the page. In the middle of the next page,printed the words "WORK, PLAY, and ACTIVITY." To the right heprinted the phrase "EXTERNAL REWARDS," and to the left he printed"PERSONAL SATISFACTION." Above "WORK" he printed "Produces."As he continued to draw the model he began to provide commentary for thediagram. "We work and our work produces products or outcomes." He drew


an circular arrow toward the right. "On the one hand we earn money whichwe buy our substance and if we do well, we buy the good things in life. Thekey to these things is that we are buying these things outside of or externalto the work. If you work for the good life and these types of rewards youtend to be extrinsically motivated." Then he drew another arrow fromexternal rewards to work. "The demands of the good things in life, in turn,influence why we work. This is normal and expected. The question is howmuch and does it adversely affects why we work."

Then he drew another circular arrow to the left extending from workto personal satisfaction. "On the other hand, what we produce from ourwork provides us with personal satisfaction. I work because I like to workand because I like to work, I work more."

"Isn't that a cyclical argument," asked the young man. "In a sense it is," noted McGregor. "But it makes the point that the

satisfaction come from within the individual. It also shows that in the circlediagramed, how closely the person's satisfaction and participation areintertwined with each other. If you work for personal satisfaction you tendto be intrinsically motivated."

McGregor paused for a moment, then continued. "Virtually, anyactivity we do has elements of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Forexample, you may have played baseball or football because you gained agreat deal of satisfaction from the activity. However, you may have alsoplayed to win the championship or a trophy. The same is true for work orfor that matter any activity."

The young man began to summarize. "For the intrinsically motivated,the cycle is relatively small and tight. I work because I like to work and thatis why I continue to work. The reward is in the doing and that provides theincentive to continue. In contrast, if I work for reasons external to thesatisfaction provided by my work such as to buy the good life, then I amextrinsically motivated."


*

If a person works

because he enjoys work,

he is motivated from within.

If a person works because

he wants to obtain the good life,

he is motivated from without.

*


"You've got it," noted McGregor. Then McGregor pointed to aplaque on his wall.

A broad beaming smile emerged on the young man's face; he had puttwo and two together and now he was ready to place another piece intoMcGregor's model. "Oh, now I see it!" he exclaimed. "Do I enjoy what Iam doing is a question designed to determine if I am intrinsically motivatedand your walk-away principle is designed to determine my level of extrinsicmotivation."

"Very good!" McGregor complimented the young man as he addedthe two questions to the model developing in front of them on the paper.Then he made a very important point. "Also, the walk-away principle doesnot deny you the opportunity to buy yourself the good things in life. It onlyasks if you have become too dependent or hooked, thus trapping you in an


undesirable situation." "Hence the work trap," noted the young man. "Let's look at John's situation in terms of the model," continued

McGregor. "It provides an excellent place to start with the model." He drewtwo thick arrows, one from work to external rewards, and the other fromexternal rewards back to work. He left the thin arrows to and from personalsatisfaction. "Although John may have initially worked for personalsatisfaction, at some point in his career, his rewards structure changed.Maybe he became bored or tired. Perhaps there was no novelty or newnessin what he did anymore. Although he still receives some personalsatisfaction from his work he doesn't really enjoy it. And why doesn't hefind new work? Why doesn't he find something he likes to do?"

"Because he is trapped," continued the young man. "It is likesomeone switched off the light switch and the room went from bright andalive to pitch dark. In John's case the flow went from one side of the modelto the other. For him, the rewards switched from intrinsic to extrinsic. Forreasons known only to John, he got caught in a cycle where he worked forthe good things in life only to find that those very possession boomerangback on him preventing him from seeking more rewarding work. In a sense,he became a bird trapped in a gilded cage."

"Well put," added McGregor."So, if you were John's employer, what would you do?" asked the

young man since he was really interested in knowing. "We can also use the model to develop our solution," continued

McGregor. "This is important because even though intrinsic motivation istotally within the mind of the worker, we can still facilitate for it within theworkplace."

"Interesting," commented the young man. "In John's case we need to focus on both sides of the model."

continued McGregor. "For example, there might be things which I can doto increase his personal satisfaction so that he might become more involvedin his work again. Perhaps I would give him a new assignment or structurehis work load to create newness. If in working with him we determine thathe is suffering from burnout and really needs to find work outside ourorganization, I would provide him with career counseling. Perhaps I wouldgive him a leave of absence or vacation time to take a course or time just tothink things out. In this case, I am attempting to get him off the playingfield since he is an injured player. The point is that we would develop a planof action to get him playing at work again."

After a pause to regain his breadth, he continued. "Also, we wouldfocus on the other side of the model. We provide seminars and workshopson the "work trap" and how to avoid it. Perhaps John's financial burden is


temporary such as putting his children through college. Perhaps it is morechronic and he needs the assistance of financial planners. Often recognitionof the problem is half of the solution."

"Don't you have an ethical problem here?" questioned the youngman. "Couldn't some people consider this meddling in the personal affairsof your workers?"

"Yes, you are absolutely correct," noted McGregor. "For this reasonwe don't do as much on this side of the equation as we might."

"Why would you do all this for John?" asked the young man. "Aren'tyou providing him with a lot of support services? Is it really costeffective?"

"Think of the alternatives?" asked McGregor rhetorically. "First,John is not really productive and in a service industry such as his, this canbe devastating since it affects everyone around him. Then there is theproblem which he creates for other workers. In a sense, he becomes therotten apple who begins to spoil the other apples in the barrel. Otherworkers see us not helping John and learn that if they get into a similarplight we won't help them either. And if we fire John, even for his owngood, the lesson learned is even worse. They learn that if they get into asimilar situation that they better off hiding it, which they usually can't. Theylearn that they too might be fired which makes them nervous, apprehensiveand less intrinsically motivated. This reduces productivity. The net resultis that people who should leave and find new work stick around like rottenapples in the barrel infecting everyone else in the workplace.

"Interesting," commented the young man. "So the opposite is truealso. By helping John you either get him productive again within yourorganization or you move him out. However, since John has moved himselfout of the organization the other workers see that you have treated himfairly and conclude that they too will be treated with the same standard ofcare. Morale is maintained and people can focus on producing."

"Good summary," complemented McGregor. "Inadvertently, a lotof people get caught in the work trap. However, the work trap can be usedto explain Maslow's hierarch of needs, particularly everyone's quest tobecome self-actualized. The problem is that the model describes thecondition, but it doesn't tell you how to achieve the self-actualized state. Wecan use the motivation model and the work trap quite effectively here tohelp people self-actualize.

In general, we as a society have tended to move to the trap side of themodel and toward extrinsic rewards to obtain satisfaction of our needs. Forexample, esteem needs are fulfilled by the big house on the hill, the luxuryautomobile, private schools for the kids and who knows what. This is notto deny self-esteem defined by attributes other than material objects. It is


just that in our society we tend to emphasized material objects to definewho we are.

"In a sense, it is kind of like the popular slogan: he who dies with themost toys, wins," noted the young man.

"Unfortunately, that summarizes it very well," lamented McGregor."The problem is that self-actualization emphasizes intrinsic motivationrather than extrinsic motivation. After a lifetime of obtaining the good lifefor extrinsic rewards including esteem, it is difficult for people to switchtheir thinking to the intrinsic rewards associated with self-actualization."

"I see your point," commented the young man. "It is kind of liketrying to teach an old dog new tricks."


*

He who dies with the most toys

worked the hardest;

But he who dies having played the hardest,

had the most fun.

*


"This is why directed play is so important. From the beginning, itstarts you on the right track toward self-actualization." McGregor pausedand chuckled to himself. As he said this he leaned back in his chair andpointed to the plaque on the wall. "For this reason, we have taken yourpopular slogan and changed it to emphasize play."

A knock on the door interrupted their trend of thought. In walkedGreg. "Excuse me, you need to sign these papers so that we can send themout immediately."

As he briefed the papers he signed them and handed them back toGreg. He introduced Greg to the young man. McGregor looked at the youngman and then back at Greg and asked. "How are the kids doing?"

"You had to ask," responded Greg. "This year both kids are incollege. Next year the oldest graduates," He paused, then sighed in reliefat the thought that some of his financial burden would be lifted next year.He smiled. "Then there is only one more to get through."

"Glad to hear that things are going reasonably well," repliedMcGregor. He handed the papers back to Greg who left the office.

Turning to the young man, McGregor made a comment on Greg'ssituation. "Greg enjoys his work, unfortunately, he feels the weight of theworld on his shoulders with two children in college at the same time. If weasked Greg if he could walk away from his job, we would get a resoundingno. Fortunately, for Greg, this is a manageable short term problem and heviews it as such. Often, most things like this are short term problems formost of us. However, if they become chronic we have a problem that caninterfere with the worker's motivation and we may have a problem thatrequires counseling.

McGregor looked over at the young man's notebook. Underneath adiagram of the model the young man had created a table of possiblesituations regarding the two questions. Then to the right of eachcombination he had included some notes. "That's very astute. Let's see, we


Do you enjoy what you Can I walk away are doing? from my job? Manager's Action S))))Q S)))))Q S)))))))Q Yes Yes No corrective action is necessary.

Continue to provide newness andstimulation in this employees jobenvironment.

Yes No This worker could be p laying a t work if itwere not for the external constraint. This maybe a short term problem which may pose onlya passing problem. However, if it is a longterm situation, counseling may be requiredregarding this workers personal life. Thisraised an ethics question regarding themanager's involvement in the worker'spersonal life.

No Yes Assessm ent of the worker m ay suggest jobenrichment or in some cases the need to finda n o the r pos it ion . N e w a ss ig n m e n t ,responsibilities, etc. may be part of the jobenrichment program. Career counseling mayhelp the worker seeking a new positionoutside the organization.

No No This case typifies the "W ork Trap."This worker doesn't like his/her joband can't/won't leave it because (s)heis dependent on his job for his/herlifestyle. A worker in this situationneeds job enrichment, careercounseling and/or a new position aswell a personal financial planning.


covered the yes, yes situation with the general model where the worker ishappy with what he is doing and can walk away from his job. The workingtrap covered the no, no situation. Greg covered the yes, no situation wherethe worker likes what they are doing but can't walk away from the job. Thatleaves the no, yes situation." McGregor paused for a moment to think. "Ah,yes. Let's go see Mary."

Down the hall they walked. Through another door and off on the leftwas Mary's office. McGregor introduced the young man to Mary, a youngmiddle management executive in the marketing department. "Are you arestill leaving us next month?" asked McGregor.

"Yes," responded Mary. "As you know, I'm making a career shift. Iwant a field where I deal with my clients directly in a hands-on fashion."

"Do you mind recounting your experiences regarding what lead youto make your decision?" asked McGregor.

Mary proceeded to tell them of her experience. She was young,without ties, so it was much easier for her to make the career shift. It wasnot so much that she didn't like working here, because she liked workingwith the other employees. She didn't like the content of her position,marketing analysis. It wasn't as if she just decided to leave; the process wasmore evolutionary than spontaneous. She noted all her symptoms like notwanting to come to work, the unpleasantness of being in the office and thegeneral unpleasantness which she displayed toward others. She wentthrough a brief denial phase. This was her chosen course of study in collegeand her parents thought that marketing was a good career for her. She toldthem how she went to her supervisor who encouraged her to take a leave ofabsence so that she could work things out. Also, she expressed appreciationwith the company's support and their assistance in helping her. Her leave ofabsence clarified her desire to change positions which she is currently in theprocess of doing.

"You seem very happy for someone who is leaving," asked the youngman. "It may seem kind of funny," replied Mary, "but when you are movingforward in the direction that you desire to move, even a job which you hadpreviously learned to hate, in its own way, becomes enjoyable. It is amazinghow much you can enjoy work again when you see the light at the end ofthe tunnel. I really appreciated the help I received in making the transition."


"Thank-you for your assistance, Mary." In Mary's case, if shedecides to return she knows that we will assist her in finding a position withus based on her past performance."

They left Mary's office and returned to McGregor's office. "Maryseems to be in unusually good spirits for a person who is about to leave."

"People make transitions all the times in their lives. We need toaccommodate them," added McGregor. "But more importantly, she isproductive again. Also, remember what happens to the rotten apple in thebarrel. She is not infecting everyone else with negativism."

They returned to McGregor's office and chatted about Mary'ssituation. The young man still had some questions on his mind. "When Italked with Huizing, he referred to the volunteer as his model for directedplay. How does the volunteer fit into this model," asked the young man.

"Simply, almost by definition, the volunteer is focusing on theintrinsic motivation section of the model." In the young man's notebook,McGregor drew the model, this time with thick arrows on the personalsatisfaction side of the model. "Remember the volunteer steps onto theplayground and can step off the playground at any time. By definition, thevolunteer can walk away from the job (volunteering) at any time she wants.They want to volunteer because the manager usually structures the work


environment for the volunteer to be personally satisfying. The volunteerresponds by being satisfied and continues to volunteer because they like it."

"What about extrinsic motivation," questioned the young man."Extrinsic motivation is present even for the volunteer," noted

McGregor. "Unlike the paid worker who needs to make a living, mostmanagers usually offer trophies, awards, service pins, and other benefits toreward the volunteer.

"I see, when I was with Huizing I noted the first aid instructors whowere really into first aid instruction. In fact, they were more involved intheir teaching than their nine to five jobs. But what is interesting is that theparent organization was always offering them awards and certificates fortheir involvement," interjected the young man. "It was kind of nice gettingthe participation awards for ten years of service."

However, these awards are usually minor compared to the personalsatisfaction received. Although it is more the exception than the rule, Isuspect that a volunteer could become so involved in these external rewardsas to become hooked on them.

"I remember one of the first aid instructors who wanted his twentyyear participation patch even though he was tired of teaching. So in thatsense he was hooked."

"Good point," added McGregor. "Even so, in the absolute sense, thefirst aid instructor's dependency was much less than what most workersexperience."


"Yes, several orders of magnitude less, but never-the-less hooked."The young man was answering his own point as much as responding toMcGregor's. With the completion of this point, he had yet another questionabout the model that he needed answered. He worried that the modelsuggests that in order for people to be intrinsically motivated and to play atwork they must give up affluence. "Are you suggesting that to beintrinsically motivated and playing at work that you have to give up thegood life," questioned the young man.

"That's a question I often get," responded McGregor. "No, not at all.Actually, you can have your cake and eat it too." McGregor was sketchinganother diagram on the paper, this time with thick arrows goingeverywhere. Only a thin arrow remained which returned from the good lifeback to work. With a slight chuckle in his voice, McGregor continued. "Icall this the player with the good life. Think about the question which weuse as our litmus test. Can you walk away from your job? The questiondoesn't ask whether you have a big house, large car and whatever else, itonly asks if you are hooked on these things. It is your perception. If youperceive yourself as hooked, you are. If you are hooked then you feel as ifyou have to work rather than because you want to work."

"That covers most of my questions," noted the young man. "Did wemiss anything."


*

Find someone intrinsically motivated at work

and find someone who is truly productive.

*


"No, as the chart you created in your notebook suggests, we havepretty much covered everything," commented McGregor. However, beforeyou leave, I think that it would be fitting to show you a plaque in keepingwith Huizing's tradition. This plaque summarizes the importance of intrinsicmotivation in directed play and in increasing productivity.

As they had when they met, they shook hands as the young mandeparted. As the young man left the office to return to Huizing, he thoughtof the new perspective which he gained for motivation and the manager's


role in facilitating it in the workplace.

* * * * * * * * * *

"So tell me what you learned on your visit with McGregor?" askedHuizing.

"I always thought that intrinsic motivation was something which wasonly up to the individual. However, I had no idea that a manager couldfacilitate it within the work place. An employee who is intrinsicallymotivated is productive. In a sense, it becomes the supervisor's role to pointthem in the right direction," added the young man jokingly.


*

Not only is play fun,

but it is a good motivator,

and with directed play in the workplace,

it results in increased productivity.

*


"Remember when I asked the question why volunteers are moreproductive than the paid employees," continued Huizing. "Well, I like toreverse the question to show what we need to do as managers." Huizingleaned forward in his chair as he pointed to another plaque on the wall.

"Remember, we concluded that the volunteer was often moreproductive than the employee. Then the solution to productivity lies increating a work environment which mimics the situation of the volunteer,"continued Huizing. "Most of the techniques are already in existence. Thequestion is how do we use them. For example, many of our clients useManagement by Objectives or MBO as it is called by the insiders.Basically, the supervisor and the subordinate sit down with each other andcome to a mutual agreement on the subordinate's work objects for the nextwork period. It may seem to take longer to implement but productivity isgreater since both parties are in agreement."

"I see. Process is important to the final outcome," added the youngman. "I can also see how easy it is for the supervisor to resort to the carrotsand sticks approach as a way to avoid process."

"True, but don't confuse process with the supervisor's role in theorganization which is still to direct, control and coordinate employees,"noted Huizing. "Remember when you were a child and your mother toldyou to go outside and play. From the look on her face, you got the messagethat you'd better go outside. Although going outside was extrinsicallymotivated, once outside you played and had fun. Once again, you becameintrinsically motivated. Just as your mother directed and supervised what


you did, your supervisor does the same thing in the work place. This is hisresponsibility. However, it is important that the supervisor pay attention tothe process in order that you can direct your activities in a way that benefitboth yourself and the organization."

"So in a sense, directed play is a symbiotic relationship where boththe employee and the worker benefit," concluded the young man."However, for maximum benefit and productivity, the employer shouldfacilitate intrinsic rewards rather than the traditional extrinsic rewards foundin the workplace."

"Right," added Huizing. "W hen the employer creates a workenvironment that allows employees to enjoy their work and if they feel asif they are working because they want to rather than because they have to,then directed play can flourish in the workplace. Remember the first aidinstructor. He was doing the activities not only because managementdesired them, but because he found them enjoyable and because he wantedto do them. He was intrinsically motivated even though it was bymanagement's choice. The result is that he had fun. A second and equallyas important result was that he was extremely productive."

"So workers can use the two questions as a litmus test to determineif they are intrinsically motivated within the workplace," concluded theyoung man. He paused, then added. "And employers can use the same twoquestions to determine if their workers are intrinsically motivated."

"You've got it," complemented Huizing. "Tomorrow I want you tolook more deeply into the three components of play. I've arranged for youto meet with Lee. I think you will find him quite stimulating. He createsdesigner playgrounds."

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION - Frostburg State...

Documents

Transcript of INTRINSIC MOTIVATION - Frostburg State...