Motivation is a buzzword, often heard in coaching sessions and manager training. In this article, we look at what motivation means, what types it comes in, and give you some tips on how to increase motivation.
The development and optimisation of company operations can only be efficient and effective if everything is in place at employee level to achieve the best performance. Employees at all levels of the organisation need to be sufficiently motivated, otherwise programmes to improve the efficiency of project management will not be as effective as if everyone is sufficiently motivated.
In this article we review:
- the meaning and process of motivation,
- the types of motivation,
- and give you some practical advice on how to develop and improve motivation.
The meaning of motivation
The term motivation comes from the Latin word "movere", which means to move, to move, to move.
What is the motivation?
Motivation is the set of incentives or motives that lead us to act, to behave, to give us a rational reason to act and/or to increase our willingness to act.
Motivation is therefore the driving force that we can turn into action to achieve our goals. A lack of motivation can be compared to a vehicle running out of fuel.
The motivation process
The first step in the process of motivation is to recognise that something is missing, something is needed to maintain and achieve our well-being (or better-being). This triggers a need, a desire, that we must do something to fulfil.
We can visualise all this in a flowchart-like way:
| need, desire → motivation → action |
Types of motivation
The two main types of motivation are extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Below we look at what each means, and also what is most interesting: the relationship between the two.
External motivation
Extrinsic motivation (or extrinsic, instrumental motivation) is based on an external factor. That is, we act in order to obtain some reward or to avoid punishment.
Some examples of external motivating factors:
- pay rise,
- promotion,
- penalty,
- firing,
- good grades,
- Praise,
- popularity, fame.
Internal motivation
Intrinsic motivation (intrinsic or self-reward motivation) comes from the doer or the doing, the enjoyment of the activity.
The concept of intrinsic motivation can therefore mean:
- found joy in action, found joy in action,
- the drive to improve ourselves, to go beyond ourselves,
- the pleasure of seeking and experiencing new experiences.
Intrinsic motivation can also be described as the internalisation of extrinsic motivational factors.
The relationship between external and internal motivation
Internal motivation is clearly superior to external motivation. At the same time, there are times when, for lack of a better way, intrinsic motivation is the only motivation that can be used.
But that's not all. Research shows that doing something externally motivated, such as rewarding or doing it for the money, reduces intrinsic motivation. Therefore, if you are intrinsically motivated to do something, and you can do it, it is best to ignore external motivating factors as much as possible.
Tips for creating and developing motivation
Feeling unmotivated is something that everyone is likely to experience in their lives, and it can also be a major hindrance to getting things done at work. The following tips are not a panacea, but they can be effective in many cases - sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective.
1. Whatever you do, just do it
When someone is unmotivated, they only see problems and obstacles in front of them, which make it impossible to achieve their goals. But there's a trick: if you do get started and start doing it, the process almost always starts.
No matter how good or bad the result, the important thing is to get started. Because action, no matter what the outcome, can move you out of a deadlock. In other words, action in itself can motivate, and when you are motivated, you are even more able to act.
2. Identify sub-goals
If we are faced with a complex goal that seems difficult and distant, this in itself can be demotivating. In such cases, it is worth breaking the task down into smaller parts. Achieving these sub-goals is much easier, they are within reach, and it is therefore much easier to get the necessary motivation.
3. Start with the easiest tasks
It is worth moving from the easier tasks to the harder ones. This way, you can achieve success right from the start with a small investment of energy. Feeding on these, it will be easier to tackle the next more difficult task in the sequence. This is in fact a micro-management of motivation development.
4. Get enough sleep, eat a varied diet
It seems cliché, but it's not: the "root cause" of demotivation is exhaustion. If we don't provide our bodies with the nutrients they need to function and the right amount and quality of rest, we won't be able to act motivated.
So adequate sleep and eating alone is not enough to create intrinsic motivation, but without it, it is impossible to get it. Just as a school-leaving certificate is not enough to get a good job, without it there is no chance of getting one.
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