Increasing Motivation at Work
All motivation is internal, whether it is sparked by incentives, activities that improve our self-image, or activities that are intrinsically compelling that we do for no other reason than the delight they provide. For managers, executives, and human resources specialists, the subject of employee motivation may be rather intimidating.
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Organizations that provide their members fulfilling employment do more than just increase their bottom line; they also infuse their workplace cultures and the personal lives of their employees with a sense of vibrancy and fulfillment. A knowledge of motivation may be used in the workplace to increase employee productivity and happiness, define personal and organizational goals, reduce stress, and arrange tasks to provide the right amounts of challenge, autonomy, diversity, and cooperation.
In today’s growing technological economy, which is continually changing, motivation requires more than a stick-and-carrot strategy. According to research, the introduction of extrinsic rewards frequently stifles innovation and creativity, which are essential for developing fresh ideas and increasing productivity.
Activities that are interesting and difficult may frequently be satisfying in and of themselves. Rewards only function properly if they improve the capacity to accomplish something that has intrinsic value since they have a tendency to focus and narrow attention. Extrinsic motivation works the best when used to encourage workers to do repetitive and ordinary tasks, but it can be harmful for creative undertakings.
Only when the activity has been finished can incentives be offered; they should ideally be unexpected, spaced apart, and alternated between praise and material goods. It has also been shown that knowledge and meaningful, precise comments on the effort (rather than the person) are more helpful in boosting motivation than material rewards. According to expectancy theory, we are most motivated when we think that if we reach a feasible and valued goal, we will obtain the desired reward, and we are least motivated when we don’t care about the reward or don’t think that our efforts will result in the reward.