Beyond "Carrot and Stick": Unlocking High Motivation
Our motivation stems from a combination of internal and external factors. For example, we might pursue our professional endeavours for both the expectation of fair compensation and the genuine appreciation for our work.
Nevertheless, external factors can occasionally hinder our intrinsic motivations, despite good intentions.
Therefore, the question arises: How can we inspire and motivate our teams without relying on ineffective "carrot and stick" methods?
Studies conducted by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan www.selfdeterminationtheory.org suggest that external rewards have the potential to erode our internal drive when we perceive our actions as externally controlled. Deci and Ryan’s research identified three core psychological needs — autonomy, competence, and relatedness — that significantly influence our motivation.
How to Facilitate Autonomous Motivation
To effectively nurture both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, it's crucial to address these core psychological needs. How can we ensure that each of these needs is adequately considered and supported?
Autonomy support
Studies show that higher autonomy levels lead to higher motivation. In contrast, when individuals perceive external control, their well-being and performance tend to suffer. When motivating others, it's essential to begin by comprehending their perspective on autonomy and understanding the challenges and obstacles they encounter.
Here are several strategies that promote autonomy:
Encourage initiative and ownership:
Effective motivators foster proactivity, experimentation, and novel inputs. When individuals are empowered to take initiative in their tasks, they develop a sense of ownership, leading to increased motivation.
Avoid rewards in a controlling manner:
Using rewards to incentivise behaviours can inadvertently diminish autonomy. When rewards are perceived as controlling, they undermine intrinsic motivation and reduce the sense of ownership.
Provide meaningful choices:
When assisting someone in acquiring new behaviours, allowing them to choose their approach to the task and the strategies they employ can enhance motivation.
Use autonomy-supportive language:
Words that offer choices and acknowledge ownership are crucial to promote autonomy, whereas statements that impose obligations (e.g., "must," "should," "have to") should be avoided.
Competence support
Supporting competence is essential when motivating, as individuals are unlikely to fully integrate something into their behaviour unless they feel competent in it.
Design activities targeting personal mastery:
To facilitate the adoption of new practices, design environments that offer "optimal challenges." These challenges allow individuals to succeed most of the time while still feeling sufficiently engaged and challenged to pursue the activity and develop personal competence.
Focus praise on personal efforts and achievements:
Positive feedback is a powerful motivator, but it should emphasise individual accomplishments rather than comparisons with others. Recognising personal initiative and achievement boosts motivation effectively, as opposed to highlighting performance on assigned tasks only.
Provide informational feedback:
Effective motivators offer feedback that is informative rather than evaluative. This type of feedback fosters a sense of support and psychological safety, encouraging individuals to persist and succeed despite making mistakes.
Relatedness support
Supporting relatedness is essential when motivating your teams, because individuals are more likely to adopt the values and standards of someone, they feel connected to.
Demonstrate respect for individuals:
It's crucial to convey respect for individuals when motivating them, making them feel valued, significant, and recognised as active participants.
Provide care and support during challenges:
When individuals encounter difficulties in adopting new behaviours, showing care and support fosters an atmosphere of warmth and inclusion. Research indicates that people are more motivated when they feel that the motivator genuinely cares for them.
Dare to motivate differently!
These facilitating conditions — Autonomy Support, Competence Support, and Relatedness Support — activate the intrinsic motivations inherent in each of us.
By incorporating these strategies, organisations can create an environment where individuals feel valued, competent, and connected, leading to increased engagement, productivity, and overall well-being among team members.