The three types of motivation are extrinsic, intrinsic, and passive. If you want to create an atmosphere where your employees feel inspired to do their best work and be happy with their jobs, you should use the three different types of motivation in management effectively. Let’s take a look at each one and how they work to motivate employees in different ways.
Different People
You may be familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which was developed by Abraham Maslow and proposes that our motivation is driven by basic human needs. There are three types of motivation at play here: physiological (or deficiency-based), safety, and love/belonging.
A deficiency-based motivation looks to satisfy a basic need by achieving a goal. Examples include eating food to stay alive or earning money to buy shelter and food. A safety-based motivation involves achieving goals that keep us safe, such as ensuring we aren’t walking into traffic on a busy street or driving our car without speeding.
Different Situations
The three different types of motivation are Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Reconciliation. Each has its place. We will discuss each type and how it can be applied to your personal management style. While we cover each one, it is important to note that you will use a combination of these motivations throughout your career and there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to do things.
Let’s start with extrinsic motivation. This form of motivation comes from outside factors and usually involves a negative consequence. If an employee doesn’t complete their tasks, then they will lose their job. This has always been one of our favorite motivations to use when dealing with slackers as it is easy to understand and employees respond well to it. That being said, we have found that too much extrinsic motivation can have a negative effect on employee performance, leading them to slack off and try to find ways around your system instead of getting results that you want and need.
Different Results
There are essentially three types of motivation: internal, external, and mixed. Internal motivation comes from an individual’s own desire to be effective at their job. External motivation is driven by outside forces like money or power. Mixed motivation is a combination of internal and external factors that affects an employee’s work performance. Let’s explore these further, with examples drawn from popular movies that illustrate each type.
Internal motivation – When an employee’s motivation comes from within, they’re highly engaged in their work. They feel like they have a vested interest in the company and its mission because it reflects their own values and beliefs. They feel good about what they do, leading to positive results for both themselves and their employer. External motivation – When an employee is motivated by money or power, they are usually only interested in short-term success. Their objective is to gain status or rewards and accomplish as little as possible to reach those goals. Mixed motivation – In some cases, employees may have both internal and external motivations that influence their performance at work.