Three Key Motivators at Work

When employers first tried to motivate employees, their approach was almost entirely based on incentive pay: paying for piecemeal output so employees would work faster and produce more. But in our modern economy and workplace, motivation is far more complex. In a post in TED’s “How To Be A Better Human” series David Burkus, PhD., associate professor of management at Oral Roberts University and author of Under New Management, outlines three drivers of motivation according to self-determination theory (a theory of behavior that addresses people's inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs).

1. Autonomy: In the context of work, autonomy means people feel they have a say in what they work on and how they work on it. They feel empowered rather than micromanaged. Creating a sense of autonomy in an individual or team can come from mutually assigned objectives and deadlines, or by giving people more freedom over where they work and what they work on.
2. Competence: This refers to the desire to experience mastery. People are motivated through learning at work. To facilitate learning, managers can offer constructive feedback, give praise when warranted, and take the time to celebrate wins, large and small.
3. Relatedness: Relatedness refers to our desire to connect with others. Humans are much more motivated to take actions when they’re seen as pro-social — that is, when they’re seen as being able to help other people. Creating a sense of relatedness in an individual or on a team means making sure people build connections to each other. “But it also means making sure people know the significance of what they’re being asked to do and how it relates to the whole team and the organization’s larger objectives. Even better, you might frame the team’s work in a way that makes it quite clear exactly who is helped by the actions of the organization, the team, and even the individual.”

What motivates you at work, and how do you help motivate others? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

---