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Why intrinsic motivation can stimulate your potential better than monetary rewards?
In today's work environment, motivation is key to high performance for many people. However, experts still have a long-standing debate about the source of motivation, between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic rewards (such as monetary awards). This is not only an economic issue, but also a question that every professional must think about. Intrinsic motivation, which stems from personal interests and values, is generally considered to be the real driving force behind a person's taking on challenges, while monetary rewards are seen as extrinsic motivators.
“Intrinsic motivation makes people more engaged in their work and keeps them moving forward despite challenges.”
Research shows that when people rely primarily on extrinsic rewards, they may lose genuine interest in their work, a phenomenon known as the "overjustification effect." Specifically, when you focus too much on money or other external rewards, you lose sight of the intrinsic joy and meaning of your work. For example, many successful artists and musicians continue to create because of their love for creation rather than pursuing material rewards.
While monetary rewards may increase productivity in the short term, they often fail to sustainably motivate employees in the long term. In contrast, intrinsic motivations, such as a sense of self-actualization and personal accomplishment, are better able to stimulate potential and increase job satisfaction.
"True motivation comes from inner desire, not external rewards."
Many companies are beginning to recognize the importance of intrinsic motivation and are working hard to create a culture that can enhance employee job satisfaction, which often includes encouraging creativity, providing learning opportunities, and mutual support and cooperation. Through these measures, employees gain more self-control and satisfaction, thereby strengthening their connection with their work.
Balance of internal and external motivation
While intrinsic motivation is extremely influential, extrinsic rewards are not completely useless. Moderate monetary rewards can provide visible goals and motivate individuals to work toward specific outcomes. However, over-reliance on monetary rewards may cause employees to pursue superficial results while ignoring deeper growth.
Research has found that when employees feel their work adds value and that their work aligns with their values, intrinsic motivation increases. Therefore, when designing a reward system, companies should maintain a balance between internal and external motivations to improve the overall satisfaction and productivity of employees.
Eliminate misconceptions
In the pursuit of intrinsic motivation, many companies still have to deal with some misunderstandings. For example, simply increasing salaries or distributing bonuses does not necessarily improve morale. Sometimes, such actions may have the opposite effect. Research shows that if employees have too high expectations for monetary rewards, when the rewards are not what they expected, it will lead to greater loss and frustration.
Furthermore, emphasizing monetary rewards may divert employees from their work and cause them to ignore intrinsic rewards. Especially in a creative work environment, material rewards alone not only do not help improve work performance, but may even inhibit creativity.
"The key to improving intrinsic motivation is to make employees feel their own value and significance."
Therefore, companies can enhance intrinsic motivation by providing clear goals, a good working environment, and establishing good interpersonal relationships with colleagues. Such an environment not only promotes innovation, but also improves employee satisfaction. The key is to make everyone feel that their role is indispensable to the entire team and the company.
ConclusionIn the workplace, intrinsic motivation can stimulate people's potential and allow them to grow in challenges. Although monetary rewards are necessary, they are not the only solution. If companies can find the right way to combine internal and external motivations, they will undoubtedly create a good working ecology and improve overall performance.
In the face of today's rapidly changing business environment, what motivations should we value in order to truly realize our potential rather than just working for monetary rewards?
