Employee motivation is one of the most important factors that can make a company thrive. It is the combination of reasons, desires, and incentives that lead employees to perform with commitment and enthusiasm.
It is what drives them to give their best, to pursue goals and to feel satisfied with the tasks they perform. In short, it is the “fuel” that gives life and directs the behavior of the team in the workplace.
And, despite its importance, do you really know what motivates your employees? Salary is important, yes. But science and analysis have shown that there is much more at stake.
Read on to discover what factors keep your employees’ passion on fire !
Extrinsic or Intrinsic Motivation?
Employee motivation can be categorized into two main types: extrinsic and intrinsic. Both play a crucial role in employee morale and productivity, although they work in very different ways.
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation refers to the external factors that drive employees to perform their tasks. These are:
- Tangible rewards: Monetary incentives such as bonuses, salary increases, gifts and prizes are classic examples of extrinsic motivation.
- Promotions and advancement: The opportunity for advancement within the organizational hierarchy is a strong extrinsic motivator.
- Public recognition: Being recognized in front of colleagues for achievements and good performance also works as an external stimulus.
It should be noted that, although extrinsic motivation is very effective in accelerating productivity in the short term, in the long term it is not only ineffective, but can even be counterproductive.
Intrinsic Motivation
On the other hand, intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual and is linked to personal satisfaction and passion for the work being done. It includes:
- Personal satisfaction: The gratification derived from completing tasks and achieving personal and professional goals.
- Passion for work: A genuine love for what you do and the desire to contribute positively.
- Continuous learning and development: Intrinsic motivation also highlights the opportunity to learn, grow and develop professionally.
Unlike the previous one, intrinsic motivation does tend to be a more sustainable motivator in the long term since it is rooted in the employee’s personal values and desires.
The importance of knowing how to distinguish between different types of motivation
Understanding the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is essential for organizations looking to establish effective motivation strategies.
For a team to work happily and efficiently, it is good to combine both types in perfect balance. That is, to give rewards and recognition, but also to make sure that people enjoy what they do.
In this way, team leaders create a positive and productive work environment that benefits both the employee and the organization as a whole.
Key employee motivation theories that you should know
If you want to know how to increase your team’s morale, then you’ll be interested in knowing which factors most influence their motivation.
These factors vary depending on the author, so let’s look at the most important work motivation theories:
1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
Maslow’s well-known pyramid explains that an employee is motivated when five different types of needs are met:
- Physiological needs: These would be satisfied with an adequate salary and comfortable working conditions.
- Security needs: Refers to job security, understood as having a stable position, as well as social benefits and a work environment without risks to physical and mental health.
- Social needs: Promote camaraderie and cultivate a sense of belonging to a team.
- Esteem needs: These are met through recognition of a job well done, respect for the individual and the status to which he or she belongs.
- Self-realization: Finally, this would include opportunities for personal and professional development and the realization of individual potential.
2. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory
We’ve previously discussed this theory in depth here. But to summarise, Herzberg insists that motivation depends on two key elements that must be in constant balance:
Hygienic factors (dissatisfactory)
Those that do not produce motivation but that, when poorly managed, harm the employee experience. These are:
- Working conditions.
- Salary.
- Company policies.
- Job security.
- Interpersonal relationships.
Motivating factors (satisfiers)
These factors do drive motivation and are the ones we want to keep team morale high. They include:
- Recognition.
- Achievement.
- Responsibility.
- Interesting and challenging work.
- Opportunities for growth and promotion.
3. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory suggests that an employee’s motivation is determined by the expectation that his or her effort will lead to good performance and, therefore, to desirable outcomes.
It basically focuses on individual perceptions and how they influence decisions about whether it is worth working to achieve the goal. To do so, the author focuses on three essential variables:
- Expectancy: Belief that effort will lead to performance.
- Instrumentality: Belief that performance will lead to results.
- Valence: Value given to results or rewards.
4. Adams’ Equity Theory
Adams proposes that employees evaluate the fairness of their rewards by comparing their effort and the rewards received with those of their peers and others in similar positions. So, the perception of fairness or inequity will influence their motivation and performance.
- Internal equity: Comparison of effort and reward with that of others within the same organization.
- External equity: Comparison of effort and reward with that of others in similar roles in other organizations.
That said, if employees feel that they are treated the same as everyone else, they will feel motivated and satisfied because they will not notice any inequality.
On the other hand, if they feel inequity, that is, they see that managers give more benefits to other colleagues, they are more likely to become frustrated and demotivated. In fact, inequity in the treatment of employees can even lead to absenteeism or high employee turnover.
5. Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory
Similar to Maslow’s Pyramid, these two authors suggest that employee motivation is influenced by the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs:
- Autonomy: Degree of control that the employee has over his or her work.
- Competence: Feeling of skill and mastery at work.
- Relationship: Connection and social support with others in the work environment.
When these three needs are met, employees are more likely to feel motivated, engaged and satisfied in their work. Furthermore, together, these needs foster intrinsic motivation, which, as mentioned above, is crucial for employee well-being and sustained performance.
6. Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory
Based on operant conditioning, it states that employee behavior can be shaped through the use of reinforcements and punishments. Thus, it focuses on how the consequences of an action influence the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future.
For this occasion we will focus on the first two:
- Positive reinforcement: Giving praise or rewards when employees do something well motivates them to repeat that behavior.
- Negative reinforcement: Removing unpleasant tasks when an employee does a good job also motivates repeating that behavior. For example, if an employee meets their sales goal, relieving them of some administrative tasks they find boring would increase the likelihood that they will meet their goal again in the future.
So, according to Skinner, if we use these principles appropriately, we can improve the employee motivation and performance of team members.
7. Locke and Latham’s Goal Theory
Finally, this theory suggests that to boost employee motivation, we need to set goals, as they provide direction and a standard for measuring progress.
But not just any goal will do fine. They must meet five criteria:
- Clarity: Goals must be specific and clear.
- Difficulty: They also need to be challenging but achievable.
- Commitment: Goals will not be achieved if employees are not committed to them.
- Feedback: Managers and directors must keep their team updated on the progress of the objectives.
- Task complexity: If the objective to be achieved is complex or requires a lot of effort, it will be divided into smaller goals to be achieved step by step, always complying with the previously mentioned criteria.
As you can see, employee motivation is multifaceted and requires a holistic approach that goes far beyond a simple salary.
But, how do you know which factors are most relevant to your employees?
Keep it simple with Team Insights. Our tool will allow you to understand the needs and desires of your team, providing the information you need to create a more effective and motivating work environment.
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