Something that fits within your work strategy, whether that’s in your digital strategy or not, is your motivation. Sometimes, we all struggle with it. It could be Monday morning, hump day, or a weekend approaching that just drains your productivity. The worst part is, no one knows when it’s coming. I don’t know about you, but I know the times where I’m more likely to procrastinate. That’s why knowing about intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation matters; be aware of your behaviour and understand exactly why you feel that way. What motivates you? What works best for your working strategy?

What is Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation?

Let’s jump right into the definition of intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation and why you should be able to identify them. Intrinsic motivation is more internal. It’s when you take into consideration the personal reward. Extrinsic is based on what kind of reward you’re going to get on the outside such as a practical outcome. Basically, one is from the inside and one is from the outside, but they can both work together in your working strategy. 

Intrinsic Motivation

So, intrinsic motivation is probably the one that’s going to be the most long term, because it’s the one that is the most personally rewarding. Therefore, it’s going to be more fulfilling. You’re more likely to use intrinsic motivation whilst you’re working if you are doing something that you’re passionate about. You will run on your passion for the subject rather than the chance of a bonus or a pay rise for example. You can support intrinsic motivation at work by giving people feedback or positive comments about their work. 

Extrinsic Motivation

With extrinsic motivation, if you think about it, it might lead to being less effective when you reach a certain point. Thinking about if you work better on extrinsic motivation, you could review the type of work that you’re doing. Is it really fulfilling? There will be times when you won’t like a task at work – that’s inevitable. So, that’s where extrinsic motivation comes in, because you’ll do the task because you’re motivated by hitting your quarterly goals, which leads to hitting KPIs and higher ROI for example. 

Identifying intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation; the key to finding out what motivates you and what will work for you successfully. Making sure that you understand exactly why you are doing a task and your reasons behind it will play a part in how you work. Additionally, they both have an effect on how you work as well. The right balance of them is what is going to drive a successful working strategy and lead the way for your working week of tasks. Then, you can reflect and review them if you need to. Really think about it: what motivates you?

Here at Alcimi, we specialise in business strategy through digital transformation. Contact us and say hi, we’d love to see how we can help your business or organisation!