{"id":1163,"date":"2010-11-17T12:59:49","date_gmt":"2010-11-17T11:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1163"},"modified":"2010-11-17T12:59:49","modified_gmt":"2010-11-17T11:59:49","slug":"difficult-nature-of-motivation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/2010\/11\/difficult-nature-of-motivation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Difficult Nature of Motivation"},"content":{"rendered":"

A guest post by Francis Briers<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Motivation is a word that is thrown around a lot in organisations.\u00a0 When talking about Leadership, \u201cmotivating others\u201d is often considered a key skill.\u00a0 I can understand why this is especially in corporate environments where there are significant numbers of roles which are essentially transactional or unqualified positions.\u00a0 Call centres, post rooms, cleaning companies, or \"\"<\/a>packaging depots spring to mind but I\u2019m sure there are many more.\u00a0 While some people are very happy in their jobs in these kinds of environments and will take pride in doing good work, there are many others for whom it will be \u201cJust a job\u201d and eventually you may end up with a large number of disengaged staff who will be minimally productive.\u00a0 I have seen all kinds of tactics employed to try and drive up productivity with greatly varying degrees of success, from Jack Welch-style hard line measures of raising the bar so the lowest performers can be \u201clegitimately\u201d fired; through to regular incentives and rewards, be it financial bonuses, cake day, or going home early.\u00a0 Motivation is not just an issue in terms of motivating others, however; it is also an issue in terms of motivating ourselves.\u00a0 Anyone who has ever tried to create a new habit or establish a new practice will know that this can be no mean feat.<\/p>\n

In this article I want to look at personal motivation first and then expand this out to organisational motivation.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying I have all the answers, you may not even get any answers from this article, but my hope would be that it may set you asking some of the right questions<\/p>\n

One of the first issues we have to deal with when considering motivation is excellently addressed by Alfie Kohn<\/a>.\u00a0 He\u2019s best known for his writing on parenting and schooling, although he has written about workplaces too and I\u2019d heartily recommend his work if you are interested in any of these fields.\u00a0 As a new parent I was reading his book \u2018Unconditional Parenting\u2019 and it was something he wrote there which inspired this article.\u00a0 The issue which I referred to as one of the first we must address is what kind<\/em> of motivation do you wish to create?\u00a0 The primary distinction is: intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.\u00a0 Mr Kohn describes it thus:<\/p>\n

\u201cIntrinsic motivation basically means you like what you\u2019re doing for it\u2019s own sake, whereas extrinsic motivation means you do something as a means to an end \u2013 in order to get a reward or avoid a punishment.\u00a0 It\u2019s the difference between reading a book because you want to find out what happens in the next chapter and reading because you\u2019ve been promised a sticker or a pizza for doing so.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The key point here isn\u2019t just that extrinsic motivation is different from the intrinsic kind, or even that it\u2019s inferior to intrinsic, although both statements are true.\u00a0 What I want to emphasise is that extrinsic motivation is likely to erode intrinsic motivation.\u00a0 As extrinsic goes up, intrinsic tends to come down.\u00a0 The more that people are rewarded for doing something, the more likely they are to lose interest in what they had to do to get the reward.\u00a0 Of course there are always qualifications and exceptions to any one-sentence summary of a psychological finding, but that basic proposition has been proven by literally scores of studies with people of different ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds \u2013 and with a variety of different tasks and rewards.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Many of you, having read this may be realising how much trouble we are in.\u00a0 Almost all of our systems from when we are young children right up to our adult workplaces are seemingly kept running by extrinsic forms of motivation.\u00a0 Thanks to many of the more common books and programmes on parenting strategies, subtle punishment such as \u201cTime-Outs\u201d and the \u201cNaughty Step\u201d are now the most common ways of disciplining children.\u00a0\u00a0 Extrinsic motivation.\u00a0 I remember working hard to try and get a Gold Star for my work at school as a young child and if anything these kinds of rewards are even more used now. Extrinsic motivation.\u00a0 Then my work started being graded and in the subjects I liked I really wanted to get and \u2018A\u2019.\u00a0 Extrinsic motivation.\u00a0 Similar forms of grading were used right through college and university.\u00a0 At work we have performance reviews and while these can be used as opportunities for honest conversation and feedback which can lead to a deep understanding of value and growth, all too often they become another kind of assessment.\u00a0 This is especially true in large organisations where reporting has to be generated from these performance reviews \u2013 scoring is the simplest way of creating comparable assessments.\u00a0 Extrinsic motivation.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying we should wholesale throw out all of these methods and approaches from the various areas of our lives, I\u2019m just trying to make the point that if intrinsic motivation is more effective, and it is eroded by the use of extrinsic motivation then even just trying to motivate ourselves we are fighting an uphill battle.\u00a0 The vast majority of us in the modern Western world are indoctrinated into the systemic use of extrinsic motivation from a very young age and right the way up through adulthood.\u00a0 If you genuinely believe that \u201cthe kids of today\u201d lack a proper work ethic and if, thinking this you want to understand why then this endemic of extrinsic motivation is a great place to start.\u00a0 The whole picture of why things are done this way, what exactly constitutes extrinsic motivation from the very subtle to the more obvious and from punishments through to rewards, and ideas on how to stop using punishments and rewards are thoroughly explored by Alfie Kohn in his books.\u00a0 His breadth of experience and depth of research is far greater than mine will probably ever be on this subject.\u00a0 What I would like to consider here is ways that we can re-build our personal capacity for intrinsic motivation, and then to look at how that understanding might apply to organisations.<\/p>\n

One of the key areas of experience which I think could bear fruit in looking at re-building capacity for intrinsic motivation is martial arts.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure that similar wisdom will be accessible from many practices which are engaged in over many years but martial arts has a particular resonance for me.\u00a0 As I describe further, perhaps you can reflect on your own practices.\u00a0 When most people begin martial arts training there is usually a clear motivation, and it is usually extrinsic in nature (i.e. there is a desired outcome I am working rather than just doing it because I love it).\u00a0 Some likely ones are: getting fit, being able to defend myself, looking tough, getting a black belt (status), or even just because it\u2019s cool!\u00a0 In all of these examples the motivation is not just for the love of the art.\u00a0 At least some of these were true for me when I began martial arts training over a dozen years ago and probably a few more besides.\u00a0 Let\u2019s face it, when you start something you usually don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like so there will likely be something else you\u2019re after to begin with.\u00a0 However, my experience is that over time these initial reasons have fallen away.\u00a0 This may not be the case for everyone, but it is the case for many of the serious martial artists I have spoken to.\u00a0 Over time I have come to practice the art just for its own sake.\u00a0 Even when I hit up against some resistance or boredom, still the reason I return to practice is because of the love of the thing, not some goal or agenda.\u00a0 I think developing this kind of ongoing practice over many years has the potential to help us regain a capacity for intrinsic motivation.\u00a0 If the practice of extrinsic motivation erodes intrinsic motivation then I would suggest that ongoing commitment to a practice which is intrinsically motivated has a good chance of helping us regain our capacity of intrinsic motivation.\u00a0 We may then be able to apply this form of motivation in other areas of our lives.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think martial arts is the only practice which can help us develop or re-find our capacity for intrinsic self-motivation, in fact perhaps anything when practiced long enough and consistently enough becomes something you do for the love of it rather than for an external benefit.\u00a0 Certainly I have seen the same kind of journey for a number for people with meditation.\u00a0 At first they do it because they want to be calmer, or more centred, or more spiritual, or to meet women (or men!), or to look cool, or to get enlightened, or many other things, but over time it just becomes something they do.\u00a0 Just for it\u2019s own sake.\u00a0 This is the heart of intrinsic motivation.<\/p>\n

So how is all this applied?\u00a0 It ain\u2019t easy, I\u2019ll give you that.\u00a0 In order to reap the benefits of an intrinsic motivation building practice you have to first find a practice you connect with enough and then you have to establish it as a practice.\u00a0 The first bit is really a matter of trying things out or reflecting on what you do already and I have a book coming out soon on turning regular activities into \u201cpractices\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s called \u201cA little book on finding your Way: Zen and the Art of Doing stuff.\u201d\u00a0 In terms of the second bit \u2013 establishing this thing you do as a practice \u2013 you are essentially building a whole new habit from scratch.\u00a0 Considering the extent to which we have been fed extrinsic motivation I think it\u2019s almost inevitable you might have to \u201creward\u201d yourself a bit at first even if it\u2019s only with the idea of losing some weight or being calmer.\u00a0 Just bear in mind the long-term picture too as you go so that you have a fighting chance of eventually letting go of the \u201crewards and punishments\u201d method of keeping practising.\u00a0 One thing to watch out for is internalising rewards and punishment rather than truly generating intrinsic motivation.\u00a0 One example of this might be this internal idea of \u201cthis practice is making me better at\u2026\u201d which is still an extrinsic motivator, albeit subtly so.\u00a0 A much more insidious example and one I have been tripped up by before is kicking yourself out of bed: the voice that internally whack\u2019s you on the head and says \u201ccome on, get out of bed (or off the sofa) and do your practice..\u201d\u00a0 It may seem like a good way to get into motion and certainly for me it was such a habit I didn\u2019t even realise I was doing it for a long time, but it is a form of self-punishment and therefore not only is it a subtle form of extrinsic motivation but it is also essentially self-abusive.\u00a0 It means your carefully nurtured practice will be built on a foundation of aggression and that is neither healthy, nor effective long term.<\/p>\n

You may be getting the sense that to be truly intrinsically motivated is a rare thing, and frankly, I think it is.\u00a0 We have created a culture based almost entirely on extrinsic motivation.\u00a0 So how do we even approach changing that organisationally?\u00a0 It\u2019s a big question and not one with a simple answer.\u00a0 As with changing it personally (or individually) it is potentially an uphill struggle, but that doesn\u2019t mean we shouldn\u2019t work for it.\u00a0 Imagine a workplace where no-one ever had to be disciplined and a manager is there to support innovation and optimisation of resource rather than \u201cmanaging people\u201d.\u00a0 One step could be for managers to take both more and less power.\u00a0 They would need to have more power to change the way the work gets done if they are to empower the team to do the work in the way that best suits their preferences, talents and personal motivation on any given day.\u00a0 I have at times been amazed at the jobs people love doing.\u00a0 There have been moments in corporate life where a job I\u2019m dreading has been picked up by someone else with glee \u2013 we both go away happy!\u00a0 Similar things happen at home with my Wife doing jobs and enjoying them when I really didn\u2019t want to do them and vice-versa.\u00a0 This kind of give and take requires flexibility which the defined roles of corporate life does not always allow for.\u00a0 The manager would need to take less power in terms of how they dictate the work.\u00a0 For the flexibility I have just described to be effective, team members need to have more room to choose the tasks they do.\u00a0 Obviously this won\u2019t always work but I would suggest it will work more often than you might think.\u00a0 Once again, I have been amazed at the jobs people will happily take on and enjoy that I wouldn\u2019t have picked up without serious coercion!\u00a0 Difference can be the source of effectiveness if properly taken advantage of.\u00a0 In this step of the manager taking on less power, a key ingredient will be real deep listening so that the talents, skills, and desires of the team members get heard.\u00a0 This kind of listening takes time, it requires us to slow down.\u00a0 Long term it will make for a more effective team, but short term it requires precious time so it is easy to forget to do it or dismiss it as an unnecessary luxury.\u00a0 I offer this to you not as someone with a perfect record when I have been in management roles but as someone who has made this very mistake and paid for it.\u00a0 Whether you want to work for intrinsic motivation or not, I\u2019d say real deep listening is one of the most vital skills of an effective manager.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve said I\u2019m not going to give you all the answers here.\u00a0 If you really want to create an environment where intrinsic motivation is the norm you are looking at a significant culture shift which begins with the individual.\u00a0 In making this culture shift you will need to give up using extrinsic motivators which will make for a bumpy ride for a while as people lose their incentives and aren\u2019t being poked into action by fear of the consequences.\u00a0 You need to recruit people who want something more than \u2018just a job.\u2019\u00a0 Many, many employers say that\u2019s the kind of people they want, but the hard part is then delivering a work environment that will actually engage these people when you find them.\u00a0 It\u2019s a tough question to ask yourself, but if you are a leader in an organisation it\u2019s a vital one: do you really<\/em> want people who want more than \u201cjust a job\u201d?\u00a0 Are you willing to do the work to keep them?\u00a0 Hopefully this article has helped you to see the playing field you\u2019re dealing with when it comes to transforming your culture of motivation, and maybe it\u2019s set you to asking some of the right questions, both individually and organisationally.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A guest post by Francis Briers Motivation is a word that is thrown around a lot in organisations.\u00a0 When talking about Leadership, \u201cmotivating others\u201d is often considered a key skill.\u00a0 I can understand why this is especially in corporate environments where there are significant numbers of roles which are essentially transactional or unqualified positions.\u00a0 Call centres, post rooms, cleaning companies, or packaging depots spring to mind but I\u2019m sure there are many more.\u00a0 While some people are very happy in their jobs in these kinds of environments and will take pride in doing good work, there are many others for <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[602],"tags":[1278,1408,1432,1494,1532,1592,1759],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9xvDN-iL","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}