I am motivated by a variety of factors, but I prioritize benefits, career advancement, and good relationships with co-workers. While I enjoy my work, I am only able to do so when I have professional and financial safety. I find work that challenges my skills and allows me to develop as a professional in my field to also be a vital motivator. Career advancement and recognition allow me to experience growth in my skills, adaptability, and professional identity. As such, I believe that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the most appropriate representation of my motivation (TK). This is because I always begin with meeting my primary needs, which include the substantial financial gain in the workplace in order to afford housing, food, and other resources. Once I have obtained my primary needs, I can begin to focus on my adaptation within a professional field and improvements within my skills.
A majority of responses indicated that passion for their work was a frequent motivator. They were often able to discern this by setting goals and then striving to achieve them. However, it can still be said that their approaches to motivation theory differed. Fewer people approached their drive to continue their work due to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but it was still present. Many were driven by self-actualization within a professional field or in order to better provide services within their spheres of work.
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation vary vastly in both their application and effectiveness in the workplace.
While extrinsic motivators provide reward as well as punishment, they cannot reach the contribution to motivation that intrinsic factors are able to provide. This is largely due to the fact that intrinsic motivation upholds the individual values and incentives of workers (Pink). These factors of motivation that come from identity are much more effective in the long run.
Work Cited
“The puzzle of motivation | Dan Pink”. YouTube, uploaded by TED, 2009, Web.