INTRINSIC MOTIVATION - Frostburg State...

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INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

The young man entered the office building. It was typical of most office

buildings with large stainless steel letters of the company on the side of the

building advertising the company. The well maintained grounds abounded with

patios, trees and shrubbery. Large plate glass windows lined the interior walls

providing visual access to these outdoor treats. Walking through a set of double

doors, the young man entered a reception area where he was greeted by the

receptionist.

"I am here to see McGregor," announced the young man.

"Yes," replied the receptionist. "He is expecting you." The receptionist

rang McGregor's office.

In about a minute, a middle aged man emerged from around the corner. He

thrust his hand forward to shake the young man's hand. After a brief exchange,

McGregor escorted the young man to his office. They both sat down in a small

lounge area next to McGregor's desk. "So you're the young man interested in

learning about directed play."

"Yes," responded the young man. Hugh said you were the expert on

intrinsic motivation."

"Expert remains to be seen," replied McGregor with a laugh. "That is for

others to determine. However, I do have some expertise in directed play and in

particular, in facilitating intrinsic motivation within the workplace."

"So, where do we start?" asked the young man.

"At the beginning," replied McGregor. He paused just long enough to

collect his thoughts. "Most of us start out working in a career of our choosing.

Generally, we like what we are doing and we chose the career because we thought

that we would like what the career offers. At some point we begin to buy things

not only to survive but to live well. Maybe at first it is because we work to provide

food on the table and a roof over our heads. Providing these basic needs is a

concept which has always been linked to the idea of work. But at some point we

begin to buy what some people call the "good life." We may buy the good life for

Intrinsic Motivation /2-2

a host of different reasons. Some people buy the good life for prestige and status,

some because advertising suggests that they need it, some because society

determines success by it and some simple because it makes their lives more

comfortable. It doesn't really matter why people buy the good life. Unfortunately,

in buying the good life, many people become trapped in a situation where they

have to work to support their possessions. These obligations and responsibilities

manifest themselves in terms of mortgages, automobile loans and credit card debt."

"I think I see what you are driving at," responded the young man in an

unsure and questioning tone.

"Let me give you a specific case," added McGregor. "Recently, I went to

my twentieth year high school reunion. One of my high school friends, John, with

whom I had long lost contact over the years had become a highly successful trial

lawyer in the Atlanta area. As I talked with him for a while, several things became

evident. He complained a lot about his job, kind of like the war stories after the

camping trip in the rain where everything went wrong. Although he didn't dislike

what he was doing, he was not happy. The pressure of the job was getting to him

and he was worried about medical problems that were most likely job related. I

asked him if he could walk away from his job. After a moment's thought he

responded with a firm no. He was thinking of the mortgage, the family, and the

lifestyle to which he had become accustomed. The long and the short of it was that

he was trapped. He was no longer working because he wanted to work, but

because he had to work. His work wasn't play anymore."

"So John's story is typical of many employees in the workplace today,"

noted the young man.

"His story contains the basic elements of a motivation model and what we

call the ‘work trap.’ John was definitely caught in the ‘work trap,’ continued

McGregor. "I have developed two simple questions which help determine if you

are caught in the work trap. These are the same two questions which form the

basis of a motivational model. I use them as a litmus test, sort of speaking." He

took the notebook off the young man's lap and carefully printed the first question

on the next page. The question read, "Do you enjoy what you are doing?"

"A simple yes or no answer will suffice. Listen to your gut as well as your

head. Focus on the work itself, not what you buy with your paycheck. If you enjoy

what you are doing then you are probably working because you want too; you are

probably intrinsically motivated.

Taking the notebook back from the young man, McGregor printed the


second question underneath the previous question. As he handed it back to the

young man for his inspection, McGregor commented, "I call this the ‘walk-away

principle’ or stated as a question: Can you walk away from your job?"

With but a brief pause long enough for the young man to look at the

question, McGregor went on to clarify it. "I realize that financially most people are

not sufficiently independent to simply leave their jobs. The question encapsules a

truth about our lives. Like John, are we tied to the obligations that our possessions

create upon us or are we sufficiently free of them? Most often it is our perception

more than some absolute dollar figure. Never-the-less, it is how we perceive our

situation that is important. The bottom line is that if you feel you can walk-away

from your job, you are free; if not, then you are working because you have too, not

because you want too.

"Let me draw you the motivational model that explains the relationship

between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation." McGregor took the notebook again.


He flipped the page. In the middle of the next page, he printed the words "WORK,

PLAY, and ACTIVITY." To the right he printed the phrase "EXTERNAL

REWARDS," and to the left he printed "PERSONAL SATISFACTION." Above

"WORK" he printed "Produces." As he continued to draw the model he began to

provide commentary for the diagram. "We work and our work produces products

or outcomes." He drew a circular arrow toward the right. "On the one hand we

earn money with which we buy our substance and if we do well, we buy the good

things in life. The key to these things is that we are buying these things outside of

or external to the work. If you work for the good life and these types of rewards

you tend to be extrinsically motivated." Then he drew another arrow from

external rewards to work. "The demands of the good things in life, in turn,

influence why we work. This is normal and expected. The question is does it

adversely affects why we work."

Then he drew another circular arrow to the left extending from work to

personal satisfaction. "On the other hand, what we produce from our work

provides us with personal satisfaction. I work because I like to work and because I

like to work, I work more."

"Isn't that a cyclical argument," asked the young man.

"In a sense it is," noted McGregor. "But it makes the point that the


satisfaction come from within the individual. It also shows that in the circle

diagramed, how closely the person's satisfaction and participation are intertwined

with each other. If you work for personal satisfaction you tend to be intrinsically

motivated."

McGregor paused for a moment, then continued. "Virtually, any activity we

do has elements of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. For example, you may

have played baseball or football because you gained a great deal of satisfaction

from the activity. However, you may have also played to win the championship or

a trophy, an example of extrinsic motivation. The same is true for work or for that

matter any activity. They may contain elements of both intrinsic and extrinsic

motivation."

The young man began to summarize. "For the intrinsically motivated, the

cycle is relatively small and tight. I work because I like to work and that is why I

continue to work. The reward is in the doing and that provides the incentive to

continue. In contrast, if I work for reasons external to the satisfaction provided by

my work such as to buy the good life, then I am extrinsically motivated."

"You've got it," noted McGregor. Then McGregor pointed to a plaque on

his wall. It stated that ‘people who work because they enjoy working are motivated

from within. People who work because they want to obtain the good life, are

motivated from without.’

A broad beaming smile emerged on the young man's face; he had put two

and two together and now he was ready to place another piece into McGregor's


model. "Oh, now I see it!" he exclaimed. "Do I enjoy what I am doing is a

question designed to determine if I am intrinsically motivated and your walk-away

principle is designed to determine my level of extrinsic motivation."

"Very good!" Added McGregor as he complimented the young man. Next,

the McGregor took the young man’s notepad and then began to shade in the

arrows on the extrinsic side of the model. A diagram of the work trap was

unfolding in front of them on the paper. Next, he added the two questions to the

model developing in front of them on the paper. Then he made a very important

point. "Also, the walk-away principle does not deny you the opportunity to buy

yourself the good things in life. It only asks if you have become too dependent or

hooked on them, thus trapping you in an undesirable situation."

"Hence the work trap," noted the young man as he looked at the title on top

of the page on which the model was diagramed.

"Let's look at John's situation in terms of the model," continued McGregor.

"It provides an excellent place to start with the model." He drew two thick arrows,

one from work to external rewards, and the other from external rewards back to

work. He left the thin arrows to and from personal satisfaction. "Although John

may have initially worked for personal satisfaction, at some point in his career, his


rewards structure changed. Maybe he became bored or tired. Perhaps there was no

novelty or newness in what he did anymore. Although he still receives some

personal satisfaction from his work he doesn't really enjoy it. And why doesn't he

find new work? Why doesn't he find something he likes to do?"

"Because he is trapped," continued the young man. "It is like someone

switched off the light switch and the room went from bright and alive to pitch

dark. In John's case the flow went from one side of the model to the other. For

him, the rewards switched from intrinsic to extrinsic. For reasons known only to

John, he got caught in a cycle where he worked for the good things in life only to

find that those very possessions boomeranged back on him preventing him from

seeking more rewarding work. In a sense, he became a bird trapped in a gilded

cage."

"Well put," added McGregor. In terms of the questions asked, John’s

answered a ‘no’ to both questions. “He didn’t like what he was doing, and he

could leave his job.”

"In contrast to John’s situation, the volunteer is focusing on the intrinsic

motivation section of the model." In the young man's notebook, McGregor drew

the motivation model for the volunteer, this time with thick arrows on the personal


satisfaction side of the model. "Remember the volunteer steps onto the playground

and can step off the playground at any time. By definition, the volunteer can walk

away from the job (volunteering) at any time he wants. Volunteers want to

volunteer because the manager usually structures the work environment to be

personally satisfying for the volunteer. The volunteer responds by being satisfied

and continues to volunteer because they like their experience."

"What about extrinsic motivation," questioned the young man.

"Extrinsic motivation is present even for the volunteer," noted McGregor.

"Unlike the paid employee who needs to make a living, most managers usually

offer trophies, awards, service pins, and other benefits to reward the volunteer.

"I see, when I was with Hugh I used as an example the first aid instructors

who I knew who were really into first aid instruction. In fact, they were more

involved in their teaching than their nine to five jobs. But what is interesting is that

the parent organization was always offering them awards and certificates for their

involvement," continued the young man. "It was kind of nice getting a

participation award for ten years of service."

“However, these awards are usually minor compared to the personal

satisfaction received. Although it is more the exception than the rule, I suspect that

a volunteer could become so involved in these external rewards as to become

hooked on them.” The young man continued. "I remember one of the first aid

instructors who wanted his twenty year participation patch even though he was

tired of teaching. So in that sense he was hooked."

"Good point," added McGregor. "Even so, in the absolute sense, the first

aid instructor's dependency was much less than what most employees experience."

"Yes, several orders of magnitude less, but never-the-less hooked." The

young man was answering his own point as much as responding to McGregor's.

With the completion of this point, he had yet another question about the model

that he needed answered. He worried that the model suggests that in order for

people to be intrinsically motivated and to play at work they must give up

affluence. "Are you suggesting that to be intrinsically motivated and playing at

work that you have to give up the good life," questioned the young man?

"That's a question I often get," responded McGregor. "No, not at all.

Actually, you can have your cake and eat it too." McGregor was sketching another

diagram on the paper, this time with thick arrows going everywhere. Only a thin

arrow remained which returned from the good life back to work. With a slight


chuckle in his voice, McGregor continued. "I call this the player with the good

life. Think about the question which we use as our litmus test. Can you walk away

from your job? The question doesn't ask whether you have a big house, large car

and whatever else, it only asks if you are hooked on these things. It is your

perception. If you perceive yourself as hooked, you are. If you are hooked, then

you feel as if you have to work rather than because you want to work."

“I see that I can still have the good life. It is only when I become hooked on

them and when they interfere with what truly motivates me that I get into trouble,”

noted the young man. “I see how the motivational model works for me. However,

how does it help in managing the employee?”

“A good question,” noted McGregor. He reached into the draw of his desk

and pulled out a handout which he handed to the young man. It was titled

Managing the Employee for Directed Play. The question on the vertical axis asks

‘can you walk away from your job?’ and the question on the horizontal axis asks

‘do you enjoy what you are doing?’ Each question asked a yes/no question which

made a two by two table which had four cells. McGregor watched patiently as the

young man examined the table.


After a minute or so of examining the table, the young man asked

McGregor a question. “Since John answered no to both questions, his case seems

to fall in the lower right cell of the table. If you were John's employer, what would

you do for him knowing his responses to the two questions? Also, since intrinsic

motivation occurs from within the person, how can you manage it?"

“We will take the last question first,” responded McGregor. “You are

correct. However, you can create a situation or an environment within the

workplace which facilitates intrinsic motivation. I think that this will become self-

evident from the table.”

After a brief pause, McGregor continued. "John hated what he was doing

and he couldn’t walk away from his job. In terms of the table, for John this is a

no/no response. It puts him into the lower right cell on the table.”

"Interesting," commented the young man. “What does the manager need to

do for John?”

"In John's case we need to focus on both sides of the model." continued

McGregor. "For example, there are things which the manager could do to focus on

the intrinsic motivation or left side of the model. The manager might attempt to

increase his personal satisfaction so that he might become more involved in his

work again. If I were the manager, perhaps I would give him a new assignment or

structure his work load to create newness. If in working with him, we determined

that he is suffering from burnout and really needs to find work outside our

organization, I would provide him with career counseling. Perhaps I would give

him a leave of absence or vacation time to take a course or time just to think things

out. In this case, I am attempting to get him off the playing field since he is an

injured player. The point is that we would develop a plan of action to get him

playing at work again."

After a pause to regain his breadth, he continued. "Also, we would focus on

the other side or the extrinsic motivation side of the model. We provide seminars

and workshops on the ‘work trap’ and how to avoid it. Perhaps John's financial

burden is temporary such as putting his children through college. Perhaps it is

more chronic and he needs the assistance of financial planners. Often recognition

of the problem is half of the solution."

"Don't you have an ethical problem here?" questioned the young man.

"Couldn't some people consider this meddling in the personal affairs of your

employees?"


"Yes, you are absolutely correct," noted McGregor. "For this reason we

don't do as much on this side of the equation as we might."

"Why would you do all this for John?" asked the young man. "Aren't you

providing him with a lot of support services? Is it really cost effective?"

"Think of the alternatives?" asked McGregor rhetorically. "First, John is not

really productive and in a service industry such as his, this can be devastating

since it affects everyone around him. Then there is the problem which he creates

for other employees. In a sense, he becomes the rotten apple who begins to spoil

the other apples in the barrel. Other employees see us not helping John and learn

that if they get into a similar plight we won't help them either. And if we fire John,

even for his own good, the lesson learned is even worse. They learn that if they get

into a similar situation, they are better off trying to hide it, a strategy which

usually is unsuccessful since it is transparent to everyone watching. They learn

that they too might be fired which makes them nervous, apprehensive and less

intrinsically motivated. This reduces productivity. The net result is that people

who should leave and find new work stick around like rotten apples in the barrel

infecting everyone else in the workplace.

"Interesting," commented the young man. "So the opposite is true also. By

helping John you either get him productive again within your organization or you

move him out. However, since John has moved himself out of the organization the

other employees see that you have treated him fairly and conclude that they too

will be treated with the same standard of care. Morale is maintained and people

can focus on producing."

"Good summary," complemented McGregor. "Inadvertently, a lot of

people get caught in the work trap. However, the work trap can be used to explain

Maslow's hierarch of needs, particularly everyone's quest to become self-

actualized. The problem is that the model describes the condition, but it doesn't tell

you how to achieve the self-actualized state. We can use the motivation model and

the work trap quite effectively here to help people self-actualize.

In general, we as a society have tended to move to the trap side of the

model and toward extrinsic rewards to obtain satisfaction of our needs. For

example, esteem needs are fulfilled by the big house on the hill, the luxury

automobile, private schools for the kids and who knows what. This is not to deny

self-esteem defined by attributes other than material objects. It is just that in our

society we tend to emphasized material objects to define who we are.

"In a sense, it is kind of like the popular slogan: he who dies with the most


toys, wins," noted the young man.

"Unfortunately, that summarizes it very well," lamented McGregor. After a

brief pause, he continued, “The problem is that self-actualization emphasizes

intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation. After a lifetime of obtaining

the good life for extrinsic rewards including esteem, it is difficult for people to

switch their thinking to the intrinsic rewards associated with self-actualization. "

"I see your point," commented the young man. "It is kind of like trying to

teach an old dog new tricks."

"This is why directed play is so important. From the beginning, it starts you

on the right track toward self-actualization." McGregor paused and chuckled to

himself. As he said this he leaned back in his chair and pointed to the plaque on

the wall. "For this reason, we have taken your popular slogan and changed it to

emphasize play." It states that ‘the person who dies with the most toys worked the

hardest. The person who dies have played the hardest, had the most fun.’

“Or,” as the young man interjected. "Some people might say that ‘the

person who dies with the most joys wins.’ They both laughed.

A knock on the door interrupted their trend of thought. In walked Greg.

"Excuse me, you need to sign these papers so that we can send them out

immediately."

As he briefed the papers he introduced Greg to the young man. McGregor


looked at the young man and then back at Greg and asked. "How are the kids

doing?"

"You had to ask," responded Greg. "This year both kids are in college. Next

year the oldest graduates," He paused, then sighed in relief at the thought that

some of his financial burden would be lifted next year. He smiled. "Then there is

only one more to get through."

"It will be all over in another five years which should make it bearable,”

replied McGregor in a reassuring voice. He handed the papers back to Greg who

left the office.

Turning to the young man, McGregor made a comment on Greg's situation.

"Greg enjoys his work, unfortunately, he feels the weight of the world on his

shoulders with two children in college at the same time. If we asked Greg if he

could walk away from his job, we would get a resounding no. Fortunately, for

Greg, this is a manageable short term problem and he views it as such. Often, most

things like this are short term problems for most of us. However, if they become

chronic, we have a problem that can interfere with the employee's motivation and

then, we may have a problem that requires counseling.

McGregor looked over at the young man's notebook. In the margins of the

table the young man was making some additional notes on the handout to the right

of the cells. "That's very astute. Let's see, we covered the yes, yes situation in the

general model where the employee is happy with what he is doing and can walk

away from his job. The work trap covered the no, no situation. Greg covered the

yes, no situation where the employee likes what he is doing but can't walk away

from the job. That leaves the no, yes situation." McGregor paused for a moment

to think. "Ah, yes. Let's go see Mary."

Down the hall they walked. Through another door and off on the left was

Mary's office. McGregor introduced the young man to Mary, a young middle

management executive in the marketing department. "Are you still leaving us next

month?" asked McGregor.

"Yes," responded Mary. "As you know, I'm making a career shift. I want a

field where I deal with my clients directly in a hands-on fashion."

"Do you mind recounting your experiences regarding what led you to make

your decision?" asked McGregor.

Mary proceeded to tell them of her experience. She was young, without

ties, so it was much easier for her to make the career shift. It was not so much that


she didn't like working here, because she liked working with the other employees.

She didn't like the content of her position, marketing analysis. It wasn't as if she

just decided to leave; the process was more evolutionary than spontaneous. She

noted all her symptoms like not wanting to come to work, the unpleasantness of

being in the office and the general unpleasantness which she displayed toward

others. She went through a brief denial phase. This was her chosen course of study

in college and her parents thought that marketing was a good career for her. She

told them how she went to her supervisor who encouraged her to take a leave of

absence so that she could work things out. Also, she expressed appreciation with

the company's support and their assistance in helping her. Her leave of absence

clarified her desire to change positions which she is currently in the process of

doing.

"You seem very happy for someone who is leaving," asked the young man.

"It may seem kind of funny," replied Mary, "but when you are moving forward in

the direction that you desire to move, even a job which you had previously learned

to hate, in its own way, becomes enjoyable. It is amazing how much you can enjoy

work again when you see the light at the end of the tunnel. I really appreciated the

help I received in making the transition."

"Thank-you for your assistance, Mary." In Mary's case, if she decides to

return she knows that we will assist her in finding a position with us based on her

past performance."

They left Mary's office and returned to McGregor's office. "Mary seems to


be in unusually good spirits for a person who is about to leave."

"People make transitions all the time in their lives. We need to

accommodate them," added McGregor. "But more importantly, she is productive

again. Also, remember what happens to the rotten apple in the barrel. She is not

the rotten apple who is infecting everyone else with negativism."

They returned to McGregor's office and chatted about Mary's situation.

McGregor continued. "We have pretty much covered everything. However, before

you leave, I think that it would be fitting to show you one last plaque which is in

keeping with Hugh's tradition. This plaque summarizes the importance of intrinsic

motivation in directed play and in increasing productivity. It states that ‘find

someone intrinsically motivated at work and find someone who is truly

productive.’

As they had when they met, they shook hands as the young man departed.

As the young man left the office to return to Hugh, he thought of the new

perspective which he gained for motivation and the manager's role in facilitating it

in the workplace.

* * * * * * * * * *

"So tell me what you learned on your visit with McGregor?" asked Hugh.

"I always thought that intrinsic motivation was something which was only

up to the individual. However, I had no idea that a manager could facilitate it

within the work place. An employee who is intrinsically motivated is productive.

In a sense, it becomes the supervisor's role to point the employee in the right

direction," added the young man jokingly.

"Remember when I asked the question why volunteers are often more

productive than the paid employees," continued Hugh. "Well, I like to reverse the

question to show what we need to do as managers." Hugh leaned forward in his

chair as he pointed to another plaque on the wall and read out loud. “Not only is

play fun, but it is a good motivator and with directed play in the workplace, it

results in increased productivity.”

"Remember, we concluded that the volunteer was often more productive

than the employee. Then the solution to productivity lies in creating a work

environment which mimics the situation of the volunteer," continued Hugh. "Most


of the techniques are already in existence. The question is how do we use them.

For example, many of our clients use performance based management techniques

where both the manager and the employee determine the goals and objectives, and

where the supervisor and the subordinate sit down with each other and come to a

mutual agreement on the subordinate's work objects for the next work period. It

may seem to take longer to implement but productivity is greater since both parties

are in agreement. In addition, the employee usually brings to the table what needs

to be done."

"I see that process is important to the final outcome," added the young man.

"I can also see how easy it is for the supervisor to resort to the carrots and sticks

approach as a way to avoid process."

"True, but don't confuse process with the supervisor's traditional role in the

organization which is still to direct, control and coordinate employees," noted

Hugh. "Remember when you were a child and your mother told you to go outside

and play. From the look on her face, you got the message that you'd better go

outside. Although going outside was extrinsically motivated, once outside you

played and had fun. Once again, you became intrinsically motivated. Just as your

mother directed and supervised what you did, your supervisor does the same thing

in the work place. This is his responsibility. However, it is important that the

supervisor pay attention to the process in order that you can direct your activities

in a way that benefit both yourself and the organization."

"So in a sense, directed play is a symbiotic relationship where both the


employee and the employee benefit," concluded the young man. "However, for

maximum benefit and productivity, the employer should facilitate intrinsic rewards

rather than the traditional extrinsic rewards found in the workplace."

"Right," added Hugh. "Directed play can flourish within the workplace. The

employer needs to created a work environment which allows employees to enjoy

their work and if they feel as if they are working because they want to rather than

because they have to, then directed play can flourish in the workplace. Remember

the first aid instructor. He was doing the activities not only because management

desired them, but because he found them enjoyable and because he wanted to do

them. He was intrinsically motivated even though it was by management's choice.

The result is that he had fun. A second and equally as important result was that he

was extremely productive."

"So employees can use the two simple questions as a litmus test to

determine if they are intrinsically motivated within the workplace," concluded the

young man. He paused, then added. "And employers can use the same two

questions to determine if their employees are intrinsically motivated."

"You've got it," complemented Hugh. "Tomorrow I want you to look more

deeply into the next component of play. I've arranged for you to meet with Ellis. I

think you will find him quite stimulating. He creates designer playgrounds."

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION - Frostburg State...

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