Types of employee motivation

There are two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. An organization needs to
understand for a fact that not all employees are clones, they are individuals with
different traits. Thus effectively, motivating your employees will need to acquire a
deeper understanding of the different types and ways of motivation.

Intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation refers to an individual's motivation coming from within.

He or she wants to do well at work because the results are consistent with his
or her belief system.

The most powerful motivators are usually an individual's deeply held beliefs.
These people share characteristics such as acceptance, curiosity, honor, and a
desire to succeed.
Research has shown that praise increases intrinsic motivation, so does
positive employee feedback. But it should all be done in moderation. If you overdo
any of these, there are high chances that the individual loses motivation.

It is well observed in children and I am using this as an example here if children are
overpraised for the little things they are expected to do daily their motivation level
decreases.

So if you are a manager, supervisor, or in a leadership role, please be intentional with

your feedback or praise. Make sure it is empowering and your employees understand
your expectations.

Extrinsic motivation

If you hold a carrot to a donkey’s nose, this is extrinsic

motivation. This is how you would motivate the donkey to
continue walking and carrying loads.
Applied to the business world: You simply replace the carrot
with a financial enticement, a bonus, or a promotion. Now
you’re on your way to motivating extrinsically. By the way: if you
threaten your employee with punishment, you are also
motivating extrinsically, for instance:
“John, if you don’t start showing up at work on time at 7:00 a.m., you’ll get fired!”

It doesn’t matter if it’s a reward or a punishment: Extrinsic

motivations involve actions that are initiated from the outside.
Put bluntly: an extrinsically motivated employee will think:
“I’ll do it because I have to, otherwise …“