Intro
In chapter 2 of Rajat Paharia’s book, Loyalty 3.0, he talks about Motivation and how it drives loyalty in several different ways. Depending on both an individual’s personality and their career path, it truly determines what their motivation is when accomplishing their alotted work.
Defining Motivation
According to Paharia (2013), Motivation is defined as “internal and external factors that that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject , and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal” (p. 23). For me personally, motivation stems from being immersed and in love with the work i am doing, as well as being goal-oriented. However, once again, it is really determined by the kind of person an individual is.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivators
When looking at motivators, we distinguish them by two categories, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic is being motivated by genuine personal interest in the task at hand, whereas extrinsic is being motivated out of requirement, obligation, or influence, not genuine interest. A personal example is when I was younger, I really enjoyed swimming. Every vacation, swimming was what I looked forward to the most, or when summer was approaching, I always asked my mom when the next time I would get to go swimming would be. However, as I got older, my parents encouraged me to join a swim team. While it was beneficial to build my skill and practice the technical side of swimming, it completely stripped the joy out of swimming for me. It became more about the competition than it did the enjoyment and happiness it brought me. This is what it looks like to begin with intrinsic motivation and then switch over to extrinsic. On the flip side, extrinsic motivation isn’t always bad. Take, for example how I began working at Ashley Grace Bridal as an intern. I was unpaid, working 20+ hours a week for just 3 credits. It was a great experience and I worked to the best of my ability because it was genuinely fun and I cared. Now, I am working there as an employee, but the quality of my work has not increased or decreased based on the motivation of money. It feels as if it is an added benefit, but I am still working just as hard. Sometimes motivators can fall somewhere in between Intrinsic and Extrinsic.
The 5 Intrinsic Motivators
As discussed in chapter 2, there are five motivators that all have different components. The first one, Autonomy (“I control”), is based on the desire for independent work, being one’s own boss, and have ultimate control. Humans naturally seek autonomy in one area or another of their life. The second motivator, Mastery (“I improve”), looks at the genuine passion for getting better at certain things, and how people devote substantial amounts of time to master those things. This one makes me think of how much time I put into my extracurricular vocal group in high school, merely based on the desire to get better. Thirdly is Purpose (“I make a difference”). This principle discusses how all humans want and crave the feeling of accomplishment and having an impact–even without compensation. Another example that comes to mind is volunteer work and how it is making a huge impact on the lives of others, and the motive is simply desiring to make an impact. The fourth is Progress (“I achieve”), which is based on achieving small goals and milestones along the way to accomplishing the large task. Progress is key and can help in working towards something valuable, especially celebrating small victories. Lastly, the final motivator is Social Interactions (“I connect with others”), which leans into how humans are wired and created to be social. It is easier than ever to connect with millions of people online through several social media platforms. Additionally, we tend to observe behaviors of others and imitate them, specifically behaviors and people that we admire and agree with.
Conclusion
Ultimately, motivation can come from within or not, and it is important to look at where our motivations are coming from. Whether it be because something is genuinely worth caring about or if money is motivation enough, discovering these different principles holds value nonetheless. When thinking through this chapter, one verse that comes to mind is Colossians 3:23-24, which states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” This is a vital reminder that no matter what our worldly motivations are, our ultimate motivation should be honoring the Lord in all that we do.
References
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist.
Rajat Paharia. (2013). Loyalty 3.0 : how big data and gamification are revolutionizing customer and employee engagement. Mcgraw-Hill Education.
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