Why we do what we do…

At work, we are surrounded by external motivators commonly referred to as extrinsic rewards.  These motivators could be positive, such as a bonus or promotion; or they could be negative such as the threat of losing job autonomy or responsibility.  The method of using extrinsic motivators stems from the reinforcement theory of motivation proposed by B.F. Skinner in the 1950’s. Extrinsic motivators are commonly referred to as the “carrot and stick” approach and is an age-old idiom used to describe how to motivate people in the workplace, athletic arena, or in our personal lives. The problem with these types of motivators is that they are not sustainable.  What happens when the carrots run out, or when the stick breaks? Then what?

As it turns out, there is more to motivation than extrinsic motivation.

Have you ever wondered why people spend hours and hours to help maintain Wikipedia, the largest and most widely used encyclopedia, yet no one receives any money or rewards for maintaining it? Or why software programmers contribute to open source projects all the time? For example, Django is a high-level Python Web framework with over 1,800 contributors. It’s designed to help developers achieve their most important objective: rapid development. Perhaps you are more familiar with another open-source project that is used by well over 202 million websites, WordPress. WordPress is completely free and open to the public. Again, why do so many programmers contribute so much of their time to open source projects? No one is forcing their hand to code, and they are expected to solve complicated problems that may take months to years to solve. Yet many of them jump right in.

One possible answer is internal, or intrinsic, motivation as described in the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) developed by Dr. Edward Deci and Dr. Richard Ryan.  SDT is a principled theory on motivation and social development that takes a hard look at the components of intrinsic motivation: the act of doing something simply because it is interesting and fun. When intrinsically motivated, there is no incentive or pressure; motivation and drive come from within. In its purest form, intrinsic motivation can be observed by watching any toddler playing outside in the dirt or sand.  Research over the past few decades has proven that intrinsic motivation is more effective and sustainable over the long term.

According to Deci and Ryan, three psychological needs drive intrinsic motivation: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness. Autonomy is arguably the most important of the three. Without it, you are working in a controlled environment. Think about the last time someone directed you to do something. Maybe a boss, a parent, or even one of your children.  Did their direction make you more or less interested in doing what they wanted? As individuals, we are motivated by autonomy, which is the ability to self-govern; to act upon our desires and interests. We desire the ability to choose.

Competence reflects the need to grow our skills and technical abilities, as well as understand how our behavior impacts those around us. There is an interesting experiment where puzzles were provided to two groups of chimpanzees. One group was provided food, an extrinsic reward, each time they solved a puzzle.  The other group was not provided any rewards for solving the puzzles.  Over time, the monkeys who received rewards solved the puzzles slower and less often and wanted more rewards for each puzzle solved.   The monkeys that did not receive rewards continued to solve the puzzles faster and more often despite not receiving any extrinsic reward.  The intrinsic reward of learning and getting better, competence, turned out to be the stronger motivator.

Relatedness represents our need to be connected to those around us and experience a sense of belonging. It does not matter how introverted you are; it is in our psychological make-up to want to be part of a community. We all have an inherent desire to be accepted by others and belong to something bigger than us.  Relatedness is also about understanding our values and purpose and knowing how the things we do relate to a bigger goal and overall mission.  Everything we do in life isn’t pure fun, but it makes a big difference when we understand how our activities align with our values and help move us closer to an overall mission or vision.

If we return to our original question of why so many software programmers contribute to the open-source projects, you can now understand how their freedom to participate (autonomy), the challenge of mastering a given software problem (competence), and the desire to connect and contribute to the programmer community (relatedness) all motivates them intrinsically.

But there is more to it than just extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.  Motivation is not a binary concept; it is not a switch you turn on and off. Your motivation for action falls within a continuum based on your autonomy and internal desire to act.  When activities are not inherently interesting and do not provide autonomy, competence, or relatedness, motivation may originate from a variety of drivers. The graphic below details the spectrum of motivation.

Intrinsically motivated behavior emanates entirely from within the individual and involves doing an activity for the sense of satisfaction you receive. However, the reality is (as Paul Hom would say) most of us fall somewhere in between the two ends of the spectrum. The strength and longevity of your motivation depend on the type of regulation that your decision is based on.

The left three types of regulation are considered non-self-determined forms of motivation.  At the extreme is amotivation which is an absence of motivation resulting from not valuing the activity. With amotivation, you may say, “I don’t see the point in all this!”, you may have feelings of inability (i.e. “I can’t do it!”), or you may perceive a lack of successful outcomes (i.e. “this is impossible!”).  External regulation involves behavior controlled by external means such as gaining tangible rewards or avoiding punishments.

As discussed previously, external motivators are often referred to as carrots and sticks.  Introjected regulation is an ego-based motivation.  When your motivation is introjected, you are doing an activity for the approval of others or to feel better about yourself.

The three types of regulation on the right side of the spectrum are said to cross the threshold of autonomy.  At this point in the continuum, motivation is more self-determined by way of autonomy. Identified and integrated regulation represent behaviors that have been internalized and come from within you.  Identified regulation represents behavior performed out of choice because of the benefit in the activity.  You may choose to start a new diet to become healthier, or you may choose to pursue an advanced degree to improve your skills and career trajectory. Integrated regulation happens when your values, goals, and needs are aligned. When you are integrated, you are motivated to perform an activity because it is “who you are”; you choose to pursue a goal because it is what you believe in.  For example, if you find a wallet with $500 cash, you may choose to turn it in to the authorities and not take the money because of your values and morals.

Finally, intrinsic motivation comes from the personal enjoyment of the activity.  This is where autonomy, competence, and relatedness are maximized. Putting it all together, when you think about your roles at work, what types of motivation regulation do you experience the most, and how does your leadership team help promote and encourage more intrinsic types of motivation?

Are you inundated with carrots and sticks?  Are you promised external rewards for doing a good job, or feel like you are constantly acting to avoid negative consequences?  Or, on the contrary, do you find enjoyment in your work because you have generally high levels of autonomy by choosing your approach. Do you feel challenged, are you continuously learning, and are you getting better at your job? And do you feel a personal connection and camaraderie with your team members? These are the things that will lead to lasting fulfillment and motivation.

Know yourself and the values you covet. Know what activities interest you and how they are related to your values and goals. By leveraging the concepts of the self-determination theory, you can align yourself with others to be more productive together and ultimately enjoy life to the fullest.

References

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The" what" and" why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.

Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Simon and Schuster.