Goal Setting – Long, Medium and Short Term Goals
Posted on May 15, 2010 |
Goal Setting – Long, Medium and Short Term Goals (Andrew Collings)
Most experts agree that anything can be achieved through goal setting. However, if you are like most people, you may have tried a goal setting program in the past and not succeeded. You may have set goals in a very happy and possibly inebriated state on New Years Eve and promised yourself that this is going to be the year you will achieve your goals – however by the end of the year the goals have not been achieved, and the list you set on new years eve is nowhere to be found.
Today dear reader, we are going to explore goal setting and share a goal setting secret that has been used by successful individuals for generations. A system that with only an hour or so a week, you will be achieving your goals in no time.
Goal setting generally consists of writing down goals and revisiting them. In order to achieve their goals successful people take this further. They have four to five main generic goals in their lives and break these down into more achievable components and goals. There program is broken down into five components for you to use as detailed below:
Long Term Goals (eg 7 – 15 years): At this level the goals are more generic and generally deal with four key areas of your life, for example, Health, Financial, Family and Social. A goal at this level under financial may be to have a net worth of $10million dollars.
Yearly Goals: These goals are written generically but within the scope of a one year time frame. The goals again contribute to the four or five aspects of your life (studies have shown that four to five areas achieves the most success). Ask yourself what you are going to have to do in the next year to achieve your goals. For example, under the above financial goal, you may state that you have to increase your net wealth by $100k. To do this you may decide that setting up your own side business is the way to go. As such, your yearly goal would be to set up a side business (in a certain field), that builds $100k worth of wealth. A good number of yearly goals is around 8-10.
Monthly Goals: We are now starting to get into the specifics of goal settings. This is where you provide the details of how you are going to achieve your yearly goals. Ascertain what you would have to do each month to achieve the goals.
Weekly Goals: Weekly is similar to monthly specific goals. Again write what you will have to achieve each week to meet your monthly goals.
Daily Goal and to do list: This is the base level of goal setting, and is the most important. This is where you take action. When starting your day, look at your 7-15 year goals, your yearly goals, your monthly goals and your weekly goals. Write a list of what you will need to do today to move yourself closer to your goal. On your to do list, highlight the key tasks that you will need to complete today. Focus on these tasks first.
And that the system in a nutshell. To recap, Develop 7-15 year goals (around four) that are a sentence each. Develop yearly goals (around 8-10) that sit under your four main goals (a few paragraphs each). Write what you will need to do each month to achieve your 8 – 10 goals). Write what you will need to achieve each week to achieve your monthly goals. Write a “to do list” at the start of each day, after reading all of your other goals. Highlight the activities on your “to do list” that will bring you closer to achieving your goals and do these first.
The system is successful because it first ascertains what you want to achieve in your life, and then provides specific goals, first at a larger time frame and then more specific to help you achieve your life time goals.
If you just write down what you want to achieve (eg have $1million in a bank account) without ascertaining the reasons why you want this, then it is more likely that your goal will come unstuck.
Good luck with your goal setting!!!
Motivation Theories- the Foundation to Employee Motivation
Posted on May 14, 2010 |
In the past, employees were not given much of a thought, not more than just another input into the production of goods and services. Employee motivation was not the main concern of the managers.
However, as the time passed by the ‘Hawthorne Experiment’ a research conducted by Elton Mayo in 1924, basically changed the way of thinking about the employees. the study of Elton Mayo pointed out the fact that money does not motivate employees to use their full potential, but instead it is the employee attitudes that keeps them going and linked with behaviour. As a result, this gave rise to what is known as the Human Relations approach to management which lead the managers to focus mainly on the needs of employees and thus finding ways to motivate them.
Even though the managers began to concentrate on motivating employees thereafter, this was not an easy task to do, as understanding the employees and motivating them needed careful consideration. If not so ever, then the time and money spent on motivating employees may be of no use to the organization or the employee, if the employees were motivated the wrong way.As a result, to understand the whole concept of motivation and help the managers carry out the strategy, it is important to look into the theories of motivation, which developed soon after the study of the Hawthorne Experiment.
The motivation theories developed, as a result of the researches carried out by the theorists focusing understanding what motivated employees and how they were motivated. Hence so, let us have a closer look at four of the good motivational theories that explains what motivates employees, in order to understand and do the best possible way to motivate them.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs Theory
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the important theories that provide an insight to understand what basically motivates employees and how it should be done if the employees are to be motivated. Maslow identified five levels of needs. They are,
Self Actualization ( level 5 – highest level)
Esteem ( level 4 )
Social belonging & love needs ( level 3)
safety ( level 2 )
Physiology ( level 1 – lowest level)
These five levels of needs have to be satisfied if the employees are to be motivated. In other words, it is said that motivation is thus driven by the existence of these unsatisfied needs. Maslow pointed out the fact that, in order to motivate the employees, first of all the lower level of needs have to be met before the next higher level of needs. What he meant by this was that only once the lower level of needs have been satisfied the employee will be motivated to satisfy the next higher level of needs. For example, an is at the lowest level of the hierarchy will only be motivated by a good pay well enough to afford his basic needs rather than safety of his work area and stability of the job etc. As a result, the hierarchy of needs theory highlights the fact that employees do differ from each other, and if they are to be motivated it is thus vital to look into their needs first and then come up with the suitable motivation techniques effectively.
Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory
The Hertzberg’s two factor theory is another vital theory that provides the managers with a clear understanding to how the employees could be motivated. He also pointed out the fact that motivating employees are not just possible without the presence of intrinsic factors.
According to Hertzberg, he basically identified two separate groups of factors that had a strong impact on motivation. His first group of factors were the hygiene factors which consisted of factors such as the working conditions, quality of supervision, salary,status,safety, company policies, and administration. He tends to believe that the hygiene factors strongly influenced feelings of dissatisfaction among the employees thus paving way to affect the job performance. However, he also went into point out that the presence of these factors will not basically motivate the employees as such, but rather they are necessary to have them right in the first place, if the organization intends to motivate the factors. The second group of factors identified by hertzberg were the motivating factors. These included factors such as recognition,achievement, responsibility, interesting job, growth and advancement to higher level tasks etc. Accordingly, he went into say that these factors do bring job satisfaction among employees which will eventually lead to employee motivation.
Vroom’s Expectancy theory
Another theory that explained what basically motivated the employees was the Expectancy theory of Victor Vroom in 1964. Actually Vroom believed that employee effort will pave the way for job performance and thus job performance will lead to rewards. In other words, he highlighted the fact that employees tend to believe that by putting effort it will lead to a good performance and likewise because of the good performance they will be rewarded. It is these rewards that motivate the employees. If the rewards are positive and welcoming , then obviously the employees will be motivated, or else if they turn out to be negative or not attractive then the chances of employees being de-motivated are very high indeed.
Adam’s Equity Theory
Adam’s Equity theory is a motivation theory that points out the fact that the mangers should seek a fair balance between the employees’ inputs( effort, loyalty, hard work, sacrifice, etc) and their outputs ( recognition, status, salary, status etc), in order to motivate employees( Adams, 1965). He also stated that it is very vital to make the employee feel that he is treated fairly if the managers are to achieve positive outcomes and motivate the employees effectively. However, if the employees tend to feel that they have been treated unfairly meaning to say that their inputs are greater than the outputs, then they will be de-motivated.Ans this will no doubt reduce their inputs such as effort and hard work etc.
In conclusion, the tasks of the managers to motivate the employees are indeed not that easy.This is because each and every employee has got their very own needs that tend to motivate them. However, the managers need to have some sort of aknowledge that will help them to understand the employees well and think of better ways of motivating them. This is where the motivational theories come into considertaion. It is these theories that provide an explanation of how to motivate them based on what motivates them. The Hierarchy of needs theory and Hertzberg’s two factor theory deals with explaining how the employees are to be motivated by way of looking into their needs. On the other hand, Adams theory also helps the managers to understand that a fair balance between inputs and outputs of employees are important. The Expectancy theory too shows that rewards tend to motivate the employees. However, overall all motivation theories do state that rewarding and recognising employees are important in order to motivate employees thus acting as the foundation to motivate employees.
Free Online Addicting Games
Posted on May 13, 2010 |
(1) ONLINE GAMINGPlay is an important contributor to human development, maturation and learning. That is why games are an essential ingredient in the curriculum of every school and college and also a popular pastime for adults. However, today’s busy lifestyle and living in matchboxes leave neither time nor room for outdoor games. This is when the internet comes in as a saviour to all those sports freaks who lack the opportunity.
Yes, online gaming is here to stay! Though computer games have been around for as long as there have been personal computers, online gaming is an increasing pastime and is popular due to the convergence of virtual worlds, games and social networking spiced up with Rich Internet Applications. Thousands of players from all over the world come together in one massive web that knows no team, nationality or boundaries. It is just a one to one challenge in a click’s notice!
Online gaming is a multi-million dollar industry today and thousands of websites have mushroomed in cyber-space that vie for the clicks of eager online gamers. Some have their link on another website but many are a separate entity. One such site is
addicting-games.org.uk which is solely dedicated to passionate gaming. Want to set the racing track on fire? Or be the sharp detective and break a coded message? Feel like helping Mario rescue the helpless girl? Then head for addicting-games.org.uk. From racing games to puzzles to board games to Harry Potter, this fantastic site offers a plethora of options to pacify gamers of all ages, likes and abilities.
As the name suggests one might get addicted to the site and never want to pull out of it! Besides giving the gamer the opportunity to learn new games and the pleasure of sharpening existing skills, online gaming also promotes social interaction. A player could have an opponent from the other side of the world who could be many years younger and from a completely different educational background. But all that matters here is skill. Interspersed with play is a chance to interact socially too. Best of all, online gaming follows a 24 x 7 calendar which is convenient for everyone living in any time zone on earth.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab the mouse! Surf the cyber space to enter the mesmerizing world of addicting-games.org.uk and addict yourself…..forever!
(2) BEST GAMES WEBSITE
It’s the weekend and you are bored stiff with too much TV. You are wondering what to do! Chances are you will hit the internet and logon to some social networking site to join an ever increasing web of online gamers!
The online gaming community is growing. At a fast and furious pace! And why not? There is no need of joining expensive clubs to play some golf or football. You can hit those fantastic fours and sixes against a Bret Lee delivery with a deft click of your mouse. Or blaze past Raikkonen on the winding tracks at a Grand Prix from your chair! Or, easier still, you can opt for a more intellectual challenge with games that test your skills at solving puzzles, words and other popular games like chess.
The expansion of online games is largely an outcome of easy internet access and ever growing social communities on the net. Endless possibilities have also arisen after the integration of software like Flash and Java to the internet browsers. This has enabled streaming audio and video on websites and also made user interaction easy. Ranging from simple text-based games to those with complex graphics, online games have come a long way from single user to Massively Multiplayer Online Games.
One of the resultant effects of this is the growth of websites with links to playing online games or those that are completely dedicated to the games itself. One such popular site is
addicting-games.org.uk. It is mainly a community driven online gaming website whose main focus is online games but also provides for meeting up with new people and chatting with online buddies. With 578 games categorized under various genres of action/adventure, sports, puzzles, racing, shooting etc, the site boasts of a more than 390 members and still counting! All you have to do is to log on, register and start playing. It is that simple. You can create your own profile and strike up some good online buddies as you play. The best thing is that all of it is for free and anyone can join!
So, look no further, log on to addicting-games.org.uk and discover a whole new world of challenges and fun. All from the comfort of your home!
(3) GAMES AND FRIENDS IN ONE WEB!
Are you an online gaming freak who cant wait to log on to the net to play? Then join the ever increasing web of online game addicts who pursue their gaming interests passionately. The world wide web has indeed shrunk the world by many degrees and one of the most popular gathering places are online gaming communities.
While there are many websites that offer various kinds of games for enthusiasts,
addicting-games.org.uk is one that offers its members a unique cocktail of variety and spice! With a collection of 578 games and more than 390 members, it is slated to grow with popularity. It has a simple system of registering and then, logging on to start playing.
The website addicting-games.org.uk is solely dedicated to games. In a mood for action or adventure? There are 32 different games to choose ranging from Exreme Racing to Lord of the Rings battle! There are a still more under various genres like Puzzles (like Code Breaker and Jigsaw Puzzles) Shooting (like Asteroid Attack and Liner Assault) Retro, Sports (like Billiards, Mini Golf and Football) and Racing( like 3D Motorbike racing and MotoRush). Apart from this is a collection of miscellaneous games to suit the needs of gamers who like to try out different games. For new users, there are trial lessons along with clearly mentioned rules. Some games offer the user the choice of continuing the game the next time he or she logs on. This eliminates the nuisance of starting from the easier levels all over again the next time. Statistics of games played, points won and highest ever score etc make it more interesting and meaningful. You can climb up in the rank charts as you are rated according to your playing ability and in comparison to other players.
While playing, the user can also strike up some buddies online as there is room for social interaction also here. Creating an interesting profile will definitely be an attraction to other members with similar interests and could be the beginning of a long lasting friendship for you. Facilities to chat while playing adds spice to the game because one could be interacting with a person from the other side of the world which provides a good, healthy opportunity to exchange information about the countries, culture etc.
So, enter this virtual world of online games and get hooked forever!
(4) AN ADDICTING GAMES SITE
Are you an online games freak in search of a website that offers you a variety of games to choose from? Then, addicting-games.org.uk should be a permanent bookmark on your browser.
This unique website unfolds before you a collection of fascinating games to satisfy players of all ages and with different likes and abilities. A simple registration makes you a member and then starts the fun. Each game has a brief description to guide newcomers through the game and of course, trial lessons can give you the feel of it before you plunge into the actual game itself. Once you’ve challenged yourself many times and mastered the game you can try your skills out against an opponent from the ever-growing list of members registered on the site.
The games are sifted into genres according to the fare they offer. Under Action/Adventure, you can choose from a variety of games. There is the Ninja Hunter where you can wield your samurai against the toughest of enemies. Never learnt Karate or Kung Fu? No problems. You can try it out here at IK, and that too without the risk of breaking your back!!! The sky is the limit they say. In the real world, that’s a tough one you will agree. But in Reach the Sky, all you need is a few deft clicks of the mouse and some well-timed keyboard moves! Feel like being Harry Potter? Well, get ready to use your charms and spells to escape from Knock-Turn Alley.
Feel like playing some real sports? Then, click on Sports link and enter the virtually real world of sports! Realize your unfinished childhood dream of being the star of the sprinting track here as you take the 100m Dash challenge. You could be living in the hot tropics but you can still have a go at Ice Hockey from your keyboard! Feel like doing a Ronaldinho stunt? Then, Kicker it is.
On those days when you are in the mood to tickle your intellectual skills, hit the Puzzles link at addicting-games.org.uk for a variety of brain tickling challenges. You can play Robert Langdon and crack the encrypted codes to get the Da Vinci Code feeling. Or try worming out of tough Labyrinths. Or piece together intricate jigsaws.
All this and a lot more under the Shooting, Racing and Miscellaneous sections awaits you. The website also offers you a profile page where you can post details about yourself which you would like to tell others. You too can browse through hundreds of other profiles to find friends with similar interests.
Shouldn’t be long before you to get addicted to this wonderful gaming site which is perfect mix of pleasure and entertainment!
(5) CALLING ALL ONLINE GAMING ADDICTS
Does the very mention of Games pump up your adrenaline and make you want to pick up the sports gear and dash off to the nearest club or gym? What do you do if there is no gym or club around? Well, you don’t have to get depressed because this is the cyber age where everything and anything is always a possibility. Including games and sports! It is a virtual explosion of play out there in cyber space where virtually all sports fields, courts and boards are created and becoming a champ is only a matter of dexterous clicks of the mouse!
The world of internet is experiencing a new high in the arena of online gaming especially after the induction of Flash and Java into browsers. While online gaming started with subscription rates for members, today it has become so popular that many sites have offers for free, though a paid member has access to more and better services.
This has given rise to many gaming links and websites wooing surfers to try out their skills. Many sites have well planned gaming choices that are attractive and also safe to use. For instance, addicting-games.org.uk is a site where a plethora of games that cater to a variety of age groups and ability levels are available. What is more, it offers a wonderful chance to mingle with other members as well through chat windows and discuss game strategies besides striking up a lasting friendship.
Though online games have been frowned upon for its addictive side effects, it is touted as one of the best ways of improving your game skills coupled with social skills. An online gamer often starts with a challenge against a programmed computer. This not only enables the gamer to sharpen his own skills but also to learn new tactics in the game. Later, when the gamer is pitched against another gamer, there is further opportunity to try out these skills, learn more and compare oneself to others, and all this from the comfort of your home. It is an arena where every player has no nationality or boundary or age limit or physical ability. All that is required is deftness with the mouse and keyboard and a zest to play!
Online gaming has become so popular that it is an essential part of many social networking sites where meeting people and making friends over a board of chess or a game of football has become a favourite pastime. Playing against an experienced, champion in the game can be a valuable lesson in picking up expert advice to improve strategies of the game. Playing against another person from another part of the world can initiate a sort of “mouse-pal ship” with meaningful exchanges of cultural information as well!!!
Online gaming is a global phenomenon and is here to stay. It is perhaps, the key to bringing about a universal union of human beings and wean people away from differences of caste, creed or religion, uniting them into peaceful earthlings.
Positive Organizational Psychology
Posted on May 7, 2010 |
Since the early 90s, a charged-up group of writers, researchers and educators has been deconstructing the psychological profession’s focus on pathology and rebuilding it with the study of what can go right with people and institutions. They call themselves positive psychologists. These thinkers don’t claim to have invented anything new or created a new profession. They distinguish themselves by their perspective. The value of positive psychology”lies in its uniting of what had been scattered and disparate lines of theory and research about what makes life most worth living,” writes Martin Seligman, a leading “positive” psychologist.
Leading Lights in Positive Psychology: Dr. Martin Seligman, University of Pennsylvania, is one of the most visible thought leaders on positivepsychology. Seligman’s work on depression, “learned pessimism” and “learned optimism” earned him a solid reputation long before he became a proponent of positive psychology. Since the early 1990s, he has focused on the study of positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. During his term as president of the American Psychological Association Seligman promoted the study of positive psychology. Seligman’s Authentic Happiness Web site (http://www.authentichappiness.org) is a treasure trove of resources and news on the topic. Dr. Mikhail Csikszentmihalyi, Claremont Graduate University, is another keythought leader. Csikszentmihalyi is the author of the best selling “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,” as well as numerous scholarly and popularbooks and articles. He led the establishment of the first positive organizational psychology degree programs at Claremont Graduate Universityand runs the university’s Quality of Life Institute. The refreshing perspective offered by this field has a great deal of appeal and we expect that its messages will make continuous inroads in the practices of our profession. Books to Read: For a general introduction to positive psychology, “A Primer in Positive Psychology” by Christopher Peterson is an excellent general introduction written in conversational style. Peterson and Seligman coauthored “Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification,” offering the positive psychologist’ s answer to the Diagnostic andStatistical Manual (a.k.a. DSMIII), a book widely used by psychologists and psychiatrists to classify mental pathologies. “Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures” by C. R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez addresses the subject of testing and metrics that assess positive psychological characteristics.
Since 2000, authors and researchers have placed quite a bit of emphasis on positive organizational psychology as an application of this new perspective. University of Michigan professor Kim S. Cameron, a major voice on positive psychology in the workplace, predicts that “…positive organizational scholarship will become embedded in the questions asked and the approaches used in a wide variety of organizational studies…” There are institutes, degree programs, conferences, blogs, journals, and Web sites developing around this topic. For anyone with an interest in human resources assessment and development, this list is worth review:
Books on Positive Organizational Psychology: Perhaps the most widely cited book on this topic in academic literature is “Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline” by Kim S. Cameron. Another work that promotes this perspective is titled “Positive Organizational Behavior,” which is edited by Debra Nelson and Cary Cooper. Other titles that develop this perspective include “Positive Psychology In Business Ethics And Corporate Responsibility,” which focuses on positive environmental ethics in business. The “Handbook of Positive Psychology” by C. R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez has a chapter on organizational behavior.
“Psychological Capital: Developing the Human Competitive Edge” by Luthans, Youssef, and Avolio explores the concept of an organization’s psychological capital, as distinguished from the more widely known idea of human capital. Fred Luthans is one of the most prolific authors on this topic. “Work, Happiness and Unhappiness” by Peter Warr examines the problems of measuring happiness at work. In addition to the books mentioned above, other resources are shown below: Videos on Positive Psychology: If video is your information M. O., no problem. Visit the University of Pennsylvania Web site for a current listing. (http:// www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/publications.htm) Online Assessments: Visit Martin Seligman’s Authentic Happiness site to chose from almost 20 free online assessments that relate to positive psychology.
Perhaps the most famous of these for organizational applications is the Values in Action Signature Strengths, which measures 24 character strengths in action. The Work-Life Questionnaire on the site measures Work-Life Satisfaction. Please note: you must create a log-in to use any of the surveys, but they are all free of charge. Degree Programs: Claremont Graduate University has just launched degree programs in positive organizational scholarship in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences. (http://www.cgu.edu/pages/4573.asp) In addition, the Master of Applied Positive Psychology is offered at the University of Pennsylvania and the MSc in Applied Positive Psychology is offered at the University of East London, UK. Institutes: The Drucker School of Management at the Claremont Graduate University started the Quality of Life Research Center in 1999 under the direction of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The Values in Action (VIA) Institute provides information on positive psychology, as well as the classification system and measurement tools of character strengths that serve as the backbone of this developing scientific discipline.
The Centre for Applied Positive Psychology is an independent, not-for-profit organization affiliated with the University of East London and located at the University of Warwick campus in the UK. The European Network for Positive Psychology is a collective of European researchers and practitioners with shared interests in the science and practice of positive psychology. The Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship is located at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. The American Psychological Association has a Psychologically Healthy Workplace Practice and award program. There is a great deal of energy in this burgeoning field, and we expect its influence on the world of industrial psychology to be very … positive!
Author: Kathleen Groll Connolly writes on a variety of human resources topics and is a partner in Performance Programs, Inc., an organization specializing in human resources surveys and measurement. For more information call 1-800- 565-4223. http://www.performanceprograms.com
Intrinsic Or Extrinsic Motivation – The Most Effective Way To Motivate Employees
Posted on April 17, 2010 |
Before we go in to look at what Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation is in the first place, it is thus vital to understand what motivation is and why is it important to motivate employees. Hence so, motivation could be defined as the driving force within individuals that encourages them to go ahead and perform the tasks, in order to achieve their intended needs and expectations. In other words, it is a set of reasons that eventually drags an individual to perform a particulat task convinicng that they could fulfil their needs and expectations, once the task is performed.
How is it possible to motivate employees ? and Why ?
Motivating employees is not an easy task, due to the fact that what motivates employees seems to change overtime. To say, different employees are motivated in different ways according to their needs. For example, one employee will be motivated to do his task by way of responsibility, while on the other hand another employee will be motivated by monetary rewards. However, it is possible to motivate an employee only if they want to be motivated. As a result, it is thus vital to identify the reason and create the atmosphere that encourages the non-performing employees to refresh and motivate themselves. In other words, it is thus important to try and find out what really motivates the employee. Trying to motivate an employee by wrong means could thus lead to a waste of money, time and so on, while paving way to de-motivate the employee more.
Having said that, highly motivated employees are considered to be true assets for any organization. Once motivated, they basically tend to be more productive, energetic, and very mush eager to take on additional responsibilities, and thus pleasant to be with and work with. Howvever, on the other hand it should be said that there also tends to be non performing employees as well almost in every organization. Therefore, in such circumstances they basically have to look for deal with the obstacles by going and identifying the unmotivated employees and turning them around if the organizations are to be successful. In spite of that, when it comes to motivating employees this could be done intrinsically or extrinsically by using either intrinsic or extrinsic rewards.
Intrinsic Motivation
when it comes to intrinsic motivation, this basically means that employees are motivate to do a particular task because of the pleasure or satisfaction that they get in performing the task itself. In other words, intrinsic motivation comes from within an individual rather than from extrinsic rewards such as monetary incentives etc. An employee who tends to be intrincically motivated could be motivated by internal factors such as recognition, responsibility, growth and advancement. If an employee is to be motivated by intrinsic rewards, then this means that what the employee really wants is a job that interests him, a challenging work environment, and the responsiblity to perform the task etc in order to motivate him. For example, an intrinsically motivated person will perform a task given to him willingly, either because he might find the task challenging or else interesting and satified with completing it. To say, and not with the intention of getting other rewards. This is due to the fact the external rewards hardly motivate these employees. As a result, intrinsic motivation tends to be very much effective in the long run as the employees perform the tasks willingly because it interests them, rather than trying to escape from it once the job is done.
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation on the other hand is when the employees are thus motivated by means of external rewards. External rewards bacically consists of monetary incentives and grades etc. The employees are involved in performing a particular task is because of the external rewards that gives them satisfation and pleasure, and not because they are interested in it. In other means, extrinsic motivation drives an employee to do things specially for tangible rewards or pressure, rather than for the fun of it. Extrinsic motivators can be either positive or negative. To say, it is thus possible to use positive motivators such as monetary rewards or negative such as threats or bribery to motivate them extrinsically. Extrinsic motivators basically focusses the employees on rewards rather than actions. For example, employees will perform tasks though they are not quite interested in it, thus because of the rewards involved with it. To say, some people will not want to do the work willingly, but rather they are motivated to do so by external rewards. However in reality, extrinsic rewards do motivate employees only short term. This is because the extrinsically motivated employees will do their work only as long as they receive their rewards and therafter will stop performing the tasks, once the rewards are no longer there.
What is the most effective way to motivate employees ?
Having looked at both the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, it could be said that intrinsic motivation is far stronger than extrinsic motivation when it comes to motivate employees in the long run. This is because the intrinsically motivated employees will continue to perform better day after day as long they find the work interesting and satisfied. It doesn’t mean that extrinsic motivation should not be used, but this is not the ideal way to long motivate the employees. To say, extrinsically motivated employees will only find what they do to interesting as long as they receive the rewards which can either be positive or negative. And hence in order to motivate them to increase performance, then they will have to be given more rewards than before. If not, they will only be de-motivated. Not only that, but once the employees are given extrinsic rewards they will no longer be intrinsically motivated, but rather depend on rewards to keep them motivated therafter. That is why it is vital to try and motivate employees intrinsically by trying to explain how it will help them to develop and encouraging them by offering more challenging work, giving responsibility and recognition for the work done etc. This will in turn lead to enhance performance by motivating them to meet the long term success.