Unmotivated at Work?
- Joan MacMillan
- Oct 3
- 3 min read
Have you ever considered what motivates you to perform, or what motivates your workers to perform?
Motivation is more stable and reliable when it comes from within, a concept known as intrinsic motivation.
We can more easily be driven by intrinsic motivation when we know ourselves, when we are interested in the task or topic at hand, and when we find joy in our work and actions. When we are challenged by the activity, enough to make us work for it, but not so much that it feels overwhelming.
Intrinsic motivation is often the 'personal development' goal, because it's not as easy for someone to take it away from us. Consider, if I'm motivated by swag, attention, or money (external variables), what happens once the swag, attention, and money are no longer available to me? Typically, my performance drops and I begin to feel undervalued, unseen, and unheard. And I don't think we have to be an expert in behavior to recognize that these are not feelings that lead to high performance.
One of the best ways to help find out what motivates us, internally, is to get to know ourselves a little better (or to help our workers do the same, we can get to know them a little better). We have to consider what we enjoy in our work or tasks, and what we don't. What brings us excitement, and where are we plagued with boredom? Having this understanding is a great place to start.
Ultimately though, one of the best ways we can find an internal sense of motivation is to establish a strong sense of autonomy, competence, and connectedness in our work or tasks. These three innate psychological needs set the foundation of Deci and Ryan's (1985) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) which remains a valid foundational theory on motivation within scientific psychology, to this day.
AUTONOMY speaks to our inherent need for choice and control. If we feel as though we have limited control, or freedom to make our own choices, in a situation we will be less likely to want to engage with it.
COMPETENCE involves feeling effective in our abilities, and as if we are able to master our skills. It helps us meet the need for continued personal growth and development throughout our lives.
CONNECTEDNESS (often termed relatedness) addresses our need to feel securely bonded with and connected to others, as if we belong.
The self-determination theory proposes that if we can find a sense of autonomy, competence, and connectedness, we can become self-determined in our drive and motivation - in other words, we find our sense of intrinsic motivation to perform. We are able to perform at a higher level, driven and guided by the feelings of enjoyment, satisfaction, and optimism brought about by having our innate psychological needs met.
Other factors that impact motivation and performance include discipline, natural talent, resilience and grit, support networks, and physical and mental health, but without meeting the underlying psychological needs, it becomes much more difficult to find consistency and/or balance in any of these other areas.
Intrinsic motivation is strongly and positively related to well-being.
Ultimately, nurturing intrinsic motivation means aligning our behaviour with our personal values and underlying psychological needs - creating a lasting drive that sustains growth, fulfillment, and meaningful achievement.
If you're interested in learning more about motivation, it's a topic I often discuss in my workshops, and it's certainly one we explore in the EQ Assessment and Personal Coaching Sessions. Explore the website and blog posts to learn more, or schedule your sessions.
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