Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Motivation

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Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Motivation
Introduction
The success of any business depends on the productivity and satisfaction of its employees. Employees need to be motivated to work. Motivation can be defined as the inner force that drives individuals to accomplish personal and organizational goals. Motivation can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. For an individual to be motivated in a work situation there must be a need, which the individual would have to perceive a possibility of satisfying through some reward. Intrinsic motivation stems from motivations that are inherent and arise from performing the task of the job itself, which the individual gets a feeling of either positive or negative motivation as a result of successfully completing the task or attaining his or her goals. An employee may feel motivated to perform a task because doing so gives that worker a sense of accomplishment, mastery, or self-fulfillment. On the other hand, extrinsic motivations are those that are external to the task of the job, including things such as pay, work condition, fringe benefits, security, promotion, contract of service, recognition, the work environment, and conditions of work. Such extrinsic, or tangible, motivations are often determined at the organizational level and may be, for the most part, outside the control of individual.
Benefits of Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is those rewards that can be termed psychological motivations. Examples of this type of intangible motivation are opportunity to use one’s ability, a sense of challenge and achievement, receiving appreciation, positive recognition, and being treated in a caring and considerate manner. In essence, active task participation is its own...

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