Changing employee behavior: Tapping into internal motivators

Do you know how to tap into your employees’ need for autonomy, mastery, and connection — three fundamental motivators?

At work, bonuses and other merit-based rewards are motivating, especially for tasks that require mechanical skills. But, ultimately, internal motivations matter more than carrots (or sticks), especially for work requiring cognitive skills.

Three fundamental needs that act as internal motivators are: autonomy, mastery, and connection.

Autonomy

The sense of being in control and having a choice. To increase a sense of autonomy, managers should involve people, get the tone right, and offer choices.

Mastery

The sense of being competent and relishing challenges. Reminding an employee of their strengths, positioning things as a challenge (rather than change), and appealing to a sense of pride are effective at creating a sense of mastery.

Connection

The sense of being meaningfully connected to what you are doing, your team, your boss, and the purpose of your organization. Managers can boost connection by involving people – asking why it matters and what the benefits of change will be, explaining the reasons for change, and making it personal and practical.

Remember: One size does not fit all. People’s intrinsic motivation, as well as advice on increasing it, depends heavily on gender, culture, age, and career aspirations.

So, here’s a useful exercise. Ask yourself:

Which of the three motivators (autonomy, mastery, or connection) is most important for you?
Which of the three is your secondary motivator?
How do these explain or help explain the career choices that you have made so far?
Does your current job allow you to satisfy your most important motivator?

To effectively motivate others, leaders should understand the nuances involved with internal motivators that lead to workers feeling fulfilled.

As a leader, ask yourself about your direct reports:

Which of the three (autonomy, mastery, or connection) is the most important to them?
To what degree are these intrinsic motivators satisfied in their current role/job?
How could you further increase their intrinsic motivation in the areas that matter most to them?
Finally, what are two things that you could commit to doing to enhance your direct reports’ intrinsic motivation at work?