lesson 4:
optimal motivation

How self determined are you? Take the assessment:

This assessment will give you a better idea of how intrinsically motivated you are in relation to your work. 

Intrinsic & extrinsic motivation

Optimal motivation is the effective use of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to optimize your performance as you approach desirable and undesirable tasks each day.

Here is a link to an article that does a great job of discussing what optimal motivation looks like: https://www.evantarver.com/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation/

What is self-determination theory?

Self-Determination Theory is a theory of motivation and personality that addresses three universal, innate and psychological needs:

  • competence
  • autonomy
  • psychological relatedness.

What does it mean?

Self-determination is an important concept that refers to each person’s ability to make choices and manage their own life. Self-determination allows people to feel that they have control over their choices and lives.

General explanation of Self-determination Theory:

Types of motivation from a little different perspective:

More on the motivation spectrum: external, introjected, identified, and integrated motivation:

How motivation and self determination fit into each other?

…

Job satisfaction is one of the signs of burnout.
How does motivation impact job satisfaction?

A lot of times in our work lives we may not always get that “thank you” or know the end result of a call or project we worked hard on. Additionally, numerous studies tell us that individuals experiencing burnout typically report lower levels of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction encompasses many components. One of those components is motivation. Some of the other components will be discussed in collective burnout prevention. If we feel our psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competency are being met by the work environment, we feel more self-determined (in control of our decisions) and thus empowered to meet our internal values and goals/objectives on a more consistent basis. As a result of living and meeting our values daily in the work that we do and aligning our internal objectives with those of the organization and supervisors, we operate closer to pure intrinsic motivation.

What is job crafting?

Job Crafting is the practical means by which you can increase your job resources (personal values related to work + autonomy) to remain proactive and engaged in the midst of change and adversity. It is a method of shaping your perception of your work environment where you have the control. There are three forms of job crafting:

Task crafting

Alter boundaries of jobs by taking on more/fewer tasks, expanding/diminishing scope of tasks, changing how you perform tasks.

Relational crafting

Improve relationships at work by altering the nature or extent of interactions with others.

Cognitive crafting

Cognitively change jobs by altering how you perceive tasks or thinking collectively versus individually about tasks.

Job crafting explained:

Lesson 3 - Coping strategies
Go to IBP Intro