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Understanding motivation, what stimulates you as an individual to think or behave in a particular way, is a prerequisite in effecting change in organisations. Yet extrinsic motivation (the tangible rewards such as a target bonus) is often not differentiated from intrinsic (the subtle and sometimes subliminal reward such as meaningful work or choosing your work hours).
Naomi Stanford, who has spoken at KIN in the past on organisational change has written a blog piece on this in which she quotes Dan Pink. Pink suggests that some of the most powerful personal motivators are "the incentives of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Client face-time is perhaps the most coveted commodity in our business". It's interesting how far removed this is from the apparently coveted corner office as a reward.
If you would like to know more about the way extrinsic and intrinsic motivators work and build a 'high-engagement culture' along the way, I recommend reading this short article by Kenneth Thomas - The Four Intrinsic Rewards That Drive Employee Engagement. Yesterday I was talking to Robert Dufton, outgoing Chief Executive of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation . PHF clearly understands and delivers the intrinsic drivers that attracts the highly motivated people drawn to work in the 3rd sector. Robert was telling me how PHF went about the design their attractive new offices in Kings Cross. As well as creating a physical space that stimulated exchange of knowledge, PHF consulted staff about what extrinsic rewards they wanted. Top of the list was a proper Italian coffee machine - and excellent coffee it is too.
Gary Colet
