Several books and studies have been published recently on the source of motivation and productivity in the work place. Here are a few sources of motivation theses studies have found:
No One-Size-Fits-All Principle
There is no universal motivation that works for everyone. According to “Do You Play To Win- Or Not Lose?” published in the Harvard Business Review, by Heidi Grant Halverson, a social psychologist and author, and E. Tory Higgins, the director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University, there is a way of grouping people into types based on personality traits that does not predict performance: promotion focused or prevention focused. Promotion focused people have goals that are focused on professional progress and rewards. They are eager, work quickly, take chances and dream big. Prevention focused people see their goals as responsibilities and fixate on staying safe. They are careful, thorough and not particularly creative.
The study says that a person’s goals are based on these personality traits because often a person recognizes their strengths (or weaknesses) and purses a career path that plays to those strengths. Identifying your own type should help you cultivate your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.
The Really Successful Aren’t Working For The Money
Amy Wrzesniewski, an associate professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management, and Barry Schwartz, a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College, published an op-ed in the New York Times, “The Secret Of Effective Motivation,” discussing what they believe are the two types of motives for engaging at any activity: internal and instrumental. An example of internal motive used in the op-ed is a scientist conducting research because she wants to discover important facts about the world. Instrumental motives are a scientist conducting research to receive awards and academic renown.