Intrinsic Motivators Driving Your Employees

If you haven’t had a chance to read our post on our culture model, which we’ve built our survey methodology around, you can find that here. In this article, we focus solely on the Four C’s that make up the inner fundamental elements of our culture model: commitment, connection, contribution and challenge — which we believe are critical ingredients of any healthy culture.

Commitment refers to the fundamental interconnection between an organization and its employees. Within an organization, there are two main types of commitment: emotional and rational. That is, an individual’s commitment to how they feel towards their job versus a commitment towards factors like pay and benefits. We believe to an organization is the driving force behind an employee’s effort and motivation. Without strong commitment, employee values and beliefs are not in line with those of the organization’s, which can lead to unmotivated, disengaged and unproductive employees.

Connection refers to the feeling individuals feel towards each other and the work environment. This also includes the deeper connection to the organization’s missions and values. A strong connection among individuals with good cultural fit allows for individuals within an organization to feel a sense of belonging — feeling like they are apart of something bigger than themselves.

Contribution refers to the output from a motivated individual. More specifically, the outcome that comes from being given the right conditions to excel within the organization. Do your employees feel they are able to contribute to the organization’s overall success? Are your managers enabling employees to perform at their best? The recognition of contribution clearly defines an employee’s role within the organization, thus allowing the employee to see exactly how their work contributes to the organization’s goals and values.

Challenge refers to the readiness of employees to develop personally, and to challenge those around them and the company itself to improve. Being challenged in the workplace allows you, and your coworkers, to discover the extent to which you recognize your potential. Challenge in the workplace allows for new ways of thinking that could result in methods and resolutions that would not have been thought of otherwise.

Measuring Extrinsic Motivators

In addition to the four intrinsic motivators (Four C’s) covered here, we believe that there are external factors that drive employee performance and engagement as well. Specifically, in our culture model, we measure eight extrinsic motivators, which directly complement the four inner motivators. These elements are either in-line with the four C’s, or act as the link between the four fundamental elements. This concept will be explored further in an upcoming article.