Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Kylie Bell talks to Eve Ash about the extrinsic-intrinsic continuum, which ranges from "I have to do this" to "I enjoy doing this!" She nominates Ryan and Deci's study which made an interesting discovery: that people are not necessarily motivated by either extrinsic (external) or intrinsic (internal) factors. What does motivate them is when they feel connected and engaged by the task they're doing. This brings their feeling towards intrinsic motivation because they own and integrate the task, so it becomes part of them.

People's willingness to do tasks depends on:

• Where they sit on the extrinsic / intrinsic continuum
• The extrinsic signifies rewards, performance indicators
• Intrinsic is the inner desire to complete a task
• The key is cultivating value and emotional connection so that they feel tasks and their role are a personal expression of self