Types of work motivation: how to achieve satisfied teams

April, 2021

After returning to work, many professionals show symptoms of the well-known "post-holiday depression". The company and the Human Resources department must pay attention to the team in order to ensure that their return to work is as optimal as possible. Although it must be taken into account at all times, motivation is even more important in periods like this.

It's no news: the higher the motivation, the better the performance. If your employees are satisfied with their work, not only will they meet the objectives set, but they will also propose new ideas and improvements that will help the company to function. Hence, the need for the company to incorporate incentive and motivation programs in its human resources strategy.

HR: three types of work motivation

Many theories have emerged around motivation. One of the best known is "Maslow's Pyramid", according to which human needs are structured in five levels; if we satisfy the most basic ones we can develop other rational and higher needs.

But we also find theories on motivation linked to the field of labor and human resources. This is the case of Vroom's "Theory of Expectations", which recognizes that every effort is made with the expectation of a certain success.

Based on these theories, three types of motivation to be taken into account in human resources management stand out:

• Extrinsic motivation. The external. This involves factors that do not depend on the individual. Employees are motivated as a consequence of the benefit that the performance of a certain task will bring them or to avoid a loss. The purpose of this motivation is to reward employee performance by means of financial incentives or other professional advantages. Thus, the company aims to obtain a satisfactory result from its human team.

  Intrinsic motivation. It comes from the worker himself. It is related to his personal satisfaction for carrying out his functions, beyond the material benefit that he can obtain. It responds to the need for self-fulfillment and improves job performance. If an employee is happy with what he does and likes it, this has an impact on his state of mind and on the performance of his duties. This type of motivation is influenced by other factors such as having the right tools and a good working environment. As always, maintaining a good working environment should be a priority in the human resources management of any organization.

  Along with the two previous ones, there is a transcendent motivation, the one in which satisfaction comes from the benefit obtained by third parties. It is a motivation for others, so this is where all work performed of one's own free will fits in. In the workplace, it is increasingly common for companies to collaborate with NGOs or carry out solidarity activities.

These three types of motivation are not mutually exclusive, but interrelated. A good combination of them will depend on how a company manages its human resources and on the interests of the employees themselves.

Christian Pastrana. (2018). Tipos de motivación laboral: cómo conseguir equipos satisfechos. 28 abril, de IEBS Sitio web: https://www.iebschool.com/blog/tipos-motivacion-laboral-relaciones-laborales/