Review the Four Intrinsic Rewards underlying intrinsic motivation, how managers can cultivate motivation in others, and the causes and consequences of job satisfaction.
It is very interesting to learn about new ways to motivate people because when I think of my last job I know that company really got it wrong. I know my job did not fit my skills set and that I was not given a chance to speak up about my feelings, I just had to get through the day. I now know that from all the readings I have done that there is a whole belief system that looks to how a person feels rather than just the bottom-line (I hate that word). It is reassuring that when I go to an interview that I really do have a lot of control because I will know the right questions to ask, and I will be able to compare their answers with my beliefs.
I found a really great article called, “The Four Intrinsic Rewards That Drive Employee Engagement,” written by Kenneth Thomas it really made me know that I can find a really great job and during the interview, I just have to ask the company how do you reward your employees? Depending on what is said, I will either agree or disagree with what they are saying to me. It is like when I search the web for different types of articles that I use for sources, I pick the ones that fit the way I think. I would like to work in a place where the managers are proactive, they give advice and help so I can do better and I would like to have a job that is fun. What I liked about the article was that Thomas took a very positive approach to every aspect that he spoke to about work like being meaningful and having a purpose and making sure that activities achieved a purpose and that fulfillment of the employee should rank high (Thomas, 2009).
The four intrinsic rewards types are meaningfulness, choice, competence and progress, although money is always a good reward it does not last long and I would rather have a, “Job well done, or great effort,” instead of something that only last for a little while. Each time I am told I am doing something right it makes the work more meaningful for me and it shows that I am getting recognized by my manager for a job well done. I spend a lot of time deciding what to write about for my posts because I want my time spent finding information and sources that will entertain my classmates. In my past classes I have always enjoyed hearing back from my peers that I gave them information that they would have not thought about or that I took a different approach on something everybody knows about. Looking for sources online is a meaningful part of writing a post rather than passing something in just to get it done.
When I chose to go to Ashford I was really excited to get the call from the grad school representative and she told me that, “There was grant money to be used,” so now I have differed tuition, I had a choice to make if I wanted to go to school or not but because I had completed my BA in Communication here at Ashford I already knew what was expected of me and knowing that we had just one extra week was Ok. Even though I knew classes would be tougher I am prepared to take the challenge so I can learn something new that I can apply in a future position. So I have both short and long-term goals that I would like to achieve like everyone else here we want to stand apart from the person who may not hold a master’s degree. With the economy being so tough it is important to ask our professor’s for references because at some jobs people are not allowed to give references even if they thought the world of you it is not allowed.
In Kenneth Thomas’s article he speaks about a sense of competence this is where you feel that you are handling work activities well, that you are motivated and have set high standards for yourself and meet those goals (Thomas, 2009). Motivation, determination, excitement for tasks and having the ability and the opportunity to do these tasks will give a person a sense of pride and enthusiasm to get up and go to work every day. I really enjoyed this article because all the steps that he list gives the person a chance to excel, be rewarded and have the knowledge that their hard work and energy are not taken for granted and feedback will be given in a safe environment. Does anyone work for a company that they feel that all four intrinsic needs are given or rewarded?
Everyone wants to know how they are doing whether it is going online logging onto Ashford and checking your grades for the week or just checking in to see what responses and feedback came from your posts. Sometimes when my computer goes slow and I have clicked on the link to check my grades I feel that it is pure torture when the computer say’s, “Done,” but it did not do what I told it to do. Progress can take time especially if you are new to Ashford; just remember that everyone was new here one time or another so those of us who completed our undergrad degrees are here to help out. If at first you feel overwhelmed then just know that is a normal part of going to school whether it is online or not. My advisor calls me at least once a week or emails me just to check in, at first I thought it might put more pressure on me but she just wants to check my progress to make sure that I am meeting deadlines and am excelling in the class. I think that some students may feel a little lost at first so they may have different questions that come up than I do and I feel like the support system here is so strong, that the advisors really do care.
Thomas suggests that having workshops will help people to understand the difference between the old school (extrinsic) and the new school (intrinsic) especially for managers who can pass down this new way of thinking to their employees. Something that surprised many managers was that they thought people valued monetary rewards more and did not think too much about the benefits of intrinsic awards (Thomas, 2009). This is interesting to note because with this type of new way of thinking people will be rewarded for a job well done that will be a win-win situation for both the employees and the company (Thomas, 2009). Who wants to work a job where they have felt burned out due to lack of acknowledgment from their bosses or uninteresting work? I know in some cultures that it is not common to do so (Pa Houa) mentioned that it is not done in her culture but the sentiment is still there just not spoken about.
What an interesting topic and I am excited to learn more as we go along, it is so tough to get an interview because of the economy but at least I know more than I did when I started this class and I am hopeful that I will find a better fit.
Thomas, K. (2009, Decemeber 1). The four intrinsic rewards that drive employee engagement. Retrieved from http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/the-workplace/the-four-intrinsic-rewards-that-drive-employee-engagement
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