What Is Intrinsic And Extrinsic Rewards?

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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards
A rewards system can be very helpful when it comes to change management. People are naturally resistant to change, therefore any additional support can be useful to facilitate the change that is desired. While every manager hopes employees will embrace change, sometimes an extra motivator may be required and this is where rewards systems come into play. According to Wu (2014), motivation is the reason that drives someone to do something and a reward is what you get for doing something rather than the reason for doing it in the first place. When employees are motivated to work at higher levels of productivity, the organization as a whole runs more efficiently and is more effective at reaching its goals (study.com, …show more content…

This type of work offered workers few intrinsic rewards, therefore extrinsic rewards were often the only motivational tools available to organizations (Thomas, 2009). Furthermore, extrinsic rewards alone are not sustainable; if you withdraw the reward, the motivation disappears (D 'Ausilio, 2008). Additionally, it hurts intrinsic motivation because rewarding people for doing something removes their innate desire to do it on their own (D’Ausilio, 2008). Today, as stated by Thomas (2009), extrinsic rewards are less important, as day-to-day motivation is strongly driven by intrinsic rewards. According to D 'Ausilio (2008), a Gallup Poll surveyed the top ten employee motivators and listed number one was public praise/recognition. Not having employee motivation can cost an organization dearly. As surveyed by Gallup, according to D’Ausilio (2008), actively disengaged workers cost employers $292- $355 billion per year. Armed with these facts, I would look to intrinsic rewards as a main reward system for employee motivation, mixing in some extrinsic as well. As summarized by D’Ausilio (2008), the two should be combined into a complimentary system to promote …show more content…

Rated as the best place to work in the United States in 2009, it has the best mix of rewards (Cook, 2012). The founders of Google believed that in order to attract the best talent, they had to provide an environment where people would want to come to work, have fun, dream big and get rewarded for hard work (Cook, 2012). Along with standard benefits, Google provides a fun environment with which to work including dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, and carwashes to just name a few. Providing a mix of both reward types, Google understands that many humans are not motivated by pay incentives alone, and believes in administering rewards and a good company culture is vital to company success (Cook, 2012). According to Cook (2012), Google’s intrinsic rewards are no real hierarchy, tiny work groups, and purpose. They do not rely on a standard hierarchy, but instead a structure that is flat to maximize creativity, which keeps employees engaged and gives a feeling of accomplishment. Having no official channels, ideas can flow within groups; they focus on multiple smaller workgroups that may have a project manager overseen by committees (Cook, 2012). Intrinsic rewards are when you want to do something. Another aspect of Google utilizing this theory is the fact if a Googler wants to work with another team, he or she can switch working teams anytime

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