Essay: INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION CONCEPT

INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION CONCEPT
The term motivation has been defined by Deci and Ryan (2000) as “to be moved to do something”. According to them a person is said to be motivated when he is propelled to do something and an unmotivated person is described as someone who does not have the initiative to work. From the above one can say that motivation can be defined in simple terms as the inner force that propels individuals to achieve personal and organizational goals. Understanding what motivates employees is one of the key challenges for managers. For an organization to address these needs of employees, motivation is required. According to Deci and Ryan (2000), a person could be induced to upgrade himself because he or she believes the benefits that would come with it would worth the effort invested in the upgrading process.
2.1.1 INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
According to Deci and Ryan (2000, pp. 56), intrinsic motivation is defined as “the doing of an activity for it inherent satisfactions rather than for some separable consequence”. It is not created by external incentives. This form of motivation can result from the work itself when individuals feel that their work is important, interesting and provides them with a reasonable degree of satisfaction, opportunities to achieve and develop their skills and abilities. An intrinsic motivation test was first conducted on the behavior of animals. It was uncovered that most animals exhibited inductive, cheerful and mental acquisitiveness behaviors even without an incentive White (1959, cited in Deci and Ryan 2000, pp. 56). This explains the fact that human beings are social animals and are therefore endowed with intrinsic motivation. Under certain conditions, workers are able to do their work with contentment derived from it.
Intrinsic motivation is very important in the life of humans. Humans in their advantageous stage are strong, inquiring, cheerful, and are ready to acquire more knowledge even without external inducement. Intrinsic motivation exists between a person and the work he does. More emphasis was placed on the psychological needs of people (Deci and Ryan, 2000, pp. 56-57). The ability of workers to improve to a higher standard and investigate into new ideas could be achieved with intrinsic motivation. This is because the inner drive would be available to encourage workers to research into what could be done to help firms achieve their aims and objectives.
In self-determination theory, the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were analysed based on the purposes it serves. The simplest differentiation given is that, intrinsic motivation is engaging in an activity because of the pleasure derived from doing whiles extrinsic motivation is engaging in work because physical incentives will be awarded for the effort made. Self-determination theory “is a macro theory of human motivation and personality that concerns peoples inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs namely autonomy, competence and relatedness”. Autonomy is explained as being independent whatever activity a person undertakes. Competence is being efficient in doing something. Relatedness also means associating with other people (SDT; Deci and Ryan, 1985).
2.1.2 EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION
Intrinsic motivation is an essential form of motivation, maximum of the liveliness people do are not completely accurate intrinsically motivated.
“Extrinsic motivation is a construct that pertains whenever an activity is done in order to attain some separable outcome” Deci and Ryan (1985 cited in Deci and Ryan 2000). This means, motivation that come from outside an individual when work is been assigned to the worker. It also emphasized that, people feel much excited to the work they are being tasked even though they have little interest in I but because of the expected gladness, and enjoyment they will received in return. Extrinsic motivation depends on the individual preferences as to what makes him or her feel appreciated and have much enthusiasm to work.  What will motivate one worker will not motivate another as individual preference is different from each other.
Most institutional services assigned in work place are purposeless intrinsically appealing, centric questions charged how to motivate workers to appraise and control work assigned to by themselves without any outside influence and interference. This disputed point is explained within self-determination theory in terms of fostering the internationalization and integration of value and behavioral regulations. Internationalization is the process of taking in a value or regulation, and integration on the other hand refers to the process by which individuals more fully transform the regulation into their own so that it will emanate from their sense of oneself, Deci and Ryan (1985 cited in Deci and Ryan 2000). Which means, internationalization is taking with oneself or the other habitually or prudently through study and associate the attitudes, beliefs, values accepted of different person or maximal of the society or organization to which one is been placed. Also with integration, it is explained as the ultimate self-ruling kind of extrinsic motivation. It happens when supervision are completely take up by oneself so they are added in a person self-assessment and beliefs on personal commitment. As a result of this, integration contribution feature with intrinsic motivation but are still classified as extrinsic because of the aims that the motives extrinsic to oneself, comparatively than the integrated satisfaction or excitement in the job Deci and Ryan (1985, cited in Deci and Ryan 2000).
2.1.3 APPLICATION OF INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION CONCEPT TO THE STUDY
It can be deduced from the above theory that, most workers are motivated intrinsically under conducive environment. With regards to health workers, they are motivated intrinsically under conditions such as quality leadership, modern structures and equipment that enhance effective and efficient delivery of healthcare, good organizational structure and culture and the desire to serve man and country. All these factors can contribute to intrinsically motivated workforce. Intrinsically motivated factors are mostly not directly given to workers but they can have influence on such factors.
Motivation is an inward feeling that which effects makes people to complete certain aims and objectives. Though motivation is not visible it is visible in it physical output (Denhardt et al., 2008pp. 147). Workers who are motivated extrinsically on the other hand, with respect to health workers expects the government and the Ghana health service to reward them in the form of good salaries and allowances (night allowance, overtime allowance etc.) and other incentive packages. With such workers, when these needs are not satisfied in due time it results in strike actions which can clearly be seen in recent times. Health workers embark on strikes when these extraneous factors are not satisfied which result in loss of productive resource such as labour.
However workers who are motivated extrinsically will not perform well if intrinsic motivation is not available. The inward desire and joy to deliver must be fulfilled. Some workers are rewarded extrinsically but turns to show apathy towards government work. This means intrinsic and extrinsic motivation must work hand in hand to ensure quality delivery of healthcare services in Ghana.
2.2 ABRAHAM HAROLD MASLOW THEORY OF MOTIVATIONAL NEEDS
One of the most prominent theories of motivation is the Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. Much more understanding has been gained through his introduction of the Hierarchy of human needs. According to Maslow, employees have five levels of needs; physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs and the self-actualizing needs. In his theory Maslow stressed that the lower needs had to be satisfied before the next higher level need would motivate the employee. Below is a pyramid containing the Hierarchy of needs as asserts by Abraham Maslow.