Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation in the Workplace
INTRINSIC VERSUS EXTRINSIC REWARDS: RESOLVING THE CONTROVERSY
William E. Reif
In his foreword to Work in America, Elliot Richardson included the following quote from Richard Nixon's 1971 Labor Day Address: In our quest for a better environment, we must always remember that the most important part of the quality of life is the quality of work, and the new need for job satisfaction is the key to the quality of work.^ Although some might question the belief that work is a central life force, the statement does serve to illustrate the great amount of attention that working life has recently received. The growing concern for meaningful work, due largely to the accumulation of evidence that the quality of working life is poor for many blue-collar, clerical, professional and managerial employees, has persuaded an increasing number of academicians and managers to investigate what can be done to make work a more personally satisfying experience. While the concept of meaningful work appeals to the humanitarian instincts of most managers, their primary concern continues to be productivity; in
terms of human resources, their focus is on how to promote efl'ective work behavior. In an attempt to integrate the two seemingly divergent themes of meaningful work and productivity many firms have adopted an organization development (OD) approach, which encourages managers to take the steps necessary to create an organizational climate that can sustain a high level of individual needs (job) satisfaction and concurrently support the organization's requirements for effectiveness.
STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE WORK BEHAVIOR
Two Strategies have received widespread acclaim for their abihty to create a work situation that is capable of integrating individual and organizational objectives. The first strategy is based on the assumption that workers are motivated by intrinsic rewards, also known as job content variables or motivators, and is the approach taken by the proponents of job
William E. Reif
In his foreword to Work in America, Elliot Richardson included the following quote from Richard Nixon's 1971 Labor Day Address: In our quest for a better environment, we must always remember that the most important part of the quality of life is the quality of work, and the new need for job satisfaction is the key to the quality of work.^ Although some might question the belief that work is a central life force, the statement does serve to illustrate the great amount of attention that working life has recently received. The growing concern for meaningful work, due largely to the accumulation of evidence that the quality of working life is poor for many blue-collar, clerical, professional and managerial employees, has persuaded an increasing number of academicians and managers to investigate what can be done to make work a more personally satisfying experience. While the concept of meaningful work appeals to the humanitarian instincts of most managers, their primary concern continues to be productivity; in
terms of human resources, their focus is on how to promote efl'ective work behavior. In an attempt to integrate the two seemingly divergent themes of meaningful work and productivity many firms have adopted an organization development (OD) approach, which encourages managers to take the steps necessary to create an organizational climate that can sustain a high level of individual needs (job) satisfaction and concurrently support the organization's requirements for effectiveness.
STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE WORK BEHAVIOR
Two Strategies have received widespread acclaim for their abihty to create a work situation that is capable of integrating individual and organizational objectives. The first strategy is based on the assumption that workers are motivated by intrinsic rewards, also known as job content variables or motivators, and is the approach taken by the proponents of job