- #Extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation which is better how to#
- #Extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation which is better software#
In this, a set of kids were promised a reward for drawing pictures (an activity they enjoyed) while other kids weren’t promised anything for drawing pictures.
A classic example of this was revealed in a psychological study of school kids, published in The Hidden Costs of Reward. What’s more, extrinsic motivation has been shown to be ineffective and even harmful for creativity.
#Extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation which is better software#
Just look at all the open-source software out there: the contributors aren’t paid a dime, yet dedicate thousands of hours, so what’s motivating them? Some German economists explored exactly that, and found that open-source developers are indeed mainly driven by intrinsic motivation: “the fun of mastering the challenge of a given software problem” and “the desire to give a gift to the programmer community.” Intrinsic motivation vs extrinsic motivation: which is better?Īccording to Daniel Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, intrinsic motivation wins hands-down when it comes to creativity and innovation. Starting a public-speaking course because their manager told them their presentations could be more engaging.Putting loads of effort into coding a feature because there’s the pressure of a deadline.Writing an article for the company blog because HR promised them an Amazon voucher.Here’s what extrinsic motivation might look like in a team: In other words, it’s the old-school "carrot and stick" method. And it’s triggered when we’re praised, rewarded, or put under pressure. In contrast, extrinsic motivation comes from someone or something outside of ourselves. Starting a public-speaking course because they want to improve their presentations.Putting loads of effort into coding a feature because they enjoy solving software problems.Writing an article for the company blog because they’re passionate about a subject.Here are some examples of intrinsic motivation in a team: You could call it your “mojo” (which would be pretty apt as the concept was coined by two radical psychologists in the 1970s). It’s your natural drive to do something simply because you find it fun or you really care about it. What's the difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation?