Engineering Management

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONS

Individual Reflection Paper

“People and Rewards: Intrinsic Motivation”

By 

Anastassiya Kim

Professor: Onajomo Akemu

3.03.2023
 The topic of intrinsic motivation has received considerable attention in recent years and
has been the subject of interest in psychology and related fields for many decades. The nature,
determinants, and consequences of intrinsic motivation have been explored by researchers over
time, and a growing body of evidence suggests that it is a powerful force that can shape behavior
and experiences in various domains, including work, education, sports, and leisure activities. It
refers to the drive to engage in an activity or task because of its inherent enjoyment, satisfaction,
or personal significance, rather than external rewards or pressures. Intrinsic motivation is crucial
for achieving long-term goals, promoting creativity and innovation, and maintaining high levels
of performance and well-being. This reflection paper aims to explore the concept of intrinsic
motivation and its significance in various domains. This paper will reflect on personal
experiences with intrinsic motivation and discuss strategies to foster it. The significance of
intrinsic motivation in the context of Kazakhstan society will also be highlighted.
First of all, it is important to state what is intrinsic motivation according to scientific
theory. The study by Ryan and Deci (2017) describes the intrinsic motivation as the natural
inclination to search for new experiences and challenges, to expand and utilize one's abilities, to
investigate, and to acquire knowledge. In contrast, there is an extrinsic motivation which is when
individuals engage in an activity with the primary goal of achieving a separable outcome that is
external to the activity itself. This type of motivation may be driven by a desire to obtain a
reward, avoid a negative consequence, or reach a specific desired outcome. The differentiation
between these two concepts had been studied by the last hundred years, including research by
Deci (1971), Atkinson (1964), Porter and Lawler (1968) and others. These studies are
contradictory in their meaning, as they tried to appeal for the superiority of one over another.
However, I believe that it is incorrect to highlight one over another, as their necessity and
benefits arise or decline depending on the type of activities they are used.
It is interesting that the basic understanding of the following topic was clear for students
even before the start of the classes. Intuitively, I had a knowledge that motivation for work may
have different sources. That’s basically comes from practice. Imagine the situation when the
student really engaged into the topic of classes. It maybe everything, starting from art classes and
ending with programming. With the desire to know more in something that student likes, his
grades, abilities, and productivity also arises. Similarly, during the work in the organization. If
person is motivated and engaged in the workflow, his or her productivity and results become
better. That were just a usual cases which everyone understands and meets in their lives,
however the rationale of the following behavior started to be clear for me only after the course. It
was important to get ducks in a row, being able to sort the knowledge in the proper way.
According to job characteristic model (Hackman and Oldham, 1976) the key factors that effect
the work of employees in organizations are skill variety, task identity, autonomy, task
significance, knowledge of results and social motivation. That’s follows from the self-
determination theory. Its interesting how different concepts and theories are connected to each
other explaining the human behavior logically and coherently. The ability to learn about those
concepts helped me to better understand my personal sources of motivation and I think that’s
really incredible. Help to the topic of intrinsic motivation, I determined my primary desires and
expectations regarding the future job position, so hopefully I would be able to apply it properly.
Implementing the concept of intrinsic motivation in organizations in Kazakhstan proved
to be quite challenging from the start. The historical background of Kazakhstan as a post-Soviet
country had an indelible impact on all its citizens. People were used to working under strict
control in tightly hierarchical organizations, where creativity was not encouraged, and the ability
to strictly follow the plan was more important. Our ancestors were taught this way, and my
initial thought was that the notion of intrinsic motivation might not be appropriate for us.
However, after deep consideration, my initial beliefs changed. While I still think that intrinsic
motivation is not a sacred grail for success in every company, relying solely on this type of
motivation could be detrimental for manufacturing companies. In the manufacturing industry,
extrinsic motivation in terms of additional monetary bonuses would be a better incentive for
harder work than relying on inner desires. Since the number of manufacturing companies in
Kazakhstan is relatively high, it is not appropriate to consider intrinsic motivation for this sector.
However, with the increasing level of globalization, the number of startups and research
organizations, which are closely connected with the necessity of intrinsic motivation
implementation, is rapidly increasing. In most cases, startups are led by the young generation
whose perceptions and beliefs are less influenced by the Soviet era. Although our parents'
perceptions may differ from ours, with the help of globalization and instant access to millions of
cases and problems that can be applied in our society, young people like me and my friends are
motivated to become better and search for something new every day. In general, I believe that
the internet is the key to the increased necessity of intrinsic motivation for us. Kazakhstani
people can see a lot of new things, people who can be their role models, and find more sources of
inspiration daily. They can apply their desires in their workplaces, enabling them to stay
motivated and be more productive. In some spheres, autonomy and the lack of intrinsic
motivation can only slow down the whole organization.
Nowadays the number of organizations who care about the development of intrinsic
motivation for their employees rapidly increases. I personally believe that this is a good
tendency, as it proposes the improvement of employee’ well-being, promotes the creativity in the
workplace and develops the overall organizational culture. The employees are the driving force
for every company, so it is important for them to stay motivated. That is why the ability to
remember about this motivational type is important for Kazakhstan. Overall, if intrinsic
motivation worked for other country, why it is not appropriate here? By our nature we all
humans, with same basic desires and needs. And according to self-determination theory () the
necessity of autonomy, competence and relatedness is same for all of us, regarding the race,
culture, gender, etc.
The implementation of proper type of motivation for employees inside a company is one
of the common organizational challenges. The organizational challenge itself according to the
sources (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021) are the obstacles that employees encounter which hinder
their ability to achieve their objective. Such difficulties can arise in the workplace due to various
factors such as the environment, team dynamics, and management issues. As a company evolves,
its operations may shift, necessitating that employees adapt to new policies and collaborate
effectively. There are different sources of organizational challenges, which include the
leadership style, communication problems, power distribution between employees, type of
organizational structure, and overall organizational culture. Even small challenge may lead to the
dysfunctionality of the whole company. At the past, I didn’t realize the importance of proper
addressing and resolving the challenge in the workplace. Without the past work experience, the
only thing that I knew is that challenges can be present in every company and they should be
solved. However, I didn’t realize that even the building proper organizational culture is a
challenge. Based on the case studies that were presented during the course I realized how
different factors affect the success of an organization. For example, it was interesting how
different leadership styles affect the motivation of employees, which lead to higher or lower
productivity of teams in the “LUMEN AND ABSORB” case study. The Disney case helped me
to realize how proper organizational structure affects the overall productivity of a company.
Basically, all of the cases were a mental pabulum for me, describing and emphasizing the key
elements of organizations’ development. Starting from the theory all the way down to the real
word application, the course helped me to challenge myself, discussing and rearranging my
thoughts. That’s amazing how from simple everyday problems raised the ‘eureka’ moment of
understanding the rationale for most of the problems and challenges that can be occurred.
Despite the fact that in some moments I was not agree at first, the deep consideration and
discussion helped to combinate my previous knowledge with new concepts, developing new
arguments. I believe that the concepts that were discussed during the course will build a strong
base for my future job. In overall, there is still a lot of miserable challenges that affect
Kazakhstani company. With the strong base of understanding and determination of roots of the
problem, companies will improve their productivity and stability level.
In conclusion, intrinsic motivation is a powerful force that has the potential to shape
behavior and experiences in various domains, including work, education, sports, and leisure
activities. It refers to the drive to engage in an activity or task because of its inherent enjoyment,
satisfaction, or personal significance, rather than external rewards or pressures. While there are
certain challenges in implementing intrinsic motivation in Kazakhstan, particularly in the
manufacturing sector, the increasing globalization and young generation's perceptions and beliefs
are rapidly changing the landscape. Startups and research organizations are emerging, which are
closely connected with the necessity of intrinsic motivation implementation. The significance of
intrinsic motivation in the context of Kazakhstan society cannot be underestimated, and it is
important to recognize its necessity and work towards its development. At the organizational
level, leaders can promote intrinsic motivation by providing opportunities for autonomy, skill
variety, task identity, task significance, knowledge of results, and social motivation. By fostering
intrinsic motivation, we can enhance our personal and organizational growth, and contribute to
the development of a more innovative and dynamic society. That is why the ability to properly
implement the concepts from the course is essential for every students, as we are the future of
Kazakhstan and have the ability to improve the organizations in which we are planning to work
after the studies.

References:

Di Domenico, S. I., & Ryan, R. M. (2017, March 24). The Emerging Neuroscience of Intrinsic
Motivation: A New Frontier in Self-Determination Research. PubMed Central (PMC).
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00145

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and
new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67.
doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Deci E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. J. Pers. Soc.
Psychol. 18, 105–155. 10.1037/h0030644
Atkinson J. W. (1964). An Introduction to Motivation. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.
Porter L. W., Lawler E. E. (1968). Managerial Attitudes and Performance. Homewood, IL:
Irwin-Dorsey.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a
theory. Organizational behavior and human performance, 16(2), 250-279.
Indeed Career Guide. (2021, June 2). Organizational Challenges. Retrieved from
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/organizational-
challenges#:~:text=Organizational%20challenges%20are%20difficulties%20employees,among
%20team%20members%20and%20management.