Dictionary.com defines motivation as “the act of providing a reason to act in a certain way.” Motivation can be internal or external. We often discuss motivation for successful leaders to guide teams. Today, we’ll review the differences between internal and external motivation and how leaders can use this tool to improve project team performance.
Internal Motivation
All of us are motivated to do or act in certain ways. We do certain things and follow certain behaviors whether others observe us or not. We take pride in activities that we enjoy and share our success when we accomplish our goals.
This is a description of internally-inspired motivation. The individual is driven to meet objectives whether an external party offers rewards or recognition. Internal motivation can be a strong force powering a person to improve behaviors or performance.
Take Linda, for example. Linda was rifling through photos on her phone and landed on vacation photos from 2014. With a jolt, she realized how thin she looked in them. She compared the vacation photos to recent photos at a park last month. “Wow,” she thought, “I need to lose weight.”
Next, Linda engaged in a more rigorous fitness routine. She began bicycling every morning and going to the gym after work. She monitored her snacks and kept looking at the 2014 vacation photos to remind herself why she was working out. Within two months, Linda lost 10 pounds. She was internally motivated to accomplish her goal. No one told her to lose weight or forced her to go to the gym. She was driven by an internal desire to improve herself, her behaviors, and her performance.
External Motivation
In contrast, externally-inspired motivation provides us with goals and objectives that are determined by others. The rewards and recognition tend to be more material in nature yet can be as satisfying as those gained via internal motivation.
I’ll use myself as an example. I am motivated to participate in 5k fun runs by the t-shirts. Yes, it’s dumb, but I want to other people to see me wearing a t-shirt for a fun run to know that I finished the event. And while it seems a bit arrogant, I am really proud of sharing that I could run a 5k and that I’ve been recognized for the activity with a (token) t-shirt. The t-shirt is a tangible reward for my efforts to train and complete the race. Just being able to run 5k is not enough to get me out of ben on a cold morning. But, knowing that I will be part of a group with matching t-shirts demonstrating an accomplishment (and a donation to a cool charity) does indeed drive me to lace up my running shoes!
Team Motivation
Project managers need to balance both internal and external motivations among their team members. Some team members will be internally motivated to do the work of the project just because it is interesting or challenges them.
In other cases, individuals need to be given an external motivator to complete project tasks. There are many reasons people need externally-inspired motivation on a project. They may have done similar tasks on several projects in the past and are bored with work that seems routine. They may feel like their skills are not matched to the tasks with either too low or too high of an effort required to accomplish project goals. Finally, they may simply be distracted by other things in “life” such that work is not their top priority.
Team leaders can use external motivators to enhance team performance. Obvious rewards and recognition include bonus pay, promotional opportunities, and public celebrations (e.g. recognition dinners, plaques, and awards). However, other external motivators are also appropriate for project teams as well. It is important for the project leader to recognize those team members that are inspired by external factors and to match recognition and rewards to their needs.
Scrum projects utilize effective externally-inspired motivators. First, the Scrumboard is a tool that indicates task
progress. The Scrumboard is placed in a public space so that all team members and project stakeholders are aware of the current status of each task or activity – not started, in progress, testing, or complete. Scrum team members re generally driven to move tasks to the complete status in order to deliver on the promised activities for each sprint.
Next, the daily stand-up meeting also serves as external motivation for the team. During each stand-up meeting, three questions are addressed.
- What did you do/complete yesterday?
- What do you plan to do today?
- What hurdles or obstacles do you face?
The daily stand-up meeting is short – about 15 minutes. Yet, it provides each team member a chance to share his/her accomplishments (what did you do yesterday?). If tasks had not been previously moved from the “in progress” or “testing” column of the Scrumboard to “complete,” the daily stand-up meeting gives this opportunity. A public recognition of completed tasks can be motivating for many team members.
Driving Internal Motivation
Project leaders also need to support and drive internal motivations. Of course, this takes more work on the part of the manager. S/he must identify what motivates and inspires each individual team member. And there are as many motivators as there are team members!
For instance, Julie worked very hard on the project. She put in steady hours and produced above-average results. She didn’t complain about the workload and had no apparent conflicts with other team members. Julie’s manager recognized that she was self-motivated, but also knew that he had to continue to drive and support her internal goals. So, Julie’s manager offered her more responsibility on the project. He also established a route of external motivation by announcing Julie’s expanded role on the project at a daily stand-up meeting.
Leaders and Motivation
As product, project, and engineering leaders, we are called to motivate and inspire our project team members. We need to recognize and understand the differences between those that are internally or externally motivated. In any situation, however, effective leaders use tools such as expanded job responsibilities, Scrumboards, and team meetings to energize the team to accomplish its goals.
If you’d like to learn more about Scrum or agile product development, please join us in an ANPD (Agile New Product Development) Workshop. You may also enjoy learning more about product development in an NPDP Workshop. Feel free to contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717. At Simple-PDH.com where we want to help you gain and maintain your professional certifications. You can study, learn, and earn – it’s simple!
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