The Puzzle of Motivation

What motivates us? 

This is one question which i have asked repeatedly to myself and to others. The answer keeps changing with each individual needs. Some how the thin boundary between professional and personal life merges with motivation.

Many people feel they are not paid enough for the job they are doing, therefore companies should incentivise them. Many other need their alter ego's to be massaged therefore for a job done well they need recognition and rewards from the company. If companies do not do the following then they face loosing talent on monthly basis. It's a catch 22 situation for many companies struggling to retain talent.
Is it the incentive which is attached to a good job done? Or is it the reward and recognition which the company gives? or is it the fringe benefits which many employees enjoy?

At times its none of the above. Today's generation is not about incentives or rewards its more about accepting a challenge and making the impossible possible.
But then think about mechanical low skill jobs, where each process is broken down and one is incentivised by doing the maximum number of repetitions. For someone who is not using their cognitive abilities, definitely rewards and incentives should work. But are they motivated to do the job? If the extra income coming to them as incentive is removed how many will function to their maximum ability?

I work a lot with creative people and one thing i have seen about them is their passion to create something unique. They are driven by passion and to many money is the side effect of what ever they do. For them their reward is that their concept and design comes to life. Such people are always motivated with appreciation to a job done well. They take pride in their designs and concept. Recently i had one of my colleagues put in his resignation. When i asked him, he was clear that he was not utilised to his maximum potential. It was not about money, it was about the kind of work which was been given to him. He was under utilised and he felt he could do better by not working in the company than letting his creative edge become stale. He was looking for some challenge to deliver the impossible.
So what was his motivation? More challenging work viz a viz an increase in salary. Its a rare case is what i will say. 

But then i have seen today's GenX does not think like what people a decade ago used to about work. They are motivated with challenges given to them, having an easy job is not what they feel is interesting. They also believe in research and upping their skills set when ever possible. For them to move from one company to another is not about more salary but more about what am i learning further. They demand the salary which they feel they deserve and decide as per their need not by some inherent need to get a job. This generation is all about their learning curve and how to further enhance their skills set. They have their priorities correct, when they work they work and when they party they party. Their is no complacency in their work. 

Then i would say we should hire all young talent as they are highly motivated. Does that work? Its not about the age of the person but the experience the person gets on board which matters. 

I see many home makers who have channeled their life with participating in causes, their children's education ,learning new dishes , new talent etc. When i asked them is this motivating, the only answer i got was i need to fill in my time for the whole day. Therefore i keep busy. Now i am not sure if a home maker is motivated doing all the chores that they are or is it filling in the empty hours?
I tried for a few months to be a home maker and all of a sudden i have huge respect for people who take care of home. Its a tough job. I did not know how to fill the empty hours by learning something new. I preferred being back in the rat race to work in corporate world.

So i ask this elusive question again; What motivate us?

Human beings have an inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges , to extend and exercise their capacities, to explore and to learn. Somehow what science has to say about our nature is different from what companies do.

Human nature is such that we always want more and if the more is restricted then we are not happy. Is their a possibility that Rewards narrow our focus and restricts our possibilities?