Intrinsic motivation at work : building energy & commitment

What motivates people to do their best work in any endeavor they undertake? Management theory and practice has traditionally focused on "extrinsic motivators": pay, benefits, status, bonuses, commissions, pension plans, expense budgets, and the like. While these are powerful motivators, by themselves they are no longer enough. In today's organizations, where managers expect workers and teams to self-manage their work, intrinsic rewards are essential. This breakthrough book provides the first comprehensive treatment of intrinsic motivation - the psychological rewards workers get directly from the work itself - offering clear advice on how companies can harness its tremendous power to develop a more committed, self-managing workforce. Written in an engaging, accessible style and grounded in solid academic research, Intrinsic Motivation provides a diagnostic framework for addressing problems of intrinsic motivation and essential ways to build it. Thomas describes four intrinsic rewards needed to energize today's work: a sense of purpose or meaningfulness, the ability to choose how the tasks are performed, the ability to control the quality of one's performance, and a sense of progress. He offers detailed information on these rewards, together with the building blocks leaders and workers can use to create them. Finally, he spells out the practical implications for executives, managers, and employees themselves.