New research shows a different approach to motivation in the workplace

According to a recent press release from The Ken Blanchard Companies, traditional methods of motivation in the workplace relied on motivating people from the outside in, through external rewards or fear of negative consequences. While those practices may have worked in the 20th century, the latest research on motivation provides evidence that those methods most often do not work well enough for today’s workforce. In response to the results from this new research, The Ken Blanchard Companies has created Optimal Motivation an innovative solution that takes the revolutionary science on motivation and makes it feasible in the work environment.

Coauthors Susan Fowler, David Facer and Drea Zigarmi created the Optimal Motivation experience for leaders at all levels of an organization. The process empowers individuals to approach everyday tasks, goals and situations with vigor, optimism and creativity; and to sustain high levels of performance.

"The value of the latest science of motivation is that it is finally helping us understand the spectrum of motivation in human beings," said Fowler.

"Motivation can now be treated as a vital skill individuals can develop to further enrich the quality of their day-to-day experience at work, and also continually grow so they can enjoy fulfilling careers. It is also a skill managers can learn to enhance the work environment so that individuals find it much easier to innovate and perform at consistently high levels. Those dual outcomes are the intentions of this new approach to motivation," said Facer.

Optimal Motivation teaches individuals about the appraisal process we experience at work, meeting the three basic psychological needs—autonomy, relatedness, and competence—and the skills to reach a high quality of self-regulation. In turn, this process creates the ability to identify and choose a desired motivational experience. The program reveals a spectrum of motivation that alleviates the overly simplistic notion of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. It relieves the pressure of believing there is only one way to experience optimal motivation.

"Organizations do not have to wait for the traditional methods to be uprooted before taking advantage of the latest research," said Zigarmi. “The advantage is not just for the sake of the organization but to create personal energy, vitality and a positive sense of well-being."