Intrinsic motivation in the military: models and strategic importance

Abstract

In this report, prepared for the Eighth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, intrinsic task motivation is related to self management, a set of problem solving behaviors corresponding to the requirements specified for twenty-first century military personnel. Intrinsic task motivation refers to the psychological rewards that individuals derive directly from their work tasks. An integrative theory presents four types of intrinsic rewards: senses meaningfulness, choice, competence, and progress. These rewards correspond to four types of decision-making behaviors that define self-management: committing to a meaningful purpose, choosing activities to accomplish this purpose, monitoring the quality/competence of one's activities, and monitoring one's progress toward the purpose. Self-management is contrasted with micro-management: the dominant style of the traditional or "old school" of management. Intrinsic motivation and self management are more congruent with the military's strategic human resource requirements in the twenty-first century, as exemplified by Total Quality Management, Force XXI, and the U.S. Army as a learning organization. The potential benefits of intrinsic task motivation and self-management include, at the individual level, flexibility, adaptation, responsiveness, innovation, learning, and satisfaction. These, in turn, are expected to lead to enhanced retention and readiness, at individual and unit levels