Intrinsic motivation

In the context of evidence uptake and sustainability, another key characteristic of social movement action is the presence of intrinsically motivated change agents who are committed to the shared concern or strongly desired change and are ready to take action. In this section, you will learn more about the central role of intrinsic motivation for change agents engaged in social movements and some techniques to inspire this type of motivation in others. 

• individuals take action because of "free choice" or autonomy; they thrive on the experiences associated with getting involved, and building and expanding personal capacities
• individuals are "moved" by something (for example, an issue, concern, or cause) and voluntarily find ways to take action 
• individuals set goals for themselves that reflect their personal values and in doing so, also support their psychological needs of: 
• autonomy (having choice and control over what we do)
• mastery (the drive to build competence and self-improvement) 
• greater purpose (by connecting with others who share similar goals) 

SOURCES: Ben-Hur and Kinley, 2016; Ryan and Deci, 2000.

Intrinsic motivation can be driven also by a yearning to change issues in context – small or big – for the better through individual and collective action that engages people creating emotional bonding and collective identity (Serna Restrepo, et al, 2018). Examples of expressions of intrinsically-motivated individuals in the context of work include: deriving pleasure from learning new things, experiencing satisfaction with taking on interesting challenges or feeling satisfied after accomplishing difficult tasks (Tremblay et al., 2009).

Other forms of motivation

Extrinsic motivation is tied to ego and a need to feel significant or important (Ryan and Deci, 2000). It relies on external incentives or rewards, prodding or pressure from others, or fears of punishment. Examples of expressions of extrinsically motivated individuals in the context of work include the fact that the work is a means to earn money, or a source of security or status (Tremblay et al., 2009).

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Caption: Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation

Amotivation, at the lowest end of the motivation continuum, is tied to a lack of action. People who are amotivated either act passively or lack the intention to take any action. Examples of expressions of amotivation in the context of work include: lacking a rationale for choosing a type of work, feeling that the working conditions are unrealistic, or feeling that too much is expected of workers (Tremblay et al., 2009).   

By using sources of intrinsic motivation, individuals are more likely to engage as change agents or members of a change team because they personally value the shared concern or desired change and want to address it. The experiences of being a part of a change are seen as meaningful, with a sense of responsibility and pride in the results achieved. 

When people have the mindset of choosing to engage in change, they act through autonomy from a place of choice and through individual agency or emotional power. They become committed to taking on challenges. Intrinsic motivation creates opportunities for change to be realized and goals achieved, partly because it sparks creativity in which people develop new ideas and solutions. 

In contrast, a mindset of having to participate in change means that individual choice has been lost. People then feel powerless, acting in a position of compliance. This can result in limited participation as defined by others.

SOURCE: Hilton and Anderson, 2019.     

To foster intrinsic motivation for a shared concern or strongly desired change with colleagues and others, the following approaches can be applied by you and your change team:

• Encourage people with direct lived experience to get involved and take on roles as members of a change team or as change agents. Actively support them to share their first-hand knowledge and understanding of the issues and the context.
• Welcome individuals with indirect experience of a shared concern or a strongly desired change – they can act as allies with those who have lived experience. 
• Choose values that are shared by many, such as truthfulness, fairness, confidentiality and privacy. This way, others are more likely to connect with the shared concern and feel it is also relevant to them.  
• Frame key messages to position the shared concern or desired change so it will resonate with others.
• In situations where people are developing competency or self-efficacy in an area of care, be aware that intrinsic motivation can be facilitated by linking feelings of competence with autonomy and internal locus of control. 
• Allow staff to self-determine their level of engagement. Avoid assigning roles in order to give everyone a choice about how much and where to invest their energy.

SOURCES: Bate et al., 2004a; Carson-Stevens et al., 2013; College of Nurses of Ontario, 2019; Grinspun, 2011; Jaben, 2016; Ryan and Deci, 2000; Serna Restrepo et al., 2018. 

Change agents and members of change teams can foster environments where intrinsic motivation is valued and integrated. They can create conditions or opportunities to enable individuals’ psychological needs for autonomy, mastery, and connections or social ties. 

Three sources of intrinsic motivation with techniques and examples are described below.

SOURCE: Adapted from Bajnok et al., 2018b; Ben-Hur and Kinley, 2016. 

Tell us how you and your change team have used intrinsic motivation to lead change at #LeadingChangeToolkit   

SOURCES: Jaben, 2016; Santos-Longhurst, 2019.

SOURCES: Bajnok et al., 2018b; Hilton and Anderson, 2018. 

Linking this key characteristic to other elements of the Social Movement Action Framework:

Each of the elements of the Social Movement Action (SMA) Framework is dynamic and interrelated. For example, intrinsic motivation reflects the values that underlie a shared concern or desired change and an urgent need for change. The shared values can be used in positioning key messages or framing of the social movement. When people engage in social movements willingly, it fosters emerging leaders. The resulting positive emotional experiences increase the commitment to engage in individual 

Linking this key characteristic to the action cycle phases of the Knowledge-to-Action Framework:

You and your change team’s capacity in social movement actions may be enhanced or accelerated by adding in some of the action cycle phases of the Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) Framework, as the two frameworks are complementary. In addition to the linking example described earlier in this section, there can be many other points of connection between the two frameworks. Here are two examples for you to consider:   

• Adapt knowledge to local context: Intrinsically-motivated people can live in various contexts, take on different roles, and may have access to different levels and types of resources. Assessing their local context, individuals and/or groups can help you understand their story and why they are intrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation builds leadership, energy and commitment to the movement.
• Assess barriers and facilitators to knowledge use: Even those who have the most intrinsic motivation can become discouraged when there are barriers that limit them from mobilizing individual and collective action. Assessing facilitators and barriers can help you and your change team leverage facilitators and circumvent or minimize barriers that arise. For example, positive social experiences of affiliation and togetherness may increase change agents’ existing commitment to the movement. This is one facilitator of the social movement, which others can you identify?

For more discussion about the dynamic links between the elements of the SMA Framework to one another and to the KTA Framework, see the section "Two complementary frameworks".