McGregor’s 1960 book, The Human Side of Enterprise, had a profound influence on education practices. He contributed much to the development of management and motivational theory. He is best known for his Theory X and Theory Y, which splits corporate thinking into two camps.

Douglas McGregor, through his well-known “Theory X and Theory Y,” drew a distinction between the assumptions about human motivation which underlie these two approaches, to this effect: Theory X assumes that people dislike work and must be coerced, controlled, and directed toward organizational goals.

Under Theory Y, managers believe employees inherently dislike work and must therefore be directed or even coerced into performing it.

McGregor developed two theories of human behaviour at work: Theory and X and Theory Y. He did not imply that workers would be one type or the other. Rather, he saw the two theories as two extremes – with a whole spectrum of possible behaviours in between.

Taylor’s theory, as noted, argues that workers are motivated by money – and only by money, while employers want low labor costs. As he also stated in “Principals.”

Three Main Theories on Motivation are 1. Optimal-level Theory, 2. Psychoanalytic Theory 3. Humanistic Theory!

So what are the main theories of work motivation? We’ve selected three high-profile theories that offer an interesting take on what motivates different individuals: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, McClelland’s Three Needs Theory, and Herzberg’s Motivation Theory.

To increase your intrinsic motivation, consider incorporating the following strategies:

1. Evaluate your motivations. Start by evaluating your current motivations.
2. Chase your passion. Seek challenges and goals that have a personal meaning to help sustain interest over time.
3. Make an impact.
4. Forget the rewards.

Five studies highlighting the power of intrinsic motivation

• Intrinsic motivation leads to greater persistence.
• Intrinsic motivation enhances engagement.
• Intrinsically motivated learning is more effective.
• Employees perform better when they’re intrinsically rewarded.
• Intrinsically motivated employees are more likely to stay.

For individual athletes, both intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation can be powerful drivers. For example, an athlete might be motivated by their desire to get better and increase their competence as well as a bonus check for winning a big game.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Can Coexist But sometimes, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can co-exist even though they are the opposite of each other. Then you have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to study hard.

Intrinsic Motivation. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are performed because of the sense of personal satisfaction that they bring. The extrinsic motivator is outside of, and acts on, the individual. Rewards—such as a job promotion, money, a sticker, or candy—are good examples of extrinsic motivators.