Why creatives respond better to intrinsic motivation

“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it” – Simon Sinek

Ask anyone that understands the messy and often painful process of creativity and they will agree that there’s no magic formula for getting to great work.  However, if you lead a creative business there’s much you can do to create a culture in which creativity is likely to thrive.  Creative shops can be punishing places to work, under constant pressure to deliver against restrictive deadlines and often with limited resources – so how do you keep creative minds engaged when the odds are stacked against them?  The answer lies in intrinsic motivation.

In its simplest terms, intrinsic motivation comes from within and is the psychological reward that people get from doing meaningful work and doing it well.  By contrast, extrinsic motivators are determined by someone else and often come in the form of carrots (payrises, bonuses and perks) or big sticks (threats and pressure).  

Studies have shown that people are at their most creative when they are motivated primarily by the interest, challenge and satisfaction of the work itself.  Whereas, motivating them by extrinsic means can be a perilous task.  Whilst yelling at your team is unsurprisingly demotivating, the same is true for ill-applied rewards. A Harvey Nics voucher will do little to inspire the team that’s struggling to pay their rent, and yet for others the promise of hard cash, if they have no creative opportunities, has the damp reek of selling out...and nothing is more likely to be a creative passion killer.  

Furthermore, it’s been proven that rewards that are contingent on success actually undermine creative thinking because the focus becomes the reward and not the work.  They also whiff of manipulation – and that rarely plays out well creatively.  The reality is, when it comes to motivating your team, nurturing their internal desire to create or innovate, is more than half the battle, whereas threatening or cajoling them into delivering the goods, can kill creativity in its tracks.  

Let’s be clear, financial compensation is still important – otherwise we’d all be starving artists - but according to Deloitte, “research shows that pay is a “hygiene factor,” not an “engagement factor.” In other words, people need to feel fairly valued, otherwise they’ll leave.  But if you pay people enough so they aren’t worrying about money, then according to psychologist, Dan Pink “there are three factors that the science shows lead to better performance: autonomy, mastery, and purpose”.  This is similar to the concept of ‘flow’ which is the state in which you are fully absorbed in an activity that is both challenging and inherently interesting, often deemed to be the ideal state for high creativity.  Unfortunately, you can’t just make your team have intrinsic motivation or snap your fingers to put them in a state of flow...but you can create the conditions for them to exist. Consider the following:

·      When things go wrong are you quick to point the finger or quick to find the learning?

·      When someone’s off their game, is your instinct to reprimand or to reach out?

·      Do you often wade in to sort problems out, or do you provide support to guide your team back on track?

·      Do you expect your team to do as they’re told, or do you take the time to explain why their work will matter?

If your answers are more the former than the latter, there’s a fair chance your team won’t be performing at their best and will be on the lookout for opportunities elsewhere.  However, by shifting your approach, you can create a culture that fuels their commitment and desire to do great work instead:   

Help them learn

Mastery is about reaching your potential, so being appropriately stretched and exposed to new thinking is critical to team engagement.  Without it, apathy can quickly set in - and let’s face it, a bored creative is an unproductive creative.  So having a culture of open collaboration and idea-sharing, where your team can accelerate their growth by learning from each other, is one great way to do this.  However, one of the primary places that creatives learn, is in reviews, which form regular opportunities for creative leaders to engage their teams.  But there’s a fine art to giving creative feedback – get it wrong and you can flatten the creativity you need to inspire.  According to Pixar’s Matthew Luhn, “There's nothing that kills the energy and creativity in a room quicker than somebody saying 'no’”.  Feeling judged or criticised for your work destroys motivation but equally, getting little or no feedback can feel like your work doesn’t matter.  Instead, Luhn advises to feedback quickly and constructively, rather than pass judgement.  Even when it’s stiff feedback, meaningful discussion around the work means it was worthy of attention, leaving the team more open to taking on board ways to improve.  As creative psychologist, Teresa Amabile, says: “To perform at their creative peak, people need to know that every idea will be respected (if not accepted)”.  

Do work that matters 

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”- Friedrich Nietzsche

We invest time and effort into the things we care about and studies show that the highest levels of positive creative engagement occur when people are engaged in work that’s meaningful to them.  Unfortunately, not every project can have a lofty purpose and with the best will in the world, it’s hard to drum up enthusiasm for that banner brief that’s landed on your desk at half five on a Friday.  However, the best creative shops balance the mundane with the aspirational by ensuring that the business has a bigger picture that their team can be part of.  So share your vision in a way that makes them care about the outcome and shows them why their work has the potential to make a difference.This is so important to Millennials that 75% of them say they would take a pay cut to work for a business that has a social purpose. And recent studies of Gen Z, the so-called ‘Purpose Generation’, show that they will prioritise purpose in their work over everything else.  So building the ‘why’ into your business is no longer a nice to have – it’s a fundamental necessity to attracting the creative workforce of the future.

Empower your team

“Hire good people and then leave them alone” – William McKnight

We all have the urge to self-direct our own lives but micromanagement is particularly anathema to creative people. There’s nothing more likely to crush creative ambition than having controlling bosses who prefer their own ideas.   Instead, one of the most powerful things you can do is give them the autonomy to decide how they solve problems and deliver on their projects.  The same is true for the way people work, as giving your team flexibility around when and where they work, gives them the freedom to optimize their own unique working style.  So, set clear and inspiring briefs, protect their need for meeting-free creative time and be on hand to guide if needed – but otherwise get out of their way.  They’ll move heaven and earth to do their best work in return.

Say thank you…

Of course, when used appropriately and not manipulatively, the right rewards can actually enhance rather than kill intrinsic motivation. Recognition of your work, is right up there as a reward of consequence for creative people and it doesn’t have to be a Cannes Lions to count.  Making time to listen to your team is a surprisingly simple act of recognition, as it makes them feel that their opinions and work are valued.  However, according to Deloitte, when it comes to employee engagement those two, oft-underused, little words; ‘thank you’ can go an awfully long way too.  In fact, companies that have a culture of appreciation have been proven to have significantly higher levels of staff retention. Not only is it reassuring, but when you thank someone, they get a surge of oxytonin, the hormone that makes them more collaborative, relaxed and happy - and what could be nicer than that? 

However, whilst recognition matters, without a base level of internal passion, you’ll struggle to hit creative highs. And let’s be honest, if you’re having to bully or bribe your people into raising their creative game, then something’s seriously amiss.  When it comes to firing up your team, the fact is there are no short cuts.  It takes sustained effort to create the conditions for intrinsic motivation, so it’s up to you to set the bar aspirationally high, whilst supporting your team to get there.  Fortunately, most creatives already have an innate hunger to do great work – so by investing in a culture that fuels their inner creative drive, you’ll be lighting a bonfire of incredible potential.  But be aware, intrinsic motivation can be extinguished as fast as it can be ignited, and it’s easier than you might think to dowse the flames.

https://www.creativereview.co.uk/creatives-respond-better-to-intrinsic-motivation/