Remember that project where you lost track of time? Where every challenge felt like a puzzle you couldn’t wait to solve? That’s intrinsic motivation. It’s the secret behind every breakthrough innovation you’ve ever loved. Here’s the thing: this drive exists in every person on your team. Yet most companies accidentally undermine it with the very systems they think will boost performance. The good news? Once you get how it works, you can unlock innovation. It changes everything. Not just results. How your entire team feels about work.
What Drives People
Intrinsic motivation is our inner drive. We do things because they fulfill us. Or challenge us. Or give us meaning. Unlike external rewards, it comes from within. From curiosity. The desire to grow. Or to create something meaningful.
Two experts found three basic needs that fuel this motivation:
Autonomy – feeling like we can make our own choices
Mastery – wanting to get better at what we do
Purpose – needing to be part of something bigger
When these three things align, the best ideas emerge.
The Hidden Motivation Destroyers
The real issue doesn’t come from rewards. It comes from factors that feel controlling.
Management kills autonomy faster than anything else. Even well-meaning check-ins can backfire. They signal distrust. Unrealistic deadlines turn exciting challenges into stress. Research shows that time pressure always blocks creative thinking.
Ranking systems pit colleagues against each other. This destroys the teamwork teams need. Boring tasks with no growth lead to people losing interest. No matter what rewards you offer. The breakthrough insight: it’s often what you remove that creates impact. Not what you add.
Bringing Back Your Team’s Drive
1. Create real choices
Give people real control over how problems get solved. When people can find their own path, they invest differently.
Real control means letting teams decide their approach. Their methods. Even their priorities.
2. Make learning visible
People want to grow. When teams can see their skills developing, engagement becomes automatic. Help them connect their work to personal growth.
3. Connect work to impact
Show the real humans who benefit from the work. Not abstract numbers. Actual stories and faces.
4. Build safety
Create environments where people can take creative risks without fear. This isn’t just nice-to-have. It’s essential.
Rekindling Your Own Fire
Pay attention to what grabs your curiosity. Those moments when you dive deeper “just because” point toward work that will motivate you. Seek challenges that stretch you in areas you’re excited about. Not just what looks good on paper.
Connect daily work to bigger purposes. Remind yourself how your work helps others. Create choice wherever possible. Even in structured roles, find opportunities for control.
Tools That Work
For teams ready to build motivating environments, Discovery X provides support. It helps identify what motivates each member. Then redesigns workflows.
The Creativity Test reveals which behaviors each person shows when motivated. This allows teams to leverage strengths rather than force behaviors.
Our Podcast explores real strategies from teams who’ve changed their approach to motivation and innovation.
The Bottom Line
Intrinsic motivation isn’t a soft skill. It’s the engine of innovation, creativity, and lasting performance. The question isn’t how to create it. It already exists in every person. The question is how to create conditions where it can flourish.
That’s where the real work begins.
