Ever wondered why some people are more driven to succeed in particular situations than others? Or been bewildered that ample incentives haven’t had the desired effect on the productivity or performance of colleagues and teams?

The answer lies in Intrinsic Motivation.

While Extrinsic Motivation—the classic ‘carrot and stick’ approach to incentivizing employees—relies on explicit external rewards and penalties, Intrinsic Motivation comes from the internal values that drive and inspire us each and every day.

In this White Paper, we’ve drawn on more than 50 years of academic research, response data from Attuned users all over the world, and the wisdom of a 19th-generation zen priest to get to the heart of why Intrinsic Motivation is such a powerful force—and why harnessing it is key to creating happier and more productive organizations, and ultimately making work more meaningful.

As Professor Rolf van Dick, Chair of Social Psychology at Goethe University Frankfurt, explains in Chapter 2:

“Motivation, in the end, is not only the level of effort we spend, it’s also direction and persistence when facing obstacles or problems, and those people who are more intrinsically motivated will show more of all three of these aspects of motivation.”