Intrinsic Motivation Assessment

Intrinsic Motivation Assessment for Teams

Understand what truly motivates each employee, so managers can improve engagement, personalize communication, and make work more meaningful.

Most engagement tools show whether employees are engaged. Attuned helps you understand why. Our intrinsic motivation assessment reveals the individual motivators that drive each person at work, giving managers a practical way to adapt conversations, feedback, and work design to the people they lead.

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55-question assessment 11 intrinsic motivators AI-assisted profiles Team and individual insights
Attuned manager dashboard showing motivator profiles for each team member
The Problem

Engagement scores do not tell managers what to do next

Employee engagement surveys are useful for spotting patterns, but they often leave managers with the hardest question unanswered: what does this person need from me to do their best work?

Two employees can have the same engagement score for completely different reasons. One may need more autonomy. Another may need clearer structure. Someone else may be motivated by progress, feedback, innovation, social connection, or status. A generic engagement action plan misses those differences.

Attuned helps managers move from broad engagement data to individual motivational insight. Instead of guessing what will help someone feel more engaged, managers can see the specific motivators that matter most to each person.

Traditional engagement survey Attuned motivation assessment
Shows how employees feel Shows what motivates each employee
Produces team-level scores Produces individual and team motivator profiles
Often leads to generic action plans Helps managers personalize communication and support
Measures symptoms Reveals underlying motivational needs

In medicine there is a term for this: treating the lab result instead of the patient. A physician who prescribes the same intervention for every elevated reading, regardless of the person sitting across the desk, is practicing competent pattern-matching. The patients, incidentally, can tell the difference.

The Solution

Make motivation visible

Attuned's intrinsic motivation assessment gives employees and managers a shared language for what drives great work. Each person completes a 55-question forced-choice assessment that identifies the relative strength of 11 intrinsic motivators, then translates the results into an AI-assisted profile that managers can actually use.

The result is a clearer understanding of what each person needs in order to feel energized, understood, and engaged. For managers, that means better 1:1s, more relevant feedback, fewer motivational mismatches, and a more personal approach to employee engagement.

The shared language travels: it shows up in onboarding conversations, in feedback delivery, and in how managers design meaningful work for the people they lead.

An Attuned motivator report showing each motivator scored from 0 to 100% and classified as Need-to-have, Nice-to-have, or Neutral
How It Works

How the intrinsic motivation assessment works

From a 10-minute survey to ongoing manager insight that tracks how motivation changes over time.

1

Employees complete the assessment

Each person completes Attuned's 55-question forced-choice questionnaire. The assessment is designed to surface what each person values at work, not just how they happen to feel on a given day.

2

Attuned creates a motivation profile

The assessment produces an AI-assisted profile that scores each motivator from 0 to 100% and classifies it as Neutral, Nice-to-have, or Need-to-have.

3

Managers get practical insight

Managers can use the profile to better understand how to communicate, give feedback, assign work, and support each person, and to develop a more personal approach to employee engagement.

4

Teams track change over time

Motivation is not always static. Attuned's retake feature lets people compare results over time and see how priorities shift after role changes, life events, or changes in the work environment.

A sample question from the Attuned intrinsic motivation assessment, showing a forced-choice slider between two statements
The 11 Motivators

The 11 motivators behind meaningful work

Attuned worked with psychologists to identify 11 intrinsic motivators that shape how people experience work. Everyone has a different motivational profile, which is why one-size-fits-all engagement strategies often fall short.

Altruism

Motivated by helping others and contributing to others' well-being.

Autonomy

Motivated by independence, freedom, and personal responsibility.

Competition

Motivated by challenge, achievement, and winning.

Feedback

Motivated by recognition, evaluation, and knowing where they stand.

Financial Needs

Motivated by financial security, profit, and material outcomes.

Innovation

Motivated by novelty, creativity, and new ways of solving problems.

Progress

Motivated by learning, growth, and skill development.

Rationality

Motivated by logic, objectivity, and evidence-based decisions.

Security

Motivated by structure, predictability, and clear responsibilities.

Social Relationships

Motivated by belonging, connection, and a positive social atmosphere.

Status

Motivated by reputation, respect, advancement, and prestige.

Want a deeper read on the science? See our piece on intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.

In Practice

What teams say after using Attuned

Attuned helps establish a shared language and rapport between the new employee and their manager. Rather than spending months working through surface-level conversations, this allows a connection to develop more quickly.
Josh Moog Director of HR, Barnett Plumbing & Water Heaters · Read the case study
Our organization is focused on raising the level of engagement with our employees. And we recognize the connections between Psychological Safety, employee engagement, and innovation. Attuned's assessment provides the in-depth data we need to track growth year after year.
Bryant Davis Chief Diversity Officer, City of Greenville · Read the case study
Where It Helps

Where teams use Attuned

From onboarding to engagement action planning, Attuned turns motivational insight into manager behavior that compounds over time.

Better manager 1:1s

Give managers a clearer understanding of what each employee needs from conversations, feedback, and support.

More effective onboarding

Help managers understand new hires faster, so the first 90 days are more personal and productive.

Engagement action planning

Turn engagement survey themes into manager actions that match individual motivational needs.

Hybrid and distributed teams

Create a shared language for motivation when managers have fewer informal signals to rely on.

Retention and role fit

Spot motivational mismatches before they become disengagement, frustration, or attrition risks.

See how Attuned gives managers individual motivator data they can act on.

Book a demo Read customer stories
Research Grounding

Built on a simple truth: people are motivated by different things

Research on self-determination theory shows that autonomous motivation and satisfaction of basic psychological needs are linked with better workplace outcomes, including engagement, performance, satisfaction, and well-being. For managers, the practical implication is clear: motivation improves when people feel that their needs are understood and supported.

Attuned turns that principle into a usable management system. Instead of asking managers to motivate everyone in the same way, Attuned helps them understand the specific motivators that matter to each person.

Deci, Olafsen, & Ryan (2017). "Self-Determination Theory in Work Organizations," Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior
How It Compares

A different question than personality tests or engagement scores

Personality tests can describe how people tend to behave. Engagement surveys can show how people feel about work. Attuned focuses on a different question: what motivates this person?

Tool type What it answers Limitation Where Attuned fits
Personality assessment How does this person tend to behave? May not explain what energizes or drains them at work. Shows what each person needs to feel motivated.
Engagement survey How engaged is this person or team? Often produces broad themes without individual guidance. Helps managers understand the motivational needs behind engagement.
Performance review How has this person performed? Focuses on past results more than motivational fit. Helps managers create conditions for better future performance.
Attuned What intrinsically motivates this person? Requires managers to act on the insight. Turns motivational data into better management conversations.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is an intrinsic motivation assessment?
An intrinsic motivation assessment is a tool for understanding what internally drives a person at work, such as autonomy, progress, feedback, innovation, social connection, or security. Attuned's assessment identifies each employee's relative need for 11 intrinsic motivators and turns the results into an AI-assisted motivation profile.
How is Attuned different from an employee engagement survey?
An employee engagement survey usually measures how employees feel about their work or organization. Attuned helps managers understand what motivates each employee, so they can personalize communication, feedback, and support. For more on the broader context, see our overview of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.
How long does the assessment take?
Attuned describes the Motivation Assessment as a 10-minute, 55-question survey that determines the intrinsic motivators most important to a person.
What motivators does Attuned measure?
Attuned measures 11 motivators: Altruism, Autonomy, Competition, Feedback, Financial Needs, Innovation, Progress, Rationality, Security, Social Relationships, and Status. See the full breakdown on the motivators page.
Can motivation change over time?
Yes. Attuned's product supports assessment retakes because motivational priorities can shift after role changes, promotions, major life events, or changes in the work environment. We've written more about how motivators change over time and how to spot it.
Who should use an intrinsic motivation assessment?
HR leaders, People Ops teams, managers, and founders can use an intrinsic motivation assessment to improve manager conversations, onboarding, engagement action planning, retention, and team communication.

Ready to understand what motivates your team?

Attuned helps managers see the motivational needs that are usually invisible. Use it to improve engagement, strengthen communication, and create more meaningful work for every employee.

Book a demo Download the State of Motivation report
Book a demo