While past articles on incentivizing staff have largely focused on an array of external methods, such as gift cards, spiffs, or bonuses, research actually shows that “all expected tangible rewards made contingent on task performance reliably undermine intrinsic motivation.”¹

So, instead the question becomes, how can the employer create intrinsic motivation in their team members for their jobs? The answer is when employers can provide activities that both appeal to staff members and support their innate psychological needs. These include: (1) competence, (2) autonomy, and (3) relatedness (connection).¹ These needs encompass the Self-Determination Theory of Motivation, which is “people’s inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs that are the basis for their self-motivation and personality integration, as well as for the conditions that foster those positive processes.”¹ This theory has been substantiated,² and I’ve personally witnessed it.

So how can you promote these needs? I want to challenge you to think very differently about how you lead and “incentivize” your team. My hope is that by the time you finish reading this article, you will think about incentivization differently, and you’ll develop a plan for implementing change that can positively affect your business outcomes.

Here, I provide 4 action steps that I have found create intrinsic motivation in staff.

Delegating Tasks

It is important to consider each employees’ unique differences and strengths to best delegate specific tasks, projects, or initiatives.

As a recent example, one of my key opticians showed strengths in both sales and in understanding profit margins. As a result, I discussed with her the role of optical manager, provided a written outline of this role, the metrics I wanted her to help the practice achieve, and how she would be compensated differently. This optician accepted these responsibilities and was able to execute accordingly because I, in part, elevated both her autonomy and competence.

Starting the Morning with a Daily Huddle

My team and I start every morning with a 5-to-7-minute huddle where we briefly review the day ahead. During this time, I make an effort to share jokes, laughs, and do my best to maintain lightheartedness, as I know my influence in setting the tone for the day can make a huge difference in our approach and attitude. 

In the huddle, we are typically sipping from decorative coffee mugs, which are specially gifted by me to each team member upon completion of their 90th day of employment. The mug is viewed as a right of passage and a symbol of official employee status on our team.

We also discuss how we can individually assist patients and each other more effectively and efficiently. This may consist of one team member who is usually focused on the clinic side assisting at check in, or another team member adjusting their lunch time to better accommodate a smooth clinic flow. Additionally, we talk about how to anticipate any challenges, or how we will “put out any fires.”

This meeting creates a level of commitment from each member of the team, which promotes intrinsic motivation by relatedness. A sense of “not letting your team down” is created within each person, and I have found it makes a world of difference in our effectiveness at work. 

Providing Paid-Lunch Meetings

I do my best to host a bi-weekly paid-lunch meeting where every team member is reminded that what they do makes patients’ lives better. Specifically, I consistently review the questions, “Why are we here?” “Does it matter?” “Does the work we do help people and improve their lives?” and “Do we, or could we, save lives?” I always emphasize that, at the very least, we make our patients’ lives better by providing tools (glasses and contact lenses) that directly impact their hobbies, activities, work, and productivity.

I make a regular effort during these meetings to quote the practice’s mission statement, so we can all individually strategize how to continue it. Our mission statement is to focus on “modernizing the vision care experience” with “our unique and personal touch” and “warm hospitality” as “we pride ourselves on exceeding patients' expectations and satisfaction.”

We also discuss how, specifically, each one of us is living and breathing this mission daily and our individual successes that align with the mission. Examples include remembering special personal preferences of patients, asking about their family members, and offering them a cold beverage or hot coffee at check in. Further, we discuss how we can leverage new technology to make their experience easier and more effortless.

These lunch meetings encourage relatedness among our team and promote how that can be
translated into our patient care.

Instilling a Winning Team Mentality

People tend to gravitate toward successful groups and superior leadership. I make achieving the practice’s mission and culture as being a part of a winning team. I have witnessed this approach not only improve individual performance, but also enhance interpersonal relationships among team members.

A winning team mentality means that for eligible team members to receive a quarterly profit share payout, they must focus on what they can do to help their teammates achieve the established goals. With this technique, relatedness is enhanced.

Groundwork Before Rewards

Without intrinsic motivation, the success of rewards, such as the gift cards, movie tickets, or other gifts, won’t work. Do not discount the power of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This is what transforms your team and, therefore, your practice. And with that said, allow your new perspective to help you incentivize away! OM

References

1. Ryan RM, Deci EL. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. Am Psychol. 2000;55(1):68-78. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.68.

2. Ryan, R. M., Duineveld, J. J., Di Domenico, S. I., Ryan, W. S., Steward, B. A., & Bradshaw, E. L. (2022). We know this much is (meta-analytically) true: A meta-review of meta-analytic findings evaluating self-determination theory. Psychological Bulletin, 148(11-12), 813–842. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000385.

Audrey Raley, OD, practices at Refined Eye Care, in New Braunfels, Texas, where she practices full-scope optometry. She graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors from both Texas A&M University in College Station in Biomedical Sciences and the University of Houston College of Optometry for her Doctorate.