Applied Motivation

Group Description:

I was a member of a creative video editing team as part of my internship. Our team's main objective is to enhance the quality of video editing software and develop features that automatically generate video templates for users. We aim to improve the overall user experience, increase the conversion rate of the software, and boost daily activity on the platform. 

As part of the design department, my specific role within the team is to design video templates and contribute to the overall creative direction of the software. However, as an intern, I discovered that my workload is really tedious and my income is lower than that of regular employees, so here are six specific actions to increase my motivation in order to acquire greater career growth prospects.

6 Motivational Actions:

1. Extrinsic Motivation: Implement a system to recognize and reward team members' achievements and contributions. This can be done through verbal appreciation, certificates, or small incentives. This action aligns with the equity theory, as individuals will perceive fairness when their efforts are recognized and rewarded, increasing their motivation to perform well.

2. Intrinsic Motivation: Creating a work environment that promotes creativity and engagement can increase intrinsic motivation. In this case, we can encourage team members to explore their own unique ideas and give them opportunities to showcase their creativity. By providing opportunities for team members to explore their creative ideas, collaborate on projects, and participate in brainstorming sessions, we can foster a sense of autonomy and mastery. The principles of intrinsic motivation, where individuals are driven by internal factors such as personal growth, personal satisfaction in their work, and enjoyment of the work itself.

3. Needs-Based Theories of Motivation: Applying the ERG (Existence, Relatedness, Growth) theory, it is essential to address the diverse needs of group members. By providing a supportive environment that meets their basic needs (existence), fostering positive relationships and teamwork (relatedness), and offering growth opportunities such as training programs or professional development initiatives (growth), team members' motivation will increase.

4. Equity Theory: We suggests that individuals are motivated when they perceive fairness in their work environment. It is crucial to ensure fairness in terms of workload distribution, rewards, and recognition. For example, an intern's wage is lower than that of a regular employee, the workload of an intern should be lower or easier than full-time employee. By promoting fairness and equity, team members will perceive that their contributions are valued and fairly rewarded, leading to increased motivation. 

5. Job Characteristics that Affect Motivation: Enhance the job characteristics to increase motivation. As an intern, I would like to work with a company that can provide opportunities for skill variety, task significance, and task identity.This allows interns to gain more knowledge and skills while also adjusting to the workplace more rapidly, to take ownership of their work, and encourage them to set meaningful goals.  By providing opportunities for growth, team members will feel motivated to improve their skills and knowledge.

6. Goal-Setting Theory: Setting challenging and clear goals for the team and individuals is more beneficial for new employees who have just started working. We can use SMART goals, which suggest that specific and challenging goals can enhance motivation and performance. By setting goals that are aligned with the team's objectives and providing feedback on progress, team members will be motivated to achieve those goals.

Overall Motivational Plan:

The overall motivational plan for our video editing team focuses on offering recognition and rewards for achievements, fostering a creative and engaging work environment, addressing employees' needs and growth opportunities, ensuring fairness and equity, enhancing job characteristics, and setting clear and challenging goals. By implementing these actions, team members will experience increased motivation, job satisfaction, and engagement in their work. This will contribute to the overall success of our tasks, projects, and objectives, while also supporting their individual career growth and development.