Intrinsic Motivation among Middle-Level Management Employees - an Empirical Research

Gone are days where extrinsic motivators, such as pay alone were sufficient to keep employees happy and motivated. Many studies have already found that in addition to extrinsic motivators, intrinsic motivators are necessary to ensure that employees remain in the organisation. Previous researches proved that lower-level employees' need extrinsic motivators while for top management level, employees' intrinsic motivation plays important role to perform well and to be happy in the organisation, though at varied extents. In our country, substantial number of employees belong to middle level management. In this research, an analysis is done on the impact of intrinsic motivators - i.e., autonomy, competence and relatedness - on overall motivation. These are mentioned in the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Questionnaire-based survey was used to examine the intrinsic motivational state of the middle level management employees working in companies from various sectors. Results of the study suggest that there are a strong impact of autonomy and relatedness components on overall motivation while competency component has less impact on overall motivation. The study also suggests that there is a strong impact of pay/remuneration on overall motivation.