Blending Internal And External Motivation Strategies During Change
Most motivation strategies used in organisations — rewards, consequences, system design, recognition — ultimately tap into two broad psychological drivers: intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) motivation. Academic research offers a clear distinction between them and, importantly, shows that people differ significantly in how they respond to each.
Intrinsic Motivation: The Internal Driver
Intrinsic motivation arises from enjoyment, interest, or personal meaning in the activity itself. Richard Ryan and Edward Deci’s Self‑Determination Theory (SDT) describes intrinsic motivation as behaviour driven by inherent satisfaction rather than external reward. Their work shows it is strengthened when three psychological needs are met: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. [selfdeterm...theory.org]
Put simply: when people feel capable, connected, and in control, they are far more likely to embrace change because they want to, not because they have to.
Educational psychology research reinforces this distinction, defining intrinsic motivation as behaviour pursued for personal satisfaction or enjoyment rather than external influence.
Extrinsic Motivation: The External Driver
Extrinsic motivation is shaped by rewards, incentives, or pressures coming from outside the individual. It includes financial bonuses, recognition, status, avoiding penalties, or meeting expectations.
Psychology researchers describe extrinsic motivation as action taken to gain external benefit or avoid negative consequences, influenced by theories stretching back to behaviourists like Skinner and Thorndike, and continuing through modern organisational practice.
The Key Takeaway:
Different people respond to different motivators.
You almost always need a blended approach.
Academic theory is very clear: motivation is not one-size-fits-all.
Research shows that different groups of people have fundamentally different “motivational architectures”, shaped by personality traits, curiosity, interpersonal factors, and context. Motivation is not universal; it must be tailored. [Springer.com]
Effective change management requires a mix of motivational approaches tailored to different people. Internal and external drivers both matter, but they work differently, and individuals vary dramatically in how they respond.
Here’s some different approaches that can help to motivate and sustain change:
The Carrot: reward positive engagement
The “carrot” is all about recognising and rewarding people who lean into the change with the right mindset and behaviours. These rewards can be financial, such as a retention bonus for colleagues with specialist legacy skills who need to remain in post until the transition is complete. Equally, they might be non-financial. For example, a sales team that completes a system migration might value public acknowledgement or a celebratory team event.
Short-term incentives help people stay motivated during the more demanding phases of a transition. Longer-term carrots, can also powerful. Offering ongoing opportunities, development, or visibility to those who consistently show their commitment and progress reinforces the message that the organisation values adaptability and positive participation.
Whatever form the reward takes, transparency is essential. When people understand how decisions are made, and can see that rewards are linked fairly to effort and attitude, trust grows rather than erodes.
The Stick: address behaviour that holds change back
The “stick” comes into play when behaviours or choices slow progress or undermine the change effort. Importantly, most people are not trying to be obstructive. Often, they are uncertain, anxious, or simply accustomed to doing things a certain way. For this reason, consequences should begin gently.
Alongside this, leaders should be clear about what happens if the change fails to deliver - so the consequence of failure that isn’t a consequence directly for the individual. Understanding the real impact on customers, teams, and the organisation as a whole helps create a shared sense of responsibility.
!A Note of Caution!
Carrots and sticks are useful tools — but only if they’re used with care. During an adaptive phase, people are still learning, experimenting, and finding their footing. They haven’t yet reached steady-state performance, and the system isn’t stable enough to judge outcomes by traditional metrics.
See more on that in this article.
Internalisation Support: Converting External To Internal Motivation
You cannot assume people will naturally or consistently internalise a change just because it has been communicated to them. People may start with external motivation (carrots, sticks, expectations, deadlines), but with the right support, they can reach a point where the change feels personally meaningful and self‑driven.
Crucially, this approach isn't the same as leading with intrinsic motivation techniques (like purpose, mastery, or identity), which present the intrinsic meaning to people upfront. Internalisation support is about helping people discover or construct that meaning for themselves.
In other words: you can begin with external motivators, but creating the conditions for people to internalise the value of the change in a way that feels authentic rather than imposed.
Practical applications:
Sensemaking workshops that help people explore: Why is this change happening? What problem is it solving? How will it affect my work and my customers?
Team reflection sessions: Short, regular spaces where teams reflect on what is working, where they feel discomfort, what is becoming easier, what feels meaningful or useful
Encourage teams to interpret and adapt the change locally
This is a particularly powerful complement to carrots and sticks.
Autonomy And Ownership
Giving people a sense of ownership over part of the change can dramatically increase motivation.
Practical applications:
letting teams shape how a new process works in practice
giving individuals freedom in how they adopt new habits
involving people in pilots or design iterations
When people help create the solution, they are more committed to making it succeed.
Social And Peer Influence
People are strongly influenced by what their colleagues are doing. Many people are more strongly motivated to help others than they are to help themselves. You can use this positively by:
spotlighting teams who are adopting the change well
sharing stories of early successes
creating informal “champions” or “ambassadors” who have some sort of role in the initiative
When people see peers succeeding, resistance tends to soften.
Many people are also motivated by loyalty: to their manager, their team, or their customers. People often go the extra mile simply because they want to support or help someone they respect.
Competence & Skill-building
SDT also demonstrates that people stay motivated when they feel capable and equipped to succeed. Intrinsic motivation is strengthened when individuals experience mastery or growth, and extrinsic motivators become more internalised when people understand how to meet expectations.
Practical applications:
Quality training
Creating safe, sandbox environments to practise new behaviours
This strategy pairs well with the “stick” section — if people underperform because they lack capability rather than attitude, consequences alone won’t work.
Progress Visibility
Small wins matter. Making progress visible — through dashboards, milestones, or regular updates — helps build momentum. When people see that their efforts are moving the organisation forward, motivation grows.
Identity And Self-Concept Alignment
People are more motivated when a behaviour aligns with their self‑image. Academic work on intrinsic motivation notes that People are far more willing to adopt new behaviours when they feel authentic or consistent with their identity - who they (already) believe themselves to be as a professional, colleague, or human being.
But crucially, identity alignment isn’t about leaders telling people who they should be. It’s about creating the conditions that allow people to recognise how the change already aligns with their existing strengths, values, and aspirations.
Think of it as tilting the mirror so they can see themselves in the new way of working.
Practical applications:
Reflect back strengths they already demonstrate - people find change easier when they can anchor it to something familiar in themselves. Instead of “Here’s the behaviour we need from you,” try:
“You already show great attention to detail — this new workflow plays directly into that strength.”
“Your calm approach with clients is exactly what this new service model needs.”
Use narratives that highlight pride in doing things the new way - this works best in group settings where shared identity is strong (e.g., clinicians, engineers, designers, customer service teams).
“This shift reflects what good practice in our profession is moving toward.”
“This new approach brings us closer to the standards top-performing teams use.”
This subtly frames the change as the expected behaviour for someone with their identity.
Offer “choice within boundaries” to support Identity Expression within the change. Examples:
“Here are the non-negotiables; how you deliver them is up to you.”
“Choose which elements you want to lead during the rollout.”
“Shape your team’s way of applying the new workflow.”
This reinforces autonomy — a central factor in intrinsic motivation and self-determined behaviour.
Reinforce a ‘better version of self’ narrative - people often respond strongly to a future-oriented identity frame that builds upon (rather than replaces) what is already there:
“This approach will help you grow into the role you’ve been aiming for.”
“This builds the leadership strength you already show.”
This helps individuals see the change as a continuation or amplification of who they already believe themselves to be.
You’re not asking them to become a different person; you’re showing them they already are the person who can succeed here.
This technique is subtle but extremely effective.
Burning Bridges: Designing Out The Old Ways
Carrots and sticks are useful, but they have limits; instead, making it impossible to revert to the old way of working is very very useful.
By building new processes, systems, and workflows so that outdated practices simply cannot continue, you reinforce the new behaviours automatically. A classic example is a digital system that replaces a manual process. If the new system has been designed so tasks can only be completed by following the updated workflow, then the change becomes self-sustaining.
Burning bridges ensures the organisation doesn’t slip backwards once the initial momentum fades.
A blended motivation approach creates a coherent, self-reinforcing system.
Carrots and sticks trigger action.
Internalisation support helps people find personal relevance.
Autonomy, competence, and social influence maintain momentum.
Identity alignment deepens commitment.
Burning bridges makes the change stick.
Together, they create a layered approach that works with human nature, not against it — recognising that people need different types of support at different stages, and that sustained change relies on both motivation and design.