LaMell Jeremy Motivation Assignment March 28, 2008 After spending time looking into Mary Crest Manor, it is obvious that volunteers and employees who work for non-profit organizations have a much different type of motivation than employees working for profit-maximizing companies. In the business world an overwhelming majority of employees are motivated to work and to move up in their organizations by extrinsic factors. The general idea is that if people work hard they will receive a higher salary, better benefits, power, recognition, and social status. However after interviewing staff members at Mary Crest Manor it is apparent that the majority of them are motivated by intrinsic factors. Intrinsic motivation can often lead employees to work harder in order to satisfy their personal needs. Although a few of the staff members that we interviewed were not particularly happy working there, the majority of them love it. When asked why they work for a non-profit organization the most common answer was that they love coming to work every day. They believe that Mary Crest is an organization that is beneficial for not only the elderly residents, but for the entire community. Most of the nurses have been employed at places such as hospitals, but they get the most joy out of caring for geriatrics. The choice to work in this organization is a behavioral choice. They choose behaviors not just to receive benefits, but to satisfy their need to help others and to work in a friendly environment. I think that Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory that fits well when analyzing the motivational structure of Mary Crest. Many of the employees have already fulfilled their physiological and safety needs, and they choose to work there to the fulfill higher needs, such as social and self actualization needs. Sister Agnes, the `head' nun of Mary Crest looked at Maslow's pyramid, and told us that she thinks that most of the employees are probably at the point of striving for the social needs. However she did also say that some of them, as well as some of the other sisters, are most likely striving to achieve the self actualization needs. All of the nuns associated with the organization work and live there without compensation. They believe that they are doing God's will by helping the elderly, and that their main reason for being there is to be the best that they possibly can. Even if I analyze the motivational structure through other theories the results are similar, if not identical. From what I have seen, the majority of employees that work in non-profit organizations are driven by some sort of intrinsic motivation. Now that I think about it, it is kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what motivates me. I think that I am motivated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors pretty much equally. As is the case with many people, I would love to have a successful and lucrative career, hopefully with a prestigious position. On the other hand there is nothing that feels better than doing something that I enjoy, and doing it to the best of my ability. I would say that at this point in my life extrinsic motivation might be a more driving force, because if I hope to be successful later on in life I need to build a strong foundation as early as possible. I think the types of motivation that lead me to be the most successful are extrinsic benefits such as money and recognition, as well as intrinsic factors like the feeling of accomplishment simply doing things that I enjoy to do.