Education Qualitative Paper

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Considering that our aim in this paper is to enrich understanding of how extrinsic rewards effects intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction that will assist us in retaining and hiring more skilled labor to make this pillar strong so that our economy get out of the era of continuous downfall. It explores how extrinsic rewards affect any individual’s job satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. To this end, we have conducted qualitative research involving 10 teachers and professors from Pakistan specifically from educational institutes of Lahore. In this article, we begin by providing some context on Pakistani educational culture and its downfalls, we then introduce the role of extrinsic rewards in accordance with intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction, outlining the contribution that it can make to the literature on these variables, next we discuss our methodology before examining the findings. Our discussion focuses on the relationship between extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction in educational sector of Pakistan. Finally, we conclude our paper and outline its limitations and the future research agenda.

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Rewards

Till the 1980’s lot of work has been done on the issue that intrinsic rewards has some effect on behavior and performance (Skinner 1953). Some tasks are self motivated and they do not require special rewards for better performance (Deci 1977). Material and representative rewards are motivational tools to enhance the performance (Zeevi and Lepper 1971). Some physical rewards have positive feedback (Deci and Cascio 1972). Ryan, Mims, and Koesttner (1983) studies gave some types of rewards such as task-noncontingent rewards, performance contingent rewards, complete contingent rewards.

The concept of total rewarding, with both monetary and non-monetary rewards, may provide a good foundation (Lawler, 1994). In rewarding a current trend is strategic rewarding. This means that rewarding should be tailored to support the strategic objectives of the organization (Kirjavainen & al, 2003). Rewarding should no longer be solely based on collective agreements, industry specific practices or generic job-evaluation systems. Organizations try to find new ways to support motivation and retention but increasingly also new ways to communicate the strategy. If the strategy includes objectives and action plans for competencies, they should play an essential role also in rewarding systems (Lawler, 1996).

Ledford and Heneman (2002) have written a summary of pay for skills, knowledge and competencies. They present, that the most important common feature is that all these pay plans reward for the employee’s selection of capabilities instead of compensating for the job that an individual is performing at a particular time. Ledford and Heneman argue that despite of the different names, skill-based pay, pay-for-knowledge; competency pay plans etc. are more alike than different.

Theories of management and work motivation distinguish between two kinds of rewards—extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards are ones such as money and verbal reinforcement which are mediated outside of the person.Whereas intrinsic rewards are mediated within the person. We say a person is intrinsically motivated to perform an activity if there is no apparent reward except the activity itself or the feelings which result from the activity. All of the theories of work motivation which consider both kinds of rewards assume that the effects of the two are additive. It was reported that a person's intrinsic motivation to perform an activity decreased when he received contingent monetary payments, threats of punishment for poor performance, or negative feedback about his performance. Noncontingent monetary payments left intrinsic motivation unchanged, and verbal reinforcements appeared to enhance intrinsic motivation. A cognitive evaluation theory was presented to explain these results and the theory and results were discussed in relation to management. (Valleerand & Losier, 1999).

2.2. Motivation

Motivation has been under research topics since long however still it is very difficult to explain what it exactly is (cf. Brown, 1987 and Burstall, 1975). Motivation typically means a set of processes which involve the arousal, direction, and sustaining of behavior (Madrid, 1999). There are some problems associated with the motivation for example one cannot examine a person’s motivation; all one can examine a person’s behavior towards something and the environment in which he reacts. Motivation exists inside the individual and it directly responds to the environment. Individual behavior can be only described by some instruments of control and these are direct observation, questionnaires, interviews, reaction to certain stimuli, etc (Madrid & Pérez Cañado, 2001). Atkinson defines motivation as “the contemporary (immediate) influence on direction, vigor, and persistence of action” (1964: 2). Motivation influences the direction, amplitude, and persistence of an individual’s behavior (Campbell and Pritchard, 1976). Pinder (1998) defined work motivation as a set of energetic forces that originates both within as well as beyond an individual’s being, to initiate work-related behavior, and to determine its form, direction, intensity, and duration.

Extrinsic motivation includes a large variety of behaviors that are engaged in as a means to an end, not for their own sake (Deci, 1975). It was originally thought that extrinsic motivation referred to non-self-determined behavior, behavior that could only be encouraged by external contingencies (e.g., reward). Barbuto & Scholl (1998) defines Self-Concept External (SCE) as externally based Motivation. These types of motivated people try to fulfill the other’s expectation and draw out feedback steady with their own self concept. Employees behave to gain recognition and status in such motivation. Etzioni's (1961) social moral involvement, McClelland’s (1985) need for affiliation is similar to SEC motivation source.

Intrinsic motivation is the performing a task merely for the satisfaction and pleasure of doing that activity (Deci, 1975). A person will perform an activity in the absence of materialistic rewards willingly (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Self-Concept Internal Motivation: Employee engaged them in such motivation by setting internal standards of traits, competencies, and values that serve as the basis for the ideal self. Behaviors resulting from this motivation reinforce the self set internal standards and later help them to achieve higher competency (Barbuto & Scholl, 1998) This source is the combination of