Finding Your Design Team's Intrinsic Motivations

As a UX manager, understanding the motivations of your creative team is essential for fostering a win-win relationship. Introducing Moving Motivators.

Finding Your Design Team's Intrinsic Motivations
Do not index
Do not index
Read time: under 3 minutes

Designing Success: Harnessing the Power of Moving Motivators 🚀

The world of UX design thrives on change and innovation. However, understanding how these changes impact the intrinsic motivations of your design team can be a game-changer.
Enter Moving Motivators, a powerful tool designed to help UX designers visualize how change affects their core desires and motivations.
Moving Motivators
Moving Motivators
Developed by Jurgen Appelo, the founder of Management 3.0, Moving Motivators offers a unique perspective on motivation and its influence on organizational change.
Today, we'll delve into the process and benefits of this fascinating exercise for design managers.
 

The process

1. Unlocking Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation, the inner drive that pushes us to excel, contrasts with extrinsic motivation, which involves seeking external rewards like bonuses or promotions.
Understanding this fundamental difference is the first step to unlocking the potential of Moving Motivators.

2. The 10 Intrinsic Motivations

Let's explore the ten intrinsic motivations, each with its unique significance:
  • Honour: Finding pride in aligning personal values with work.
  • Mastery: Challenging competence within one's abilities.
  • Freedom: Independence in work and responsibilities.
  • Relatedness: Building social connections at work.
  • Power: Influencing the surrounding environment.
  • Curiosity: The desire to explore and ponder.
  • Status: Acknowledgment from colleagues.
  • Acceptance: Gaining approval from peers.
  • Order: Maintaining stability through rules.
  • Goal: Reflecting on life's purpose in work.
 
 

3. Organizing the importance of motivators

Determine which motivators hold the most significance for your team members. Arrange the cards in order of importance, from least to most crucial.
This exercise fosters a deeper understanding of individual motivations within your team.

4. Navigating change with Moving Motivators

Discuss various topics of change, such as embracing new challenges, setting goals, leading projects, or taking on new responsibilities.
As changes occur, move the motivator cards up or down based on their impact.
Observe whether there's an overall increase or decrease in motivators.

5. Reflect and discuss

Engage in meaningful conversations with your team about their most and least important motivators.
This dialogue not only strengthens relationships but also enhances collaboration and teamwork.
Moreover, it serves as a valuable tool for personal reflection and decision-making.
 

Key takeaways

In the dynamic world of UX design, change is constant, and its effects can be profound.
Moving Motivators forces us to pause and reflect on what truly drives us.
As a UX manager, understanding the motivations of your creative team is essential for fostering a win-win relationship.
This exercise unveils the keys to meaningful motivation, enabling you to guide your team toward success in their professional journey.
So, take a moment to ask yourself, "What truly matters to me?" "What fuels my drive?"
Moving Motivators can help you find the answers and empower your team for success.
 

👉
Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways I can help you:
1. Junior Designer Bundle: Transition into UX with my playbooks: breaking down portfolios, applications, and UX frameworks, to build a solid career foundation. Craft an unforgettable portfolio & get hired.
2. Senior Designer Bundle: Become a design leader with systems to build healthier, happier teams and grow you and others meaningfully. Join 500+ aspiring leaders.
3. UX Portfolio Critique: Get a 20-minute video of brutally honest feedback, a checklist of things to fix, in less than 48 hours. Get a personalised portfolio critique here.
4. Job Sprint Course: Stand out in an unpredictable job market by building a memorable personal brand and a killer job search strategy. Get hired in UX with Job Sprint.
 

Get free UX resources

Get portfolio templates, list of job boards, UX step-by-step guides, and more.

Download for FREE
Christopher Nguyen

Founder of UX Playbook

Related posts

From Fear to Freedom: Unlocking A UX Team’s PotentialFrom Fear to Freedom: Unlocking A UX Team’s Potential
Mastering the Art of Giving & Receiving FeedbackMastering the Art of Giving & Receiving Feedback
From Good to Great: The Art of Virtual High FivesFrom Good to Great: The Art of Virtual High Fives
The Ultimate Team Feedback Tool: Virtual Suggestion BoxThe Ultimate Team Feedback Tool: Virtual Suggestion Box
Decoding UX Collaboration: Better Teamwork with Working StylesDecoding UX Collaboration: Better Teamwork with Working Styles
Tap into Hidden Potential: How Committees Transform UX Design TeamsTap into Hidden Potential: How Committees Transform UX Design Teams
Beyond Labels: How Personal One-Pagers Empower Design TeamsBeyond Labels: How Personal One-Pagers Empower Design Teams
Bridging Borders: Cross Cultural UX DesignBridging Borders: Cross Cultural UX Design
The Art of Building Connections Between UX DesignersThe Art of Building Connections Between UX Designers
Building Your Design TribeBuilding Your Design Tribe
Building a Healthy Work Environment: A Guide for Design LeadersBuilding a Healthy Work Environment: A Guide for Design Leaders
How To Be A Better UX ManagerHow To Be A Better UX Manager
Building a Successful Design Team: Essential Tips for New ManagersBuilding a Successful Design Team: Essential Tips for New Managers
Why Leaders Are Failing and What It Means for Us All?Why Leaders Are Failing and What It Means for Us All?
How UX Managers Can Make A Powerful Impact (Real Examples)How UX Managers Can Make A Powerful Impact (Real Examples)
10 Ways UX Managers Lose Credibility 10 Ways UX Managers Lose Credibility
UX Manager vs UX Leader: It’s More Than Just a TitleUX Manager vs UX Leader: It’s More Than Just a Title
 
 

Get unstuck in our newsletter

Actionable frameworks to level up your UX career. Read in 5 minute or less, weekly. Absolutely free.
 
 
     
    notion image
    Join over 8,000 designers and get tactics, hacks, and practical tips.