Motivation cannot be clearly measured, but you still feel very clearly whether you are motivated for something or can barely bring yourself to do it. The origin of motivation has something mystical about it. You can’t conjure it up or buy it with money – or can you? Is an annual training session from a motivation coach enough? How can you generate motivation in any organization? – There is no simple answer to this. But there are some facets of motivation that can be examined to identify sources of motivation in a company. In this post, we explain the CHAMPFROGS model, which breaks down motivation factors more precisely and thereby helps create optimized conditions in a company.

Black and White – Extrinsic and Intrinsic

The standard in motivation theory is the division into extrinsic and intrinsic influencing factors:

Extrinsic Motivation

Money is essential. Those who work also earn money to finance their life, hobbies, and bills – that’s clear. So we’re already at the classic of extrinsic rewards. This type of external reward for a performance drives people to activities they otherwise wouldn’t perform. Extrinsic motivators have a negative connotation. Perhaps this is because we wouldn’t have studied for the next history exam back then without the pressure of grades. However, there are very nice examples of how positive forms of reward systems can be implemented with the help of gamification. A very exciting book on this is by Yu-kai Chou – Actionable Gamification – Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation has a better image. It is the inner desire to do, build, or create something. Even without a reward incentive, there is interest in intensively engaging with a topic. It drives people to achieve peak performance and professional excellence. Externals have no direct influence on intrinsic motivators. One can only create the perfect conditions for intrinsic motivation to arise. This includes above all a well-harmonizing team, a large basis of trust, transparency, and room for individual development.

Unfortunately, it sometimes seems as if intrinsic motivators are only pushed to avoid having to introduce monetary rewards and thus save money. This aspect clearly shows that motivation cannot be divided into two colors but has a flowing transition with many intermediate steps. These are examined more closely in the following section, which explains the CHAMPFROGS model.

The CHAMPFROGS Model

Do you go to work to earn money (extrinsic), to then buy food (intrinsic)? Do you take a training course to get a certificate (extrinsic) or to satisfy your own interest (intrinsic)? Or is it a mixture of both?

To create the perfect conditions in a company, a more precise analysis of the influencing factors for motivation is needed. The CHAMPFROGS model comprises 10 possible sources for motivation. However, these should not be considered as set in stone; rather, they should break the strict categorization into extrinsic and intrinsic and enable a broader perspective. CHAMPFROGS stands for the initial letters of the following basic ideas:

Curiosity: People have a variety of things to investigate and to think about.
Honor: People feel proud that their values are reflected in how they work.
Acceptance: Colleagues approve of what they do and who they are.
Mastery: Their work challenges their competence, but it is within their abilities.
Power: There’s enough room for them to influence what happens in the world.
Freedom: People are independent of others with their work and responsibilities.
Relatedness: People have fulfilling social contacts with others in their work.
Order: There are enough rules and policies for a stable environment.
Goal: Their purpose in life or need for direction is reflected in the work.
Status: Their position is good and is recognized by the people they work with.

Igniting all motivation factors at the same time is of course just as impossible as making everyone on the planet laugh at the same time. Nevertheless, the journey is the destination, and the awareness of the above factors alone helps enormously to create a better and more motivating environment. To find out what motivates employees, the ‘Moving Motivators’ exercise helps. This exercise is based on the 10 factors represented by 10 cards. By positioning from left to right, the weighting of the factors is set. A vertical position change indicates what effect a change in environment or situation would bring. A detailed explanation of the CHAMPFROGS model, as well as the Moving Motivators exercise, can be found in the book by Jurgen Appelo – Managing for Happiness.