Success factors for corporate innovation: employees´ intrinsic motivation to innovate in the workplace

Abstract

Employee motivation is seen as a success factor for corporate innovation. This study focused in understanding how some Portuguese companies are motivating their employees to innovate in the workplace, with a special focus on intrinsic motivation. This form of motivation reflects one’s inherent pleasure in performing a certain activity, without any external reward. The results of the study show that employees in Portugal are mostly motivated by task enjoyment and personal development, both reflecting a form of intrinsic motivation. When motivated by task enjoyment, individuals tend to invest more effort in their activities, and thus develop more innovative work behaviors.