THE INTRINSIC MOTIVATION PENALTY: THOSE HIGHER ON INTRINSIC MOTIVATION ARE ASSIGNED MORE UNDESIRABLE TASKS

Intrinsic motivation is championed as a benefit that people should aspire to, with little attention paid to the negative consequences of intrinsic motivation, especially as they apply to interpersonal relationships. Across four studies (N = 1,651; three pre-registered), we found evidence that having high intrinsic motivation in the workplace context can be harmful. Holding quality constant, individuals higher (vs. lower) on intrinsic motivation were more likely to be assigned to undesirable tasks, such as extraneous paperwork and committee work (Studies 1 and 3). A survey study of real supervisors and their direct reports found that intrinsic motivation correlates with the likelihood of being assigned undesirable tasks (Study 2). In our final study we found that this intrinsic motivation penalty was attenuated when people are asked to assign multiple undesirable tasks versus a one-shot assignment. This research reveals how managers disproportionately allocate undesirable tasks to workers high in intrinsic motivation.