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Reference revision: 3cb257f207b210b5853cdf0ca7db3cb1e59d9fe186802039a4d3d1f2b231a008

# Intrinsic Motivation Audit and Action Plan

Participants review work through Daniel Pink's trio of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. They diagnose current barriers and draft a concrete, paired-reviewed plan to increase control, skill growth, and impact.

**Time:** 60 minutes. A standalone 60-minute condensed format adapted from WorkshopBank's full 3-hour multi-module workshop design.
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual reflection, paired peer reviews, and optional whole-group harvest

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Identify actionable ways to increase autonomy, mastery, and purpose in current work tasks.
**Use it when:** Use during team retrospectives, quarterly resets, or personal development planning when staff report stagnation, rigid workflows, or unclear priorities.
**Skip it when:** Skip during acute crisis management, immediate operational sprints, or when organizational constraints make personal task autonomy impossible.

## Materials and tools

- One printed Motivation Plan worksheet per participant
- One writing pen per person
- Visual timer or clock display

## Before participants arrive

1. Print copies of the Motivation Plan worksheet for each participant.
2. Arrange seating in pairs or small clusters so partners can speak without shouting.

## Say this to open

Research synthesized by Daniel Pink shows that genuine workplace drive relies on three conditions: autonomy, or control over how we work; mastery, or getting better at things that matter; and purpose, or knowing why our work counts. Today we will audit our current tasks against these three pillars and write a concrete plan to strengthen them.

## How to run it

### 1. Define the Three Pillars (10 minutes)

Explain autonomy (choice over task, time, technique, or team), mastery (clear opportunities for deliberate skill progression), and purpose (connection to a clear customer, team, or personal contribution). Provide a neutral work example: an engineer redesigning automated test runs can increase autonomy by choosing the framework, mastery by learning a new test library, and purpose by protecting end-users from site crashes. Allow participants to ask clarifying questions about the definitions.

### 2. Draft Individual Motivation Plans (20 minutes)

Distribute the worksheet. Ask participants to work individually and silently to complete sections 1, 2, and 3: pinpoint one task to increase control over, identify one skill to actively build with a tangible first step, and draft a one-sentence statement linking daily routines to a broader impact. Participants may complete fewer sections if they prefer depth on a single pillar.

### 3. Conduct Paired Peer Review (15 minutes)

Group participants into pairs. If there is an odd number, form one group of three. Give each person 7 minutes to share their plan and receive feedback from their partner. Partners test whether the ideas are realistic, identify immediate organizational obstacles, and suggest concrete next steps. Call time at halfway to ensure both partners get equal speaking time.

### 4. Harvest Insights and Close (15 minutes)

Bring the room together. Invite three to four voluntary shares of practical changes participants intend to make next week. Ask the group how they will hold themselves accountable to these experiments. End on time.


## Debrief questions

- Which pillar (autonomy, mastery, or purpose) felt easiest to adjust immediately, and which felt hardest?
- What is one small change in your daily routine that requires no outside permission to test tomorrow?
- How can team members support each other when trying to build new skills during tight schedules?

**Finished output:** A completed Motivation Plan worksheet per person with at least one concrete action for autonomy, mastery, or purpose, peer-reviewed by a partner.

## Remote

Distribute the worksheet as an editable shared document or PDF prior to the session. Present the core concepts in the main video room. Use individual silent time for step 2. Create 2-person breakout rooms for step 3 with a 15-minute timer and an announcement at 7 minutes to switch speakers. Convene in the main room for the debrief and invite volunteers to unmute or type insights into the chat.

## Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with local partners and remote participants with other remote participants in dedicated virtual breakout rooms. Ensure remote attendees have the digital worksheet. During the final harvest, alternate equally between spoken comments from the physical room and virtual contributions.

## Access and participation choices

- Provide digital and printed high-contrast text worksheets.
- Allow participants to keep reflections private or focus on an external task rather than personal career history.
- Permit passing during the whole-room sharing session without explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants say they have zero autonomy because their role is strictly regulated.**

Refocus autonomy to micro-choices: the sequence of daily tasks, desktop organization, break timing, or technique used to document work.

**Pairs spend all their time on the first speaker's worksheet.**

Issue a firm half-time announcement at 7 minutes prompting partners to switch speaker and reviewer roles immediately.


## Terms used here

- Autonomy: The capacity to make informed, unforced decisions about one's work tasks, timing, technique, or collaborators.
- Mastery: The ongoing process of developing competence and craft in a meaningful skill.
- Purpose: A clear connection between daily actions and a meaningful outcome that benefits others.

## Participant material: Motivation Plan Worksheet

PART 1: AUTONOMY (Control over your work)
- Current task with low autonomy:
- What can you adjust? (e.g., choice of schedule, approach, sequence, or tools):
- First small experiment to test this week:

PART 2: MASTERY (Skill growth)
- One skill or capability you want to develop:
- Concrete practice activity (e.g., project task, study, pairing, review):
- Who will give you direct feedback on your progress?:

PART 3: PURPOSE (Contribution and impact)
- Primary daily responsibility:
- Who benefits when you do this well?:
- Draft a 1-sentence purpose statement: 'My work helps [audience] achieve [impact] by [my primary task].'

PART 4: ACCOUNTABILITY
- Peer partner name:
- Check-in date (within 14 days):

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on WorkshopBank under the title 'How to Improve Motivation in Your Team or Organization', drawing on concepts from Daniel H. Pink's book 'Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us'.

The original source outlines an extensive 3-hour modular workshop covering lectures, separate exercises for autonomy, mastery, and purpose, and a peer review session. UWT condensed this into a 60-minute structured audit session suitable for standard team meetings while preserving the core mechanic: diagnosing work through autonomy, mastery, and purpose, drafting a worksheet, and conducting paired peer critique.

[WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/how-to-improve-motivation-in-your-team-or-organization)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/how-to-improve-motivation-in-your-team-or-organization-workshopbank/