Professor Steven Reiss, developer of the Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP), understood the close connection between intrinsic motives and core values. In his words, "We value what we want, and we want what we value." For example, if we observe an individual engaged in frequent social interactions, we can infer they value a sense of belonging. Further, if we know a person values a sense of belonging, we can predict they will seek frequent companionship with peers.
According to Reiss, if you want to motivate someone, you have to appeal to their values. Too often we try to motivate others by indoctrinating them in our values rather than by appealing to theirs. Reiss illustrated this point with a real-life example.
The Dean of a medical school at a large research university announced a new initiative — find a cure for cancer. He proposed using discretionary funds to encourage collaborative research that, in his words, "has the potential to make us famous."
The Dean, who had been in his position for less than a year, was surprised at the lukewarm response his announcement generated among department heads. When he mentioned his disappointment to a key faculty member who happened to be trained in the Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP), the professor offered this analysis:
"Your announcement is likely to motivate people who want to feel important. It is not likely to motivate individuals who value achievement, who are trying to make the world a better place, or who enjoy thinking deeply about complex issues.
Although physicians who teach and conduct research in a medical school earn a good salary, they do not earn nearly as much as they could in private practice. Therefore, it is reasonable to predict that the faculty, on average, have strong needs for RMP Power (the desire for influence of will), RMP Idealism (the desire for social justice), and RMP Curiosity (the desire for understanding). They may or may not have a strong need for RMP Status (the desire for respect based on social standing).
In short, your message probably failed to motivate the faculty because it did not appeal to their strongest values."
To his credit, the Dean recognized the validity of this analysis. In subsequent communications with department heads, he emphasized that working together to understand the complex causes of cancer and to develop effective treatments would be a great achievement with significant benefits for humankind.
The Dean later thanked the professor for his advice, admitting that the new messaging was much more effective in generating a favorable response to his initiative.
