A commitment to something, anything, will start and it will perish if you are not constantly motivated to continue.



Motivation works by design and the frame-work consists of the following steps:

1. Take ownership and inspire ownership
2. Be responsible and inspire responsibility
3. Be curious and provoke curiosity
4. Be accountable and inspire accountability

The very best example of a global community project that runs on a model of successful motivation of its participants, is Wikipedia.org.

As per common consensus, money is a great, if not the greatest, motivator. However, while money is in fact a great motivator, it is not the only motivator. It cannot be. So why are millions of people contributing to an astronomical body of online information, known as Wikipedia? What motivates them? What motivates US?

Ownership

The site is run by the community of Wikipedians...By law, the contributions are owned by the people who donated them. – Wikipedia.org

People want to feel like they are a part of something great. Whether it is a huge work project or a simple community initiative, they want to be able to see the purpose and end goal and work towards it. In order to achieve this sense of belonging, the person has to be made aware of his or her role to play, the importance of that role and its significance to the project as a whole. While you are busy taking ownership of your own role, others must be encouraged to take ownership of their roles, because we tend to take care of that which we own. 

Wikipedia allows its users to write and contribute to the content of a massive body of online information. But contributors do not get paid. The initial motivation for the original writer is ownership. You own a small space on the encyclopaedia; this is your own knowledge and opinions portrayed in your own words. And this you share with millions of browsers.

Responsibility

Who is responsible for the articles on Wikipedia? You are! Actually, you could even edit this very FAQ, so long as each edit is helpful. - Wikipedia.org

Ownership is a great motivator, because with ownership comes a sense of responsibility towards others. You need to be on top of your game because billions are relying on the content (that you are writing) to be accurate, informative, useful and well-written. Wikipedians are guided by the site in posting quality contributions. 

Wikipedians are guided by the principles articulated by Jimmy Wales, including, for example, an adherence to a neutral point of view - Wikipedia.org

Curiosity

Taking ownership and responsibility for the part that you play, intrigue and curiosity will keep people actively interested in the process and progression of the project. If you have composed a Wikipedia article, you are able to keep an eye on it.

Any user interested in a particular page can add it to a personal "watchlist", which shows when a page is updated and gives the user a chance to check whether that update is a joke or a substantial contribution. - Wikipedia.org

Another user edits your content, because they are encouraged to by Wikipedia. 

If you spot an error in the latest revision of an article, you are highly encouraged to be bold and correct it. - Wikipedia.org

Curious, you will consult this edited work, edit it further, and so the editing continues. 

Accountability

Self-motivation in crucial to the success of a project, however accountability is an almost completely fail-proof component to the process. This is not the same as seeking and receiving affirmation. Accountability means showing up to allow others to acknowledge your contribution.

Involved and committed to the growth of Wikipedia, the constant reviewing and editing resulting in information that is updated, current, and fresh, in turn leads billions of users to consult Wikipedia as an effective source of information. You are therefore accountable to Wikipedia browsers to keep writing and contributing. 

What we have discussed in this article is a full circle plan of using the concepts of ownership, responsibility, curiosity and accountability to motivate and be motivated, resulting in projects working and continuing to work.


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Carla van Straten is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital | Carla@soundidea.co.za | @SoundIdeaLMS | Sound Idea Digital l www.soundidea.co.za