Polished Perspectives on Motivation

People need to be triggered to act. However; people shall not act unless they are motivated enough and have the ability to act. The Fox Curve or model explains how the three components (another example of triads) are related. Dr. BJ Fogg, psychologist has developed a proprietary behavioral model that describes how behavior change happens. The motivation-ability curve shows a tradeoff in that if motivation is very high then ability may be low and vice versa. However; the trigger must be energizing enough to cross the curve.

Source- http://www.slideshare.net/amartin3/how-to-identify-and-trigger-a-motivation-wave

The questions that kept tolling in my head why people are lazy to turn lights off even though the ability function is assured almost 100%. It is very easy to switch lights off and yet many people don't. People may throw item in the road even though even though there is a garbage bin nearby. There is no need for ability and this factor is therefore buffered. Now, we have only two factors in operation: motivation and triggers. The triadic relationship has turned to a dyadic one.

People who don't act even though the task is easy either they have no motivation, or no trigger or both. We have more examples on beBee. It is very easy to like a buzz, but most readers don't even if they like the buzz. This "poverty" of action isn't surely related to ability; more to the dyadic motivation-trigger factor.
It occurred to me that it would be a good idea to introduce the motivation-trigger quadrant. We have internal and external triggers and we have internal and external motivation. The quadrant is then as follows:

It is clear that when we are internally motivated and triggered we are placing the spark (trigger) to the high quality fuel (motivation). On contrast, when we have a person acting because of external triggers and motivation. This person is very unlikely to act. This could explain why some people are lazy to turn lights of, or to click a like button on beBee.

When it comes to groups' motivation there are certain factors that encourage cooperation or lack of it. Just observe ants how they make a raft so as not to sink in water or in sand. Ants in the latter case excrete huge amount of glue that stick the sand grains together and the ants survive.

It is unfortunate that instead of going with nature that we go against it sometimes. Promise an attacker in a football game a huge amount of money (external motivation) for each goal he scores. The result shall be that the attacker shall play for himself and not the team. It happened and the team lost. This is an example in which we intoxicate motivation and expect positive results! These are self-defeating approaches. We need to promote group motivations and avoid the factors that enhance egoism.

In brevity, people shall not act even for effortless tasks or jobs if the triggers and motivations factors are external.

I would love your thoughts.