When we talk about we talk about an employee being motivated, it means that the employee is willing to invest extraordinary energy in solving their tasks. However, the motivation for going the extra mile can be very different - and this is where the distinction between different types of motivation becomes interesting to know when you're a manager.   

Some employees are driven by the task at hand. Think of the teacher who, with a deep professional interest in her subjects, shows an almost euphoric passion when she's teaching. She enjoys the task at hand! We're talking about a high level of intrinsic motivation. Other employees are driven by making a positive difference for other people. For example, we can think of the social worker at the residential home who does her utmost to give the residents moments of happiness every single day. Here we are talking about an employee with high prosocial motivation. Finally, there are some employees who are primarily motivated by "carrot or stick". These are the employees who are motivated to action by the "carrot" side, e.g. the salary or the manager's words of appreciation, or the "stick" side, e.g. the manager's reprimands or recommendations.