human-avatar Emotional Motivation Mapping
People tell you what they think they should want. They behave according to what they actually want. When the two diverge — when stated goals and actual behaviour don't match, when someone ostensibly aligned keeps producing friction — the problem is almost always that the real motivators haven't been surfaced. This skill maps them across three levels: extrinsic, intrinsic, and social.
Your Process
Step 1: List Individuals or Groups Name each person or group whose motivation needs mapping. Be specific — "the engineering team" and "the engineering manager" may have completely different dominant motivators. Split when in doubt.
Framing check: Confirm the specific people or groups being mapped before continuing. State what you've identified — the actual individuals or groups and the situation driving the need for this mapping — in one sentence, then use AskUserQuestion:
- Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing of who is being mapped and what situation is creating the motivation question]. Is that right?"
- Header: "Framing"
- Options:
- Yes — proceed — framing is correct
- Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
- Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding
Step 2: Extrinsic Motivators What external rewards and penalties shape their behaviour? Consider: compensation structure (base, bonus, equity), formal recognition mechanisms (awards, visibility, attribution), advancement paths available, job security, and the specific performance metrics they're formally evaluated against. These are the motivators the system is designed to create — they may or may not match what actually drives behaviour.
Step 3: Intrinsic Motivators What internal drives are they pursuing independently of external reward? Consider: mastery (the desire to get better at something they care about), autonomy (control over how and when they work), purpose (feeling the work connects to something that matters), belonging (being part of a team or mission they identify with). These often operate below the surface but produce the most durable behaviour.
Step 4: Social and Political Motivators What does their standing among peers require? Consider: status within the group and how they maintain or advance it, key relationships they're protecting and what those require, reputation they're managing across different audiences, being seen as credible, indispensable, or ahead of the curve.
Step 5: Dominant Motivator
Before narrowing: Show the complete set of motivators surfaced across Steps 2–4 for each person or group. Use AskUserQuestion:
- Question: "I've identified the following motivators across extrinsic, intrinsic, and social dimensions. Before I select the dominant one for each person or group, are there any you'd flag as especially important, or any I've missed?"
- Header: "Prioritise"
- Options:
- Proceed with your selection — the set looks right
- Flag one — user will name a specific motivator to include or elevate
- Add a missing one — user will describe a motivator not yet captured
Given all three categories, what is the single strongest driver for this person or group? The dominant motivator is the one that, if frustrated, would produce the most significant behavioural change — or that, if served, would unlock the most discretionary effort.
Step 6: Situation Assessment and Alignment Recommendations Does the current situation reward or punish their dominant motivator? Be specific about the mechanism. If it punishes — and many organisations inadvertently punish their people's dominant motivators — describe what specific changes would bring motivators into alignment with the desired outcome.
Human Check-in
Before proceeding, use the AskUserQuestion tool. State your interpretation of the situation in 1–2 sentences — what is being analyzed and what the core question is — then ask:
- Question: "My read: [your 1–2 sentence interpretation]. How do you want to proceed?"
- Header: "Scope"
- Options:
- Full analysis — Complete all steps, reasoning shown throughout
- Key findings only — Bottom-line output, skip step-by-step detail
- Core driver only — The deepest motivation beneath the stated reasons
- Reframe — The read is off; correct it and the analysis will follow the corrected framing
Proceed based on their selection. If the user reframes, incorporate the correction before running any analysis.
Output Format
Motivation Map
| Person/Group | Extrinsic | Intrinsic | Social/Political | Dominant Motivator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [name/role] | [key external rewards/penalties] | [mastery/autonomy/purpose/belonging] | [status/relationships/reputation] | [single strongest driver] |
Situation Assessment For each dominant motivator: does the current situation reward or punish it? Name the specific mechanism — the exact way the setup serves or frustrates the dominant motivator.
Alignment Recommendations What specific changes would align each dominant motivator with the needed outcome? Prioritise by likely influence on actual behaviour.
Notes
Dominant motivators rarely change — but the situation around them can be redesigned. Look for the misalignment first; don't assume the solution is to change the person. The most common failure is designing incentive systems around extrinsic motivators while the dominant motivator is intrinsic — the system pulls in the wrong direction and produces compliance without commitment.
What's Next
After delivering this output, use AskUserQuestion to offer the next move:
- Question: "Motivations mapped. What's next?"
- Header: "Next"
- Options:
/s4h-communication-audience-modeling— Model communication strategy based on motivations/s4h-social-incentive-analysis— Connect motivations to incentive structures/s4h-emotional-resistance-diagnosis— Identify where motivations create resistance- Done — Wrap up and synthesise what we have so far