Drivers is the first of Alva's so-called Growth Factors. They describe the person’s most prominent motivators, i.e., the driving forces that make them feel energised and engaged at work.

It has long been known in psychology that people have different drivers in working life. Having a work setting that is aligned with one’s drivers is an important factor to create motivation and a sense of meaningfulness at work. You can think of drivers as free fuel: When you are able to strive for, and from time to time satisfy, your most prominent drivers, it will be much easier to exert effort.

Drivers are determined by several different factors. Needless to say, the work environment plays a significant role: Organisational culture, influence from team members, leadership, and incentive structures will all shape your motivation. In addition to this, research has consistently shown that our drivers are strongly influenced by personality. We tend to take our basic drivers with us through working life, even if we switch jobs or organisations.

Alva's Drivers are generated based on a model that was derived from a review of existing literature on the relations between the Five Factor model of personality and work motivators. Below, you can read a little bit more about the different drivers that are generated based on your personality, and what they might entail for your motivation in working life.

Structure: Striving for order and organisation. People with this driver tend to feel best when they are able to work in a structured environment, and might find it stressful when work is a bit chaotic.

Autonomy: Being free to plan and execute work independently. Persons with a strong urge for autonomy tend to feel stifled by too much management and prefer to reach out for support on a needs basis.

Influence: Getting to lead others towards common goals. Individuals with this driver tend to thrive when they get to take the driver's seat, and might feel less motivated when they just get to follow others' direction.

Creativity: Being free to improvise and experiment with new ideas. Following a known course of action and having routinised tasks tend to drain these individuals of energy. Usually, they are at their best when tasks are open-ended and somewhat loosely defined.

Community: Being part of a cohesive team where you feel a sense of belonging. Community-oriented individuals are eager to collaborate and are usually more motivated by being part of a meaningful group than by tangible rewards.

Relationships: Getting to work together with others and build relationships. People with this driver are usually strong networkers and feel de-energised when they have to work alone.

Stability: Having a sense of continuity and predictability. Individuals with this driver tend to be their best when things follow a known path, and are usually not prone to risk-taking or big bets.

Achievement: Striving to attain high goals and excellence. Achievement-oriented individuals get a kick our of performing really well and mastering skills, and might find it difficult to work in an environment where such effort is not recognised.

Stimulation: Getting to work in a rich environment at a high tempo. Individuals with a high need for stimulation tend to thrive on change and unexpected turns, and get bored when things are too predictable.