"Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives."
Daniel Pink's overall message in Drive is that humans are naturally more intrinsically motivated than extrinsically motivated. Our system of cash rewards for hard work is outdated and inefficient. In this next part of the book, Pink offers a better model to promote motivation in people.
Although Pink argues that people will work harder if they are intrinsically motivated rather than extrinsically motivated, he understands that money does matter. People need to be able to provide for their families and live a comfortable life. In order for his model to work the issue of money needs to be off the table. An employee's compensation needs to be fair and equitable compared to others doing similar work. When that is the case, employees can focus more on their work and less on the need to earn rewards and bonuses.
Another thing needed to make this model work, is that we have to get over a big misconception about society. "Most leaders believed that the people in their organizations fundamentally disliked work and would avoid it if they could. " (pg.74) Pink argues that that is absolutely not true, and that people naturally take an interest in their work. "Creativity and ingenuity were widely distributed in the population, and that under the proper conditions, people will accept and even seek responsibility." The problem is creating the proper conditions for this in the work place. Often times we are so busy and pressured at work that there is little time for creativity, we just have to get the task done. If an employer believes in the "mediocrity of the masses" and makes that known at work, than mediocrity will be all that anyone is ever able to achieve. It is so important that people have a say in their work, believe in their work, and believe that they can a difference by doing the work that they are doing.
Once people are getting paid adequately and have room for creativity in their work, than this new business model, motivation 3.0 can be successful. In motivation 3.0 the biggest idea is that there needs to be a shift from "Type X" people to "Type I" people. Pink dubs "Type X" people as the extrinsically motivated, money hungry type of people who neglect enjoyment in their work and focus solely on what they can get out of it. "Type I" people are the intrinsically motivated souls who concern themselves with the inherent satisfaction of participating in an activity rather than the reward they are going to get out of it. According to Pink, Type I behavior is actually the natural state of human beings, but that many people get tainted over time by societal pressures and become Type X people. For motivation 3.0 to work, Type X people need to become more like Type I People. Why are Type I people better? Type I's typically outperform Type X's because "they're working hard and persisting through difficulties because of their internal desire to control their lives, learn about their world, and accomplish something that endures." (pg.77) This self-directed Type I behavior is dependent on three things: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. I really connected to the reading in this section because I definitely identify myself as a Type I person. When I told my parents that I wanted to be a teacher, they were proud of me, but were worried that I wouldn't be happy because I wouldn't be able to afford a lifestyle like what I was accustomed to. I think about this often, and sometimes I do struggle with it, but at the end of the day, I am happy. I feel inspired, excited, and motivated by my career everyday - and money can't replace that feeling.
Autonomy is one of the key components to being intrinsically motivated. "Autonomy is different from independence. It's not the rugged, go-it-alone, rely-on-nobody individualism of the American cowboy. It means acting with choice-which means we can be both autonomous and happily interdependent with others. " (pg.88) The four keys to autonomy are task, time, technique, and team. The four T's allow people to choose when they want to work, how they want to work, and who they want to work it. Who says you have to work from 9-5 to be productive at work? People live busy and hectic lives- it is important for them to be able to work at a time that is good for them, their family, and their lifestyle. An employee is going to be much happier (and more productive) if they don't have to ask for permission every time they want to leave work at 3:00 pm to watch their child's soccer game. There will still be time frames and deadlines put into place, but the employee gets to choose how they meet them. Autonomy in technique is important because it allows employees to take ownership of their work. The employee will complete the task in the best way they see fit, without their boss watching over their shoulder. This is key to a productive work environment. Autonomy in Team is a little trickier, but can still be met. One way that employees can choose who they work with is by being a part of the hiring process. (Companies like Whole Foods have had a lot of success with this!) At my school I sat in on 4 interviews this year and had a big input on who our new 3rd grade teacher was going to be. This is really important, especially at such a small school. Our staff needs to be able to get along and work together with. Finally we look at task. It is important for employees to care about the tasks that they are being asked to do. As a way of giving employees more choice in their "tasks" businesses started to implement programs like the 20Time Project. Corporations like Google, Atlassian, and 3M have implemented these "side project" programs that have in the long run, been so good for their business. One program that I found particularly interesting was the "FedEx" project by Atlassian. This company takes one full day a quarter for employees to come up with an awesome project. They can choose whoever they want to work with, but they have to come up with an idea and be able to present it the next day. They call it FedEx because they have to be able to "deliver overnight". Employees are so motivated by this autonomy that many of them work all night long on their projects.
I connected to this part of the text because I feel that we've been offered autonomy in this class. I appreciate that we've had the opportunity to choose some of the material we read, and how we want to reflect on it. By participating in a "side project" of my own this summer, I learned a lot about myself, and how I like to learn. (And that I am capable of teaching myself). I had to be self-motivated and self-directed which was really powerful. I also connected to that fact that feedback is the best kind of reward.
By biggest take away from this part of the book is that, in general, people are passionate and curious. This passion and curiosity allows them to be self directed (if they have the right working environment). "This innate capacity for self-direction is a the heart of Motivation 3.0 and Type I behavior."
Although Pink argues that people will work harder if they are intrinsically motivated rather than extrinsically motivated, he understands that money does matter. People need to be able to provide for their families and live a comfortable life. In order for his model to work the issue of money needs to be off the table. An employee's compensation needs to be fair and equitable compared to others doing similar work. When that is the case, employees can focus more on their work and less on the need to earn rewards and bonuses.
Another thing needed to make this model work, is that we have to get over a big misconception about society. "Most leaders believed that the people in their organizations fundamentally disliked work and would avoid it if they could. " (pg.74) Pink argues that that is absolutely not true, and that people naturally take an interest in their work. "Creativity and ingenuity were widely distributed in the population, and that under the proper conditions, people will accept and even seek responsibility." The problem is creating the proper conditions for this in the work place. Often times we are so busy and pressured at work that there is little time for creativity, we just have to get the task done. If an employer believes in the "mediocrity of the masses" and makes that known at work, than mediocrity will be all that anyone is ever able to achieve. It is so important that people have a say in their work, believe in their work, and believe that they can a difference by doing the work that they are doing.
Once people are getting paid adequately and have room for creativity in their work, than this new business model, motivation 3.0 can be successful. In motivation 3.0 the biggest idea is that there needs to be a shift from "Type X" people to "Type I" people. Pink dubs "Type X" people as the extrinsically motivated, money hungry type of people who neglect enjoyment in their work and focus solely on what they can get out of it. "Type I" people are the intrinsically motivated souls who concern themselves with the inherent satisfaction of participating in an activity rather than the reward they are going to get out of it. According to Pink, Type I behavior is actually the natural state of human beings, but that many people get tainted over time by societal pressures and become Type X people. For motivation 3.0 to work, Type X people need to become more like Type I People. Why are Type I people better? Type I's typically outperform Type X's because "they're working hard and persisting through difficulties because of their internal desire to control their lives, learn about their world, and accomplish something that endures." (pg.77) This self-directed Type I behavior is dependent on three things: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. I really connected to the reading in this section because I definitely identify myself as a Type I person. When I told my parents that I wanted to be a teacher, they were proud of me, but were worried that I wouldn't be happy because I wouldn't be able to afford a lifestyle like what I was accustomed to. I think about this often, and sometimes I do struggle with it, but at the end of the day, I am happy. I feel inspired, excited, and motivated by my career everyday - and money can't replace that feeling.
Autonomy is one of the key components to being intrinsically motivated. "Autonomy is different from independence. It's not the rugged, go-it-alone, rely-on-nobody individualism of the American cowboy. It means acting with choice-which means we can be both autonomous and happily interdependent with others. " (pg.88) The four keys to autonomy are task, time, technique, and team. The four T's allow people to choose when they want to work, how they want to work, and who they want to work it. Who says you have to work from 9-5 to be productive at work? People live busy and hectic lives- it is important for them to be able to work at a time that is good for them, their family, and their lifestyle. An employee is going to be much happier (and more productive) if they don't have to ask for permission every time they want to leave work at 3:00 pm to watch their child's soccer game. There will still be time frames and deadlines put into place, but the employee gets to choose how they meet them. Autonomy in technique is important because it allows employees to take ownership of their work. The employee will complete the task in the best way they see fit, without their boss watching over their shoulder. This is key to a productive work environment. Autonomy in Team is a little trickier, but can still be met. One way that employees can choose who they work with is by being a part of the hiring process. (Companies like Whole Foods have had a lot of success with this!) At my school I sat in on 4 interviews this year and had a big input on who our new 3rd grade teacher was going to be. This is really important, especially at such a small school. Our staff needs to be able to get along and work together with. Finally we look at task. It is important for employees to care about the tasks that they are being asked to do. As a way of giving employees more choice in their "tasks" businesses started to implement programs like the 20Time Project. Corporations like Google, Atlassian, and 3M have implemented these "side project" programs that have in the long run, been so good for their business. One program that I found particularly interesting was the "FedEx" project by Atlassian. This company takes one full day a quarter for employees to come up with an awesome project. They can choose whoever they want to work with, but they have to come up with an idea and be able to present it the next day. They call it FedEx because they have to be able to "deliver overnight". Employees are so motivated by this autonomy that many of them work all night long on their projects.
I connected to this part of the text because I feel that we've been offered autonomy in this class. I appreciate that we've had the opportunity to choose some of the material we read, and how we want to reflect on it. By participating in a "side project" of my own this summer, I learned a lot about myself, and how I like to learn. (And that I am capable of teaching myself). I had to be self-motivated and self-directed which was really powerful. I also connected to that fact that feedback is the best kind of reward.
By biggest take away from this part of the book is that, in general, people are passionate and curious. This passion and curiosity allows them to be self directed (if they have the right working environment). "This innate capacity for self-direction is a the heart of Motivation 3.0 and Type I behavior."
- Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.