Drive You might have heard of the term intrinsic motivation before. It's the idea that people are engaged at work not because someone forces them to be, but because they actually want to be. Maybe they simply enjoy what they do, or find it personally rewarding. But the important thing is that the motivation is internal, it's personal. The Discovery of Intrinsic Motivation In 1949, professor of psychology Harry Harlow gave eight rhesus monkeys a mechanical puzzle. Their assignment was to pull out a pin and lift a hinge. Not exactly what you would call an easy task for a monkey. And Harlow just expected that the monkeys would not concern themselves with this, because the experiment was set up so that the primates wouldn't receive any sort of reward for solving the problem. The Power of Intrinsic Motivation Motivation 3.0 is a tremendously powerful tool. If given the opportunity, intrinsically motivated people will make their own decisions on when they work best, what exactly they should work on, and how they should do it. They take responsibility, and they don't need to be directed or rewarded all the time, because they actually enjoy doing the work. And you probably know what this feels like, maybe from your own work, maybe from a hobby, maybe from playing sports. Intrinsic Trump's Extrinsic Motivation Do you know where to find the true masters of intrinsic motivation? On the playground. This is what children do best. They demonstrate a dedication towards small goals every day. Okay, let me briefly sum up what we know so far. Extrinsic motivation can be effective as an incentive in the case of routine tasks, like packing bags in a supermarket. But if the work is more demanding or requires a greater degree of creativity, extrinsic motivation can lead to immoral behavior and a decline in performance. So what's to be done to make use of this insight? If you want to promote intrinsic motivation, make sure people have the freedom to strive for perfection. 50% of employees in the US report feeling uncommitted to their job. They fulfill their duties, but lack passion while doing them. This is because many are not engaged enough in their work and have too few opportunities for personal development. Autonomy. If you want to promote intrinsic motivation, allow people to make relevant decisions on their own. In the previous chapters, we mentioned that there are many companies that still rely on the carrot and the stick, or extrinsic motivation. However, some companies are different, and it's worth taking a leaf out of their book. What moves people during the course of their lives? To answer this question, psychologists asked graduates of the University of Rochester about their main aim in life. While some name extrinsic profit targets and wanted to become rich and famous, others specified more meaningful intrinsic goals, like developing personally and helping others, working for international aid organizations, for example. Some years later, the researchers interviewed the same participants to find out how things had turned out for them. Creative workers are at their most productive when intrinsically motivated, and high productivity benefits the whole company. So how can you take these blinks to transform your own company? Here are three ideas. One.
Introduction
What’s in it for me? Learn about the benefits of intrinsic motivation.
There isn't an outside source influencing them through material rewards or punishments. But while intrinsic motivation sounds wonderful on the surface, and it is, in many organizations it's simply not the reality. There's not enough passion or inherent satisfaction driving workers in their jobs. Extrinsic motivation, or reward-driven behavior, still reigns supreme. But why is this? Do we just not enjoy what we're doing?
Or is there something more to it? This is the question we'll be aiming to answer in this Blink to Daniel Pink's Drive. And there's a lot to cover here, so this is how we'll be doing it. In the first three chapters, I'll introduce you to the concept of intrinsic motivation even further. How it was discovered in the mid-20th century, what precisely makes it different from extrinsic motivation, and why a world that focuses solely on external incentives neglects an integral part of human nature. And in the second part of the Blink, starting in chapter four, we'll put the theory to work.
I'll introduce you to three key concepts that will help you really motivate people. And these are mastery, autonomy, and purpose. Alright, so if you're ready, let's dive in.
Chapter 1 of 7
The discovery of intrinsic motivation
Neither food nor praise. But, surprisingly, the monkeys still gave it a go. They recognized how the puzzle worked, and they solved it. What's more, they seemed to actually be enjoying themselves while doing it. Now, this might not sound too spectacular, but to the researcher, it came as a big surprise. You see, until then, there had only been two possible explanations for such behavior.
Nature and external incentives. But nature clearly wasn't at work here. Solving a puzzle isn't part of the good ol' eat-drink-procreate equation. And there weren't any external incentives present either. So, somehow, there seemed to be a mysterious third kind of drive involved. Enter intrinsic motivation.
Or, as Pink calls it, motivation 3.0. Yep, that sounds a bit like an app you can download. But it's termed this because Pink actually sees these three different types of drives as a historical sequence that describes how the way we work has evolved over time. So, if human motivation was an app, this would be each version's history. Stage 1. Around 50,000 years ago, mankind was preoccupied solely with its own survival, driven by motivation 1.0.
The search for food and drink, a safe place to rest at night, and the desire to reproduce and pass on genes. Up until a few centuries ago, these basic needs were the main driving force of humanity. Then came stage 2. During the age of industrialization, production cycles became more complex, and mankind started to rely increasingly on a new impetus for production. Extrinsic motivation. Or, motivation 2.0.
It's based on two incentives, reward and punishment. Also known as the carrot and the stick. The strategy behind this is that rewards reinforce desirable behavior, and punishment, by contrast, is intended to prevent undesirable behavior. And during industrialization, this was actually pretty effective, at least to some degree. Because with the prospect of higher wages in mind, laborers hauled more coal, and when they were threatened with dismissal for stealing materials, they were less likely to take anything from the workplace. It worked, in a sense.
Then comes stage 3. Because the problem with version 2.0 is that workers, if not driven by the consequences of the carrot or the stick, fundamentally have no enthusiasm for their work and will try and shirk any responsibility. Therefore, those in a management position must direct and supervise them. And that's bad news, because in today's knowledge economy, we need autonomous workers. You see, you can force a worker with a carrot and a stick to come to work every day and stay there for 8 hours and just perform simple tasks. But you cannot force anyone to be curious, creative, and innovative.
What you should do, however, is to cater someone's intrinsic motivation. You can make them want to be curious, creative, and innovative. And that's why Pink believes we have to upgrade our economy to Motivation 3.0.
Chapter 2 of 7
The power of intrinsic motivation
Sometimes you're just so immersed in an activity that you forget the world around you. But while most people are already fully aware of the power of intrinsic motivation, it still somehow is a commonly neglected factor when it comes to the workplace. And that's because there's a widespread belief in business that if you want to get a difficult job done, there's only one way to do it. Spend a lot of money on incentives. You might think this strategy makes sense. Why not throw money down if you've got it?
Well, before you start tossing your hard-earned bucks towards your next project, let me walk you through a little scenario. Imagine it's 1995, and someone says to you, here are two types of encyclopedia. The first is called Encarta. It's written by professionals and paid for by one of the most successful tech companies in the world, Microsoft. The second encyclopedia is called Wikipedia. It doesn't even exist yet, but soon, enthusiasts will create it in a collaborative effort on the internet, and none of them will be paid a single dollar.
Now, based on this sales pitch, which of these two do you think will be more successful? Today, it might seem obvious that Wikipedia would win the race, with Encarta being discontinued in 2009. In 1995, though, people would have labeled you as insane if you opted for Wikipedia. But even with that, it became an enormous success. Wikipedia grew into a website containing millions of articles in hundreds of languages. Tens of thousands of people write and edit for Wikipedia out of pure enjoyment.
They invest valuable working time and receive not even the lowest material reward in return. And there are many more examples that demonstrate this idea as well. Think of Mozilla Firefox, the free web browser that was first released in 2002 and that became immensely popular for years. It was created almost exclusively by volunteers, but it soon became a full-fledged browser with hundreds of millions of users. Or think of something a bit more mundane, like cooking. We take it for granted that a lot of people are willing to share their favorite recipes online without being paid, but it's all due to the power of intrinsic motivation.
But even with all that said, unfortunately, these instances are still not the status quo, especially in the workplace. And in most instances, extrinsic motivation still seems to reign supreme, while intrinsic motivation remains an exception to the rule. So, in the following chapters, I'll explain exactly how we can start to change the status quo.
Chapter 3 of 7
Intrinsic motivation trumps extrinsic motivation.
They use their hands, mouth, eyes, ears, all in an attempt to understand just how the world works. And this is all because they're intrinsically motivated to such a high degree. They love the process of learning. Well, as long as you don't call it learning. Over the years, however, they start to change. Their urge to search for challenges and novelties lessens.
So, what happens to their motivation as they get older? Well, luckily, we can ask science. In a nursery experiment, children were asked to produce a drawing. Some children were promised a certificate for completing their drawing, and others were not. Then, afterwards, when both groups were set to draw again, this time with neither group being promised a reward, the children who had previously received a certificate no longer wanted to draw. But those who hadn't received any special recognition did.
The promised recognition had destroyed the first group's intrinsic motivation. They had learned to draw only for a reward. Following this pattern, so-called if-then rewards gradually eradicate intrinsic motivation for many activities. If you give me this, then I'll do that. And as children, we're driven by our inner desires to learn, to discover, and to help others. But as we grow, we're programmed by our society to need extrinsic motivations.
If we take out the garbage, study hard, and work tirelessly, then we'll be rewarded with friendly praise, high grades, and a good paycheck. Slowly, we lose more and more of our intrinsic motivation. On the path towards adulthood, our natural dedication decreases with age. And in this way, the world seems to be obsessed with extrinsic motivation, which can cause serious harm. Here are two examples that illustrate just that. Example 1.
In most garages and auto shops, mechanics are promised a bonus if they carry out a certain number of repairs within a certain time frame. One would expect this external incentive to motivate them to provide results that satisfy their customers. Instead, the whole strategy often backfires. A mechanic's main goal is to achieve a target number of repairs and secure their reward. And so they're then inclined to carry out unnecessary repairs, something which annoys their customers and damages the company as a whole. So in that way, the target, intended to promote efficient work, instead results in the customers losing faith in the garage, despite the fact that the workers are delivering on target.
Now for example 2. In an experiment, participants were asked to find a way to fasten a candle to a wall. Some participants were promised money for solving the problem quickly. Others were not.
But instead of inspiring these participants to think creatively, the prospect of this reward clouded their thinking and blunted their resourcefulness. The incentive instead seemed to hinder them, impeding the wider vision necessary to solve the task. Resulting in notably longer completion times when compared to participants who were not promised a reward.
Chapter 4 of 7
It’s time for a revolution.
Well, you have to change the way your organization works in a more profound way. And to do that, you can use these three key components. Mastery, autonomy, and purpose. Let's break these down. Mastery means instead of just obeying an organization's rules and regulations, people feel an urge to really get better at what they're doing. They're engaged, not just compliant.
Autonomy means being active, not being managed, but following one's own direction. And purpose means doing meaningful, socially relevant work. Work that is more than just a sequence of random tasks. Now, each chapter that follows will tackle one of these components.
So by the final chapter, you'll hopefully have an idea of how to put motivation 3.0 to work in your own business. First up, mastery. Key component one, mastery.
Chapter 5 of 7
Mastery: Let people go with their own flow.
Their drive for perfection is suffocated, and so is their commitment. But let's look at the other end of the spectrum. Let's look at, say, artists, or more specifically, painters. They work happily at their paintings for hours on end. They are truly creative. And creative people with a drive for perfection often work in a flow state, which means they pursue a task with the highest degree of concentration and passion, forget the world around them, and lose themselves entirely in their work.
You can find these flow states not only in artists, but in all kinds of professions. Basketball players love the game and welcome the competition. Computer scientists want to create increasingly intelligent programs and thrive on developing new advanced code. Photographers want to take better pictures, and they relish in finding something new with each click of their shutter. And what they all have in common is motivation 3.0. They have an inner urge to achieve perfection.
This allows them to improve in an area that's important to them, and to bring passion and commitment to the pursuit of their goal. And when they're in the flow, they work on tasks that are neither too simple nor too difficult. They're just right. Sure, the flow state can't last for very extended periods, but it does occur episodically. It goes hand in hand with the drive for perfection, which continually develops and always leads to new states of flow. Even just small hints of success in an ongoing piece of work and the belief in continual improvement can be enough to motivate you under these circumstances.
Some people think that our skills are written in stone at birth, and that no amount of exertion will allow them to someday be better at running or drawing. These people are difficult to motivate. But the person who believes that they're able to develop further will work hard to run faster or paint their next masterpiece. And this also applies to company employees, as long as they're entrusted with appropriate orders. If a manager gives her employees a task that encourages them to constantly improve, this can generate the flow experience in the employee, and they will come to work every day with an increased level of dedication and passion. Key Component 2.
Chapter 6 of 7
Autonomy: My task, my time, my team!
In these companies, leadership rests on the self-determination of the workers. Instead of monitoring their employees and keeping them on a tight leash, these companies have either relaxed control or have completely let go of the reins. Here's an example. A typical call center has an annual staff turnover of 35%. Making telephone calls for hours on end in a crowded room is stressful. It offers little room for self-determination and hence provides no intrinsic motivation.
Zappos, however, does things differently. Its employees are allowed to work from home with no managerial pressure, and are encouraged to lead conversations in their own style. As a result, they're highly motivated, and their customer service is also notably better than average. Plus, they usually remain with the company longer than normal. Google also relies on individual self-organization. Their employees can spend 20% of their time developing their own innovative ideas, and the success of this motivation strategy speaks for itself.
In these phases, the workers of Google have developed Google News and Google Mail, which have been incredible additions to the company. And here's a third example. The company Meteus uses self-determination as a source of motivation for its workers. Everyone's goal is simply to complete their tasks within a certain time frame. The management has done away with set office hours. The workers are now much more motivated, since in the afternoons they can still make it to their children's sports games or recitals.
All they have to do is finish the work on time. At Whole Foods, the workers, as well as the personnel managers, decide on new employees. And at W.L. Gore & Associates, the makers of the Gore-Tex fabric, those who want to lead a team have to find people willing to work under them first. So, regardless of whether you're a scientist, a cashier, or a mechanic, you're more dedicated to your work when you're allowed self-determination. Some people wish to have more of a say in their working hours, and others in the way in which their team is composed. If an employee is allowed these freedoms, they develop a greater potential for achievement, are more satisfied in their job, and are less inclined to burnout.
Key Component 3. Purpose. If you want to promote intrinsic motivation, stand up for meaningful work.
Chapter 7 of 7
Purpose: Work should be meaningful.
Many of the students with profit goals had achieved positions as managers in large firms, but they weren't satisfied. On the contrary, they suffered from depression and anxiety more frequently than the students with profit goals. The latter reported to have achieved greater happiness in life, and only rarely suffered from psychological ailments. Striving to change something in oneself and in society is a healthy and satisfying impetus. To have a larger goal in mind is more motivating and activating than money ever could be. Instead of striving for the highest possible profit, people who pursue meaning in their lives want to give something to others.
This is a key component of the key component of a positive mindset. People who pursue meaning in their lives want to give something back to society, which in turn also gives them personal strength. This insight can be transferred from people's personal lives to their jobs. For example, there's a study that shows that the welfare of workers improves in companies where a proportion of the budget can be donated to charitable causes.
And doctors are noticeably less strained if they're able to use one day per week to talk to their patients. So if you haven't done already, it might be time to search for things that create meaning and purpose in your organization. You might just start feeling the effects sooner than you think.
Conclusion
Final summary
Ask yourself, do you give constructive feedback to your co-workers on a regular basis? This might seem like a minor measure, but it's a powerful one. Spontaneous praise can make someone's day. Praise channels the focus of the workers on the joy of their work, thereby increasing their natural intrinsic motivation. Two. Highlight just how important each individual's contribution is for the performance of the whole company.
Each person should truly feel their individual actions are meaningful. And three. You might remember the drive for perfection. To make sure this drive is satisfied, each employee should be given a task that challenges their abilities and stimulates them, without being too complicated. Because that's how you create a real flow state. A state where fun and productivity meet, to be one.
You've just listened to R Blinks to Drive by Daniel Pink. Thanks so much for listening, and if you can, please leave us a rating. We always appreciate your feedback.
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