"Drive" by Dan Pink

I've just finished reading this book, which was recommended to me by a number of colleagues including Jay Cross.

The promotional material on Dan Pink's website says it all:

"Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life. He demonstrates that while carrots and sticks worked successfully in the twentieth century, that’s precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today’s challenges. In Drive, he examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action."

This is a book that all learning professionals should read.  Here are just a few of the gems I've picked out ...

"Human beings have an innate drive to be autonomous, self-determined and connected to one another.  And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives."

"The opposite of autonomy is control.  And since they sit at different poles of the behavioral compass, they point us to different destinations.  Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement."

"It means resisting the attempt to control people - and instead doing everything we can to reawaken their deep sense of autonomy"

"A sense of autonomy has a powerful effect on individual performance and attitude.  According to a cluster of recent behavioural studies, autonomous motivation promotes greater conceptual understanding, better grades, enhanced persistence at school and in sporting activities, higher productivity, less burnout and greater levels of psychological well-being." 

Comments

[Brian Mulligan]

There seems to be a somewhat more critical review of this book on The Economist at: http://www.economist.com/business-finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15269569
based on the view that Pink does not use research to back up his claims and that there is much evidence that incentives are still being widely used in industry and that they are quite effective.

[Joe Huber]

I almost bought this book on my nook yesterday. I've read his first book "A Whole New Mind" and that is definitely a must read also.

AWNM points out how wrong it is to continue to focus on Math and Science and to try to compete solely in those areas because companies are now realizing the importance of design and hiring those with MFA's over those with MBA's.

[Account Deleted]

Here is his TED presentation http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

[Jane Hart]

Thanks for the link David

[Jane Hart]

Thanks for the link to the crtique. I don't agree that he doesn't use research to back up his claims. The book is chock full of research. As Dan says incentives CAN be effective under certain circumstances, and (in my vrsion of the book) there is an added chapter (2A) on that. I wonder if the Economosit critic read the book without that added chapter.

[Account Deleted]

Pink's book inspired me because it piggy-backed on scientific research I read in Sway by the Brafman brothers ( http://www.swaybook.com/ ).

The Brafmans explain, in-line with Pink, that two parts of our brains cannot simultaneously "light-up" on an FMRI, which means they cannot function together: one part relates to giving and actions like charity while the other responds to $$ incentives*. Quite remarkably, incentives absolutely diminish our capacity for generous thinking and actions.

Sure, incentives "work" just fine. Productivity can seem to soar. But incentives are short term solutions that result in employee turn-over and burn-out. Incentives, therefore, have a high cost that is ignored while looking at figures that make leadership look good, however fleetingly.

The Economist's article calls Pinks ideas nothing new, and I think the ideas keep emerging because people continue to wonder if there isn't something better.

(*For full and fair disclosure: I have written about that incentive-hungry part of the brain, the nucleus accumbens, before and how it is also related to drug addiction: http://bit.ly/cYo2rQ )