Some books for me are "game changers." All of Malcolm Gladwell's books fall into this category: "Tipping Point," "Blink" and "Outliers." Frans Johansson's "The Medici Effect" prompted me to organize two leadership gatherings: The White Rhino Intersection and Intersection 2.0. Daniel Pink's latest book, "Drive," belongs in this same category. I love what Gladwell said about Pink's book: "I spent as much time thinking about what this book means as I did reading it." Well said; I have had the same response.
To regular readers of The White Rhino Report, Pink is no stranger. I wrote effusively about his earlier book, "A Whole New Mind."
I recently offered a link to a TED talk that summarizes the most salient points of "Drive."
Having been thoroughly mesmerized and intrigued by the "Drive" video, I wondered if I needed to read the book. I am glad I chose to take that additional step. The video serves as an excellent appetizer and introductory tool, but the main nutrient's can be found in the book.
Pink's genius is his ability to take previously published research from a variety of fields, synthesize and coordinate the data and present the findings to a lay audience in a way that does not "dumb down" the content or the significance of the discoveries. He takes the "what," and turns it into a powerful "so what?".
In discussing what motivates individuals and teams in almost any setting, Pink describes two types of motivation: Type X (extrinsic) and Type I (intrinsic).
"Type I behavior is a renewable resource. Think of Type X behavior as coal, and Type I behavior as the sun. For most of recent history, coal has been the cheapest, easiest, most efficient resource. But coal has two downsides. First, it produces nasty things like air pollution and greenhouse gases. Second, it's finite; getting more of it becomes increasingly difficult and expensive each year. Type X behavior is similar. An emphasis on rewards and punishments spews its own externalities. And 'if-then' motivators always grow more expensive. But Type I behavior, which is built around intrinsic motivation, draws on resources that are easily replenished and inflict little damage. It is the motivational equivalent of clean energy: inexpensive, safe to use, and endlessly renewable." (Page 80)
He goes on to describe what lies at the heart of Type I behavior and the underlying motivations. He issues what amounts to a manifesto for change.
"Ultimately, Type I behavior depends upon three nutrients: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Type I behavior is self-directed. It is devoted to becoming better and better at something that matters. and it connects that quest for excellence to a larger purpose. Some might dismiss notions like these as gooey and idealistic, but the science says otherwise. The science confirms that this sort of behavior is essential to being human - and that now, in a rapidly changing economy, it is also critical for professional, personal, and organizational success of any kind. So we have a choice. We can cling to a view of human motivation that is grounded more in old habits than in modern science. Or we can listen to the research, drag our business and personal practices into the twenty-first century, and craft a new operating system to help ourselves, our companies, and our world work a little better. It won't be easy. It won't happen overnight. So let's get started." (Pages 80-81)
As the author continues to sketch out the components of what he calls Motivation 3.0 - a large quantum leap beyond the traditional Motivation 2.0 that fueled the Industrial Revolution - he describes four aspects of autonomy.
"And what a few future-looking businesses are discovering is that one of these essential features is autonomy - in particular, autonomy over four aspects of work: what people do, when they do it, how they do it, and whom they do it with. As Atlassian's experience shows, Type I behavior emerges when people have autonomy over the four T's: their task, their time, their technique, and their team." (Pages 93-94)
In discussing the importance of "Purpose" as a factor in motivation, Pink's work comes close to the themes of the book "Half Time - Moving from Success to Significance," by Bob Buford, which I reviewed in this space a few months ago:
These themes are also resonant with Rick Warren's best-seller, "The Purpose Driven Life."
The demographic time bomb that is my generation of Baby Boomers presents an interesting dilemma and opportunity occasioned by our anticipated increased longevity.
"Upon comprehending that they could have another twenty-five years, sixty-year-old boomers look back twenty-five years - to when they were thirty-five - and a sudden thought clonks them on the side of the head. 'Wow. That sure happened fast,' they say. 'Will the next twenty-five years race by like that? If so, when I am going to do something that matters? When am I going to live my best life? When am I going to make a difference in the world?'
Those questions, which swirl through conversations taking place at boomer kitchen tables around the world, may sound touch-feely. But they're now occurring at a rate that is unprecedented in human civilization. Consider: Boomers are the largest demographic cohort in most western countries, as well as in places like Japan, Australia and New Zealand. . . In America alone, one hundred boomers turn sixty every thirteen minutes. When the cold front of demographics meets the warm front of unrealized dreams, the result will be a thunderstorm of purpose the likes of which the world has never seen." (Pages 132-133)
In my observation, the impact is even more dramatic than that which Pink describes. In my role as a career coach, life coach, recruiter and mentor to many emerging leaders, men and women are beginning to ask the "purpose question" at increasingly younger ages. This bodes well for our future, and will force companies to address this issue if they hope to survive and to attract and to retain top talent.
The purpose dynamic has another aspect to it. In the absence of working for a higher purpose, Type X high achievers - the classic "Type A" personalities - work longer and longer hours to achieve material success and promotion. The result is burnout and dissatisfaction.
"One of the reasons for anxiety and depression in the high attainers in that they're not having good relationships. They're busy making money and attending to themselves, and that means that there's less room in their lives for love and attention and caring and empathy and the things that truly count." (Page 144)
In the title of this review, I call this book a "Must Read," yet the book is not for everyone. I recommend it to you only if you meet the following criteria:
* You are a life-long learner who is willing to learn new facts and to change your thinking and behavior in accordance with these new insights.
* You are in a position of leadership - in a company, in the military, in a family, in a school, in an organization - in which you need to and desire to create an environment of work and learning that maximizes autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
* You want to make a positive difference in the world and in the lives of those whom you influence.
If this is you, then order this book now, devour it, breath it, taste it, smell it, talk about it and live it. And then pass it on to the next generation of Type I leaders.
Enjoy the drive . . . and the journey!
Al
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Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
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Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Paperback – Illustrated, April 5, 2011
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The New York Times bestseller that gives readers a paradigm-shattering new way to think about motivation from the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.
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 examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live.
Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.
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 examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRiverhead Books
- Publication dateApril 5, 2011
- Dimensions6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101594484805
- ISBN-13978-1594484803
- Lexile measure1140L
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Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2010
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2010
There are some books you read and you simply absorb and move on about your business. These books either impact you profoundly at a subconscious level, and you don't realize the impact until much much later; or, they don't impact you at all. There are other books that seem to reframe your view right away and the more you converse, you find the language of the text seeping into your conversations and thusly reinforce what you've learned every time you employ the wisdom transfered through your readership.
Dan Pink has written three books in a row that have had impact on my perspective. Any regular follower of the blog knows how much I've been influenced by A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future or " The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need ." Those texts highlighted to me where I needed to go next given the headspace I was in when I read them. If there's any big "a-ha" to me from Pink's new book, " Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us ," it's that he's writing about where I am now. Dan Pink is ahead of the future curve, letting people know behind him what's coming up ahead.
When I try to boil down the theme of the book to one central idea, it's that of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations. He frames this early on in the book in a number of ways. First, by talking about the failures of Arthur Anderson, Enron, Wall Street and our financial institutions, he dispels the notions that focusing on the mushy stuff doesn't affect the bottom line. Clearly, by losing focus on things like greater purpose, ethics, the people we affect, the change we want to see in the world -- losing that kind of focus and, instead, hyper-focusing on performance results (extrinsic motivators) affects material gains, at least in the short-term, but at the expense of losing those material games and wreaking unspeakable havoc on the lives of people far beyond the scope of your perceived impact. Pink highlights a number of changes I didn't know about that are starting to happen -- for instance, in April 2008, Vermont became the first US state to allow a new type of business called an L3C (low-profit limited liability corporation). It operates like a for-profit business but it's primary aim is to offer significant social benefits. -- an interesting alternative to a 503c corporation.
Second, Pink frames the praise of intrinsic motivation by highlighting, with multiple examples, that this isn't new, it's well researched and the evidence holds true in the face of how we think about rewards. He links the notion of how work can translate to play (or vice-versa) to the example of Tom Sawyer getting his friends to pay to paint his fence. This "Sawyer Effect" was researched by behavioral scientists like Harlow (1940s), Maslow (1950s) and Deci (1960s), Lepper and Greene (1970s). There's now seven decades of research on how people are actually motivated, and while you might not have heard of these names, if you're in learning you've no doubt heard of Abraham Maslow. The theme of "the hidden costs of rewards" is recalled with several examples.
To be clear, Pink doesn't admonish rewards or money or anything like that. He's making the case, very convincingly, that there's something else, bigger than the material, that we need to focus on -- that once we've met some very basic survival needs, we're ultimately leading unsatisfying lives unless we're working for something bigger than what's immediately in front of us. By tapping into that greater good, we unlock a lot more contribution, engagement and ultimately rewards of a virtuous cycle. One way to identify this potential, Pink cites fairly early on, is identifying heuristics vs. algorithms. This is critically important and timely. By putting creative people on rote tasks all the time (algorithms), we crush the creative spirit that is capable of innovation. Instead, give our workers big goals and the decision latitude to work with whom they need to accomplish and exceed expectations without a lot of constraint (heuristics), and be amazed by the speed and the totality of the result. There are countless examples of these successes, but while we marvel at the outcome we generally close our eyes to the process (or lack of process) by which those outcomes are achieved.
If you're new to Pink's writing style, let me tell you that this book is a fast read. It's an easy read. It's an important read and it will open you up to some very interesting research and science behind motivation. This impacts you; this impacts how you impact the people you work with and work for.
Dan Pink has written three books in a row that have had impact on my perspective. Any regular follower of the blog knows how much I've been influenced by A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future or " The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need ." Those texts highlighted to me where I needed to go next given the headspace I was in when I read them. If there's any big "a-ha" to me from Pink's new book, " Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us ," it's that he's writing about where I am now. Dan Pink is ahead of the future curve, letting people know behind him what's coming up ahead.
When I try to boil down the theme of the book to one central idea, it's that of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations. He frames this early on in the book in a number of ways. First, by talking about the failures of Arthur Anderson, Enron, Wall Street and our financial institutions, he dispels the notions that focusing on the mushy stuff doesn't affect the bottom line. Clearly, by losing focus on things like greater purpose, ethics, the people we affect, the change we want to see in the world -- losing that kind of focus and, instead, hyper-focusing on performance results (extrinsic motivators) affects material gains, at least in the short-term, but at the expense of losing those material games and wreaking unspeakable havoc on the lives of people far beyond the scope of your perceived impact. Pink highlights a number of changes I didn't know about that are starting to happen -- for instance, in April 2008, Vermont became the first US state to allow a new type of business called an L3C (low-profit limited liability corporation). It operates like a for-profit business but it's primary aim is to offer significant social benefits. -- an interesting alternative to a 503c corporation.
Second, Pink frames the praise of intrinsic motivation by highlighting, with multiple examples, that this isn't new, it's well researched and the evidence holds true in the face of how we think about rewards. He links the notion of how work can translate to play (or vice-versa) to the example of Tom Sawyer getting his friends to pay to paint his fence. This "Sawyer Effect" was researched by behavioral scientists like Harlow (1940s), Maslow (1950s) and Deci (1960s), Lepper and Greene (1970s). There's now seven decades of research on how people are actually motivated, and while you might not have heard of these names, if you're in learning you've no doubt heard of Abraham Maslow. The theme of "the hidden costs of rewards" is recalled with several examples.
To be clear, Pink doesn't admonish rewards or money or anything like that. He's making the case, very convincingly, that there's something else, bigger than the material, that we need to focus on -- that once we've met some very basic survival needs, we're ultimately leading unsatisfying lives unless we're working for something bigger than what's immediately in front of us. By tapping into that greater good, we unlock a lot more contribution, engagement and ultimately rewards of a virtuous cycle. One way to identify this potential, Pink cites fairly early on, is identifying heuristics vs. algorithms. This is critically important and timely. By putting creative people on rote tasks all the time (algorithms), we crush the creative spirit that is capable of innovation. Instead, give our workers big goals and the decision latitude to work with whom they need to accomplish and exceed expectations without a lot of constraint (heuristics), and be amazed by the speed and the totality of the result. There are countless examples of these successes, but while we marvel at the outcome we generally close our eyes to the process (or lack of process) by which those outcomes are achieved.
If you're new to Pink's writing style, let me tell you that this book is a fast read. It's an easy read. It's an important read and it will open you up to some very interesting research and science behind motivation. This impacts you; this impacts how you impact the people you work with and work for.
Top reviews from other countries
Frank Calberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
What motivates us?
Reviewed in Germany on April 11, 2023
Takeaways from reading the book:
- Page 23: How a person feels when working on a task, is the strongest and most pervasive motivation driver.
- Page 50: When people set goals for themselves, healthy things usually happen.
- Page 63: When a person can decide herself / himself how she / he wants to do a task, she / he will be more motivated to do the task.
- Page 90: Autonomy improves people's lives. When people are free to do something, they learn better, work better and feel better.
- Page 97: At Georgetown university hospital, many nurses have the freedom to conduct their own research projects. This has changed a number of the hospital's programs and policies.
- Page 198: To help create a culture where self motivation can flourish, make it easy for people to speak up when they identify a problem.
- Page 23: How a person feels when working on a task, is the strongest and most pervasive motivation driver.
- Page 50: When people set goals for themselves, healthy things usually happen.
- Page 63: When a person can decide herself / himself how she / he wants to do a task, she / he will be more motivated to do the task.
- Page 90: Autonomy improves people's lives. When people are free to do something, they learn better, work better and feel better.
- Page 97: At Georgetown university hospital, many nurses have the freedom to conduct their own research projects. This has changed a number of the hospital's programs and policies.
- Page 198: To help create a culture where self motivation can flourish, make it easy for people to speak up when they identify a problem.
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C. Hermans
4.0 out of 5 stars
Is Drive the Linchpin, or is being a linchpin your Drive?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2010
Having bought the combi suggested by Amazon I first read Drive, followed by
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to Drive Your Career and Create a Remarkable Future
(Seth Godin) to discover immediately it does cover the same subject as Drive.
But then in a quite different way. Obviously: because both writers are different writers with different styles, different experiences, different histories, different.... you name it and probably I'll agree with you.
* Motivation, rewards, joy, engagement, cog or artist, Type I or Type X - it's in both books.
* Both have the starting point of the turn of the century and how the economy has changed the way we need/want/should work or at least be engaged in work/how we view what work is.
* Both put their finger on the pain, both detail why and how come, both suggest the best ways for us to "adjust" - in the best meaning of the word.
* And both list plenty of examples of companies, businesses and individuals who've "turned" the tide, sometimes (most times?) against the tide. They only use different words (see, another difference).
The difference?
The main difference between Drive and Linchpin IMHO is the method (the word "style" does not really fit here) both writers use:
Dan H. Pink gives you science and tests to make his point, in a logical order
Seth Godin gives you his gut feelings in a kind of hopscotch way of writing (which I found is his "preferred" way in most of his recent books).
Which one is better? Really believe that's not of any importance, if you like a more scientific approach, go for Drive, if you like a more pondering style, go for Linchpin - or read both ;-)
One way or the other you discover the essence of it is more the way you might start behaving, might change your ways (in business and person) then discussing which book portraits this idea better.
I fully agree with the following quote from Daniel's book:
"We're born to be players, not pawns. We're meant to be autonomous individuals, not individual automatons."
More and more businesses, companies are turning away from the Carrot and Stick (Motivation 2.0) approach it seems, having discovered that this principle no longer has its place in the 21th century. More and more are turning to a different, IMHO more closer to our human instincts, principle of motivation, based on the Self-Determination Theory: supporting our natural or intrinsic tendencies to behave in effective and healthy ways.
"Drive" explains that "the secret to high performance and satisfaction - at work, at school, and at home - is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world".
But then in a quite different way. Obviously: because both writers are different writers with different styles, different experiences, different histories, different.... you name it and probably I'll agree with you.
* Motivation, rewards, joy, engagement, cog or artist, Type I or Type X - it's in both books.
* Both have the starting point of the turn of the century and how the economy has changed the way we need/want/should work or at least be engaged in work/how we view what work is.
* Both put their finger on the pain, both detail why and how come, both suggest the best ways for us to "adjust" - in the best meaning of the word.
* And both list plenty of examples of companies, businesses and individuals who've "turned" the tide, sometimes (most times?) against the tide. They only use different words (see, another difference).
The difference?
The main difference between Drive and Linchpin IMHO is the method (the word "style" does not really fit here) both writers use:
Dan H. Pink gives you science and tests to make his point, in a logical order
Seth Godin gives you his gut feelings in a kind of hopscotch way of writing (which I found is his "preferred" way in most of his recent books).
Which one is better? Really believe that's not of any importance, if you like a more scientific approach, go for Drive, if you like a more pondering style, go for Linchpin - or read both ;-)
One way or the other you discover the essence of it is more the way you might start behaving, might change your ways (in business and person) then discussing which book portraits this idea better.
I fully agree with the following quote from Daniel's book:
"We're born to be players, not pawns. We're meant to be autonomous individuals, not individual automatons."
More and more businesses, companies are turning away from the Carrot and Stick (Motivation 2.0) approach it seems, having discovered that this principle no longer has its place in the 21th century. More and more are turning to a different, IMHO more closer to our human instincts, principle of motivation, based on the Self-Determination Theory: supporting our natural or intrinsic tendencies to behave in effective and healthy ways.
"Drive" explains that "the secret to high performance and satisfaction - at work, at school, and at home - is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world".
27 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars
A 3 Star Book Promoted to 4 Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2011
A three star book that discusses a very important topic from a new perspective, and hence promoted to four stars---despite its short comings, it's a must read.
"Drive" is an idea book, and like most other idea books the author could very well write a few pages long article instead to convey the same message. The book actually finishes after first half. The second half consists of a "summary of the first half of the book" along with some notes on how to make practical use of the knowledge. Perhaps the publisher insisted on this padding.
The main theme of the book is that the Carrot and Stick model of motivation is outdated. The message that "carrot and stick model has outlived its usefulness" is very effectively communicated in the book.
The author argues that core human motivators are Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. He uses the example of Wikipedia vs. Encarta to support this argument. Wikipedia was backed by autonomy, mastery and purpose, and it managed to outclass the carrot-and-stick-backed Encarta.
From personal experience, I agree to only two of these: autonomy and purpose. I think that the human desire to master something is very complex, and the book falls short here.
Mastery is introduced in the following para: The opposite of autonomy is control. And since they sit at different poles of the behavioral compass, they point us toward different destinations. Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement. And this distinction leads to the second element of Type I behavior: mastery--the desire to get better and better at something that matters.
"Better and better at something that matters?" How do we know what matters? Who decides what matters? How can you make other people understand what matters? Unfortunately, the book does not tell you that. Mastery is very subtle because this factor is closely related to "awareness" and "feedback" in my opinion. Awareness is needed to start the quest for mastery, and feedback is what keeps you going---the earlier we get the results, the more seriously we take that thing.
The book does not touch upon awareness, though it talks of "feedback" in terms of "flow."
Other important factors like "social influence"/ peer pressure and the fear of isolation as motivators are also not important enough to get author's attention. The book is too much focused on corporate stuff though it claims otherwise.
Let's say, your teenager has a bad habit of going to sleep while watching the TV at night---and the TV keeps playing all night unless you get up and turn it off. How do we get the desired results? That's the type of question I would like to see in a book that claims to cover motivation in daily life.
And finally, an ideal book should cover the topic of "addiction" as well---how it ruins motivation and delays the results you want to achieve. Addiction spans from "twitter/ facebook status updates" to "munching snacks when you are overweight."
"Drive" is an idea book, and like most other idea books the author could very well write a few pages long article instead to convey the same message. The book actually finishes after first half. The second half consists of a "summary of the first half of the book" along with some notes on how to make practical use of the knowledge. Perhaps the publisher insisted on this padding.
The main theme of the book is that the Carrot and Stick model of motivation is outdated. The message that "carrot and stick model has outlived its usefulness" is very effectively communicated in the book.
The author argues that core human motivators are Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. He uses the example of Wikipedia vs. Encarta to support this argument. Wikipedia was backed by autonomy, mastery and purpose, and it managed to outclass the carrot-and-stick-backed Encarta.
From personal experience, I agree to only two of these: autonomy and purpose. I think that the human desire to master something is very complex, and the book falls short here.
Mastery is introduced in the following para: The opposite of autonomy is control. And since they sit at different poles of the behavioral compass, they point us toward different destinations. Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement. And this distinction leads to the second element of Type I behavior: mastery--the desire to get better and better at something that matters.
"Better and better at something that matters?" How do we know what matters? Who decides what matters? How can you make other people understand what matters? Unfortunately, the book does not tell you that. Mastery is very subtle because this factor is closely related to "awareness" and "feedback" in my opinion. Awareness is needed to start the quest for mastery, and feedback is what keeps you going---the earlier we get the results, the more seriously we take that thing.
The book does not touch upon awareness, though it talks of "feedback" in terms of "flow."
Other important factors like "social influence"/ peer pressure and the fear of isolation as motivators are also not important enough to get author's attention. The book is too much focused on corporate stuff though it claims otherwise.
Let's say, your teenager has a bad habit of going to sleep while watching the TV at night---and the TV keeps playing all night unless you get up and turn it off. How do we get the desired results? That's the type of question I would like to see in a book that claims to cover motivation in daily life.
And finally, an ideal book should cover the topic of "addiction" as well---how it ruins motivation and delays the results you want to achieve. Addiction spans from "twitter/ facebook status updates" to "munching snacks when you are overweight."
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AK
4.0 out of 5 stars
If an hour is all the time you devote to motivation, this is the book to go for
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2011
In
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Daniel H. Pink attempts a Malcolm Gladwell meets the
One Minute Manager (The One Minute Manager)
approach to getting some well known (and less than surprising) but not universally adapted findings about motivation across to the general public.
To start off with, the main theme of the book, namely that the currently widely practiced pay for performance schemes hardly produce an improvement in the latter (and often lead to a drop in intrinsic motivation) in white collar or 'creative' environments is certainly correct and additional repetition of the message cannot harm. This is the reason I gave the book a 4 star rating, even if I find it more of a 3 star effort based on its content alone.
However Herzberg's Motivation to Work laid the main themes well enough a long time ago (and has been recognized as the classic in the field), so if you are familiar with his 'money is a hygiene factor and not a motivator' theme (so as soon as you pay people enough to take the money discussion off the table, it is best to leave it there) there will be little new for you here.
The book starts with a brief introduction on what the author calls Motivation 1.0 and 2.0, the latter being more or less in line with Taylorist management thinking. Unfortunately Pink buys the success of Taylor's scientific management, when applied to manual tasks wholeheartedly (something that has long been severely questioned - The Management Myth: Why the Experts Keep Getting it Wrong being a good place to start for an interested reader) and only questions the effectiveness, when more creative tasks are being rewarded. He then goes on describing the three real motivators, namely autonomy, mastery and purpose and how these demonstrably improve both motivation and performance. Finally, he finishes with a toolkit for bringing intrinsic motivation about, with checklists and short soundbites on what is necessary and how one could go about starting the journey.
The main authors quoted throughout are Edward Deci ( Why We Do What We Do ) and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ( Flow ) and while there is little to fault in terms of any of their findings, or the presentation here, I find that an interested reader will be better served by the originals than the summarized findings of Pink's book.
This book likely works best for the harried manager, who really only can afford the time that can be squeezed into a short haul flight to get up to speed on motivation. For this it works better than the very popular One Minute Manager (The One Minute Manager) and Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life type books, as it does not break it down to a story that may find readers turned off by appearing patronizing.
Still, I find the author does not quite reach the writing talent of someone like Malcolm Gladwell, who in my opinion manages to package existing research into something novel and interesting, rather than make it appear like a summary of the main (but already relatively well known) findings on the topic.
If the company is yours, though, and you have more than just a handful of hours to devote to motivating your employees, you will be much better served by reading Herzberg, Deci and Csikszentmihalyi directly - all of them write well enough and you will get much more meat on what works, and what not than here.
To start off with, the main theme of the book, namely that the currently widely practiced pay for performance schemes hardly produce an improvement in the latter (and often lead to a drop in intrinsic motivation) in white collar or 'creative' environments is certainly correct and additional repetition of the message cannot harm. This is the reason I gave the book a 4 star rating, even if I find it more of a 3 star effort based on its content alone.
However Herzberg's Motivation to Work laid the main themes well enough a long time ago (and has been recognized as the classic in the field), so if you are familiar with his 'money is a hygiene factor and not a motivator' theme (so as soon as you pay people enough to take the money discussion off the table, it is best to leave it there) there will be little new for you here.
The book starts with a brief introduction on what the author calls Motivation 1.0 and 2.0, the latter being more or less in line with Taylorist management thinking. Unfortunately Pink buys the success of Taylor's scientific management, when applied to manual tasks wholeheartedly (something that has long been severely questioned - The Management Myth: Why the Experts Keep Getting it Wrong being a good place to start for an interested reader) and only questions the effectiveness, when more creative tasks are being rewarded. He then goes on describing the three real motivators, namely autonomy, mastery and purpose and how these demonstrably improve both motivation and performance. Finally, he finishes with a toolkit for bringing intrinsic motivation about, with checklists and short soundbites on what is necessary and how one could go about starting the journey.
The main authors quoted throughout are Edward Deci ( Why We Do What We Do ) and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ( Flow ) and while there is little to fault in terms of any of their findings, or the presentation here, I find that an interested reader will be better served by the originals than the summarized findings of Pink's book.
This book likely works best for the harried manager, who really only can afford the time that can be squeezed into a short haul flight to get up to speed on motivation. For this it works better than the very popular One Minute Manager (The One Minute Manager) and Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life type books, as it does not break it down to a story that may find readers turned off by appearing patronizing.
Still, I find the author does not quite reach the writing talent of someone like Malcolm Gladwell, who in my opinion manages to package existing research into something novel and interesting, rather than make it appear like a summary of the main (but already relatively well known) findings on the topic.
If the company is yours, though, and you have more than just a handful of hours to devote to motivating your employees, you will be much better served by reading Herzberg, Deci and Csikszentmihalyi directly - all of them write well enough and you will get much more meat on what works, and what not than here.
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Ruben
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2023
To be completely honest, this is one of the books that inspired me to start a new business, a mobile app I’m still working on (Books In Action). This book helped me understand that our education system requires revolution. It’s obsolete, and completely not prepared for the future.
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