Daniel Pink: Drive

Daniela Pink's book introduces internal motivation 3.0, which he calls "Drive". Daniel describes ancient motivation 1.0, focused on ensuring basic livelihood. Then new motivation 2.0, based on reward and punishment, was developed to perfection in the 20th century. The employee is rewarded for high speed and quality of work, for example by quarterly bonuses. In case of insufficient speed and quality, the worker is punished by reduction of such bonus. Such motivation tool is especially effective in the case of routine tasks, however, it is not successful in the case of growing number of professions that require creative problem solving.

Motivation 3.0 is based on autonomy (the ability to achieve goals in one´s own way), striving for mastery (the ability to continually improve one´s expertise) and on understanding the broader meaning of a given task. Wikipedia is great example of this motivation, where individuals contribute in their free time without claiming any reward. As we know, Wikipedia has won over commercial types of encyclopedias.

In my opinion, wherever we work with our teams, we can think about how to use the 3.0 motivation. Setting a measurable goal and find time to properly explain it, including the broader sense for the department or organization, remains an important element. After the goal is understood and accepted, the team members should get maximum freedom in the way they fulfil the objective. Of course, we need to take into account individual abilities and experience.

Daniel Pink also addressed the topic of Drive at the TED lecture.