Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us [Paperback]

Having heard an interview on CBC Radio, I was intrigued by Daniel Pink's comments. Hearing the full interview on podcast, I was motivated to explore the book.

Motivation in the workplace is something that one may perceive as a manager's or supervisor's responsibility. Drive provides the insight for one to understand that perhaps some of the best motivation we have comes from within, intrinsic (Type I) rather than extrinsic (Type X). To lead a younger workforce, with different priorities than our parents, companies must embrace the concepts presented by Pink and forget that the carrot and stick approach will solve all woes.

The book is the right length to introduce the subject of motivation and provides a great list of further readings and references. Well worth reading from a business leader AND a worker.

"And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die." -- Genesis 33:13

Dan Pink has done his usual fine work in Drive by:

1. Identifying the relevant scientific research
2. Turning the findings into brief, reader-friendly material
3. Simplifying the key points into a few principles to remember
4. Comparing and contrasting those points with what prevailing practices are in larger organizations

If you are already familiar with the literature of creative motivation, you won't find anything new here. If you don't read that literature, Mr. Pink will take you to where you should want to go with a minimum of time and effort on your part.

The key point is that people respond to more than money in getting their work done. And the more you need someone to use all their resources, the more money becomes a hurdle to success rather than an aid . . . by narrowing focus too much.

Here's a personal example that I remember well that shows the same point. As a poverty-stricken undergraduate, I never saw a psychology experiment that I didn't want to participate in . . . as long as it paid. One such experiment involved memorizing some nonsense material over a series of sessions. I could usually do it relatively quickly. One night my girl friend was in a big rush to go out, but I needed to get paid by the experimenters before I could afford to take her out. I decided I would try much harder than usual so I could get done faster and be on my way with the money. Wrong! I thought I was never going to finish that experiment. The harder I tried, the worse I did. The experimenter was obviously astonished by all the trouble I was having. I'm sure I messed up that set of results for some graduate student.

I've also seen this problem occur where company executives have an opportunity to gain undreamed-of wealth. They get so focused on the money that they don't see anything else, and they make a lot of mistakes that they wouldn't if little money were involved.

As well documented as these points are, don't expect Wall Street banks and automotive companies to quickly switch over to encouraging autonomy, mastery, and purpose instead of paying big salaries and bonuses. Carrots and sticks involving money are in place because they pay well for those on the receiving end . . . not because they reward shareholders well.

The key problem with drawing all your lessons about motivation from this book is that the number of applications to work environments that have been well studied scientifically is pretty limited. My research suggests that there are lots of important motivating factors for doing good work that exist in addition to autonomy, mastery, and purpose. For instance, most workers tell you that they don't have the resources they need to do a good job . . . and that discourages them. In addition, most workers don't feel respected by those who are in charge of their work . . . which also discourages them. If you want a longer list, read Dilbert or visit someone in a cubicle. And those are just removing negative influences. There are other positive influences as well, including being faithful to God, expressing love to others, and being loyal to friends.

You also have to address whether the most important management task is to make everyone more motivated so that they produce more . . . or to make a few people effective in creating astonishingly large improvements that ordinary people can learn to implement. My work suggests the latter route is the way to go. Most people would choose the former route.

However deep you plan to delve into this subject, Drive is a good starting point if you are new to thinking about how to encourage people to accomplish more.

I have read and reviewed all of Dan Pink's previous books and think that this is his most important, his most valuable thus far. As the subtitle correctly indicates, he focuses on "the surprising truth about what motivates us." The revelations he shares were generated by a five-year research project that involved thousands of test groups and individuals as well as dozens of research associates whom Pink duly acknowledges with obvious admiration as well as appreciation. "This is a book about motivation. I will show that much of what we believe about the subject just isn't so - and that the insights that [Harry] Harlow and [Edward] Deci began uncovering a few decades ago come much closer to the truth." Pink goes on assert that most organizations (regardless of nature and extent) formulate strategies for motivation based on faulty assumptions and then, however well-executed these strategies may be, fail to achieve their objectives. These organizations continue to pursue practices (e.g., shirt-term incentive plans and pay-for-performance schemes) "in the face of mounting evidence that such measures usually don't work and often do harm. Worse, these practices have infiltrated our schools, where we ply our future workforce with iPods, cash, and pizza coupons to `incentivize' them to learn. Something has gone wrong." Indeed, as Pink convincingly explains, something has been wrong, very wrong, for many years.

Drawing upon an abundance of research by several behavioral scientists, including Harlow and Deci, provides a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional explanation of "what motivates us," what really motivates us. He carefully organizes his material within three Parts. In the first, he examines the flaws in reward-and-punishment system and proposes "a new way to think about motivation"; in the second, he examines the three elements of Type I behavior i.e. autonomy, mastery, and purpose) and illustrates how individuals as well as organizations "are using them to improve performance and deepen satisfaction"; and in the third Part, he provides what he characterizes as a "Type I Toolkit, a wealth of resources, to help each reader create an environment (in collaboration with others) in which Type I behavior can flourish.

Here are a few of Pink's insights that caught my eye. First, a few distinctions about what Type I behavior is...and isn't: It is made, not born; almost always outperforms Type Xs in the long run; does not disdain money or recognition; is a renewable resource; promotes greater physical and mental well-being; is self-directed; devoted to becoming better and better at something that matters; and connects the quest for excellence with a larger picture. (Pages 79-81) In stunning contrast, Type X "is fueled more by extrinsic desires than intrinsic ones. It concerns itself less with the inherent satisfaction of an activity and more with the external rewards to which that activity leads." Pink recommends what he calls the Motivation 3.0 operating system - "the upgrade that's needed to meet the new realities of how we organize, think about, and do what we do" - depends on the aforementioned Type I behavior.

I also appreciate Pink's provision of real-world examples to create a context, a frame-of-reference, within which to anchor as well as illustrate his core concepts. In Chapters 4-6, he rigorously examines the three elements of Type I behavior (i.e. autonomy, mastery, and purpose) and explains how and why they are separate but interdependent. All three are essential to help achieve what he characterizes as "a renaissance of self-direction." Motivation 3.0 presumes that workers want to be accountable - "and that making sure they have control over their task, their time, their technique, and their team is a pathway to destination." With regard to mastery, Type I "has an incremental theory of intelligence, prizes learning gals over performance goals, and welcomes effort as a way to improve at something that matters. Begin with [a Type X] mindset, and mastery is impossible. Begin with the other [i.e. Type I], and it can be inevitable."

With all due respect to Dan Pink's previously published books, I think this one is his most important, his most valuable, because the information and wisdom he provides will have much wider and deeper impact.

Bravo!