TED Talks: Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation?language=en

Good stuff forwarded to me this morning from Mrs. TheSlav so Hat Tip to her. Hey, wait a minute!!
You don't think she sent this to me because she thinks I have a problem with motivation, do you? It did arrive in close proximity with an ever-increasing "Honey-Do" list, but maybe I'm just reading too much into this and imputing motivation on her part.

From the site I gathered that Mr. pink was a former speechwriter for Al Gore, but somehow I got past that and watched the presentation anyway and I'm glad I did. Great stuff. Enjoy, I have work to do.

P.S. - Excellent suggested reading list below.

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories — and maybe, a way forward.

11:31There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does. And what worries me, as we stand here in the rubble of the economic collapse, is that too many organizations are making their decisions, their policies about talent and people, based on assumptions that are outdated, unexamined,and rooted more in folklore than in science. And if we really want to get out of this economic mess, if we really want high performance on those definitional tasks of the 21st century, the solution is not to do more of the wrong things, to entice people with a sweeter carrot, or threaten them with a sharper stick.We need a whole new approach.

12:17The good news is that the scientists who've been studying motivation have given us this new approach.It's built much more around intrinsic motivation. Around the desire to do things because they matter,because we like it, they're interesting, or part of something important. And to my mind, that new operating system for our businesses revolves around three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose.Autonomy: the urge to direct our own lives. Mastery: the desire to get better and better at something that matters. Purpose: the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves. These are the building blocks of an entirely new operating system for our businesses.

17:23There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does. Here is what science knows.One: Those 20th century rewards, those motivators we think are a natural part of business, do work, but only in a surprisingly narrow band of circumstances. Two: Those if-then rewards often destroy creativity.Three: The secret to high performance isn't rewards and punishments, but that unseen intrinsic drive--the drive to do things for their own sake. The drive to do things cause they matter.

17:52And here's the best part. We already know this. The science confirms what we know in our hearts. So, if we repair this mismatch between science and business, if we bring our motivation, notions of motivationinto the 21st century, if we get past this lazy, dangerous, ideology of carrots and sticks, we can strengthen our businesses, we can solve a lot of those candle problems, and maybe, maybe -- we can change the world. I rest my case. (Applause)

Dan Pink's Reading List:

• The Talent Code

  Daniel Coyle
  Arrow Books, 2010

  A savvy and snappy compilation of some of the best research on talent. I've given away more than a dozen copies of this one — including to my own kids.
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  Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 
  Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2008

  The classic book that introduced the idea of "flow" — those delicious moments when the challenge we face is so exquisitely matched to our capabilities that we lose our sense of time, even our sense of self.
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  Why We Do What We Do

  Edward L. Deci and Richard Flaste 
  Penguin Books, 1996

  Edward L. Deci is a legend in the study of motivation, and this 1996 book offers a nice early introduction to his work.
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  Mindset

  Carol Dweck 
  Ballantine Books, 2007

  One the most important books a parent can read. Seriously. Get it now.
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  The Sports Gene

  David Epstein 
  Current Trade, 2014

  A fascinating book that shows that in some pursuits, practice, practice, practice is more effective when you've got the right genes, genes, genes.
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  The War of Art

  Steven Pressfield 
  Black Irish Entertainment, 2012

  An essential read on overcoming resistance in the quest for mastery.
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  Readings on self-determination theory

  Much of the work I write about in Drive comes out of the University of Rochester. You can find a great selection of academic papers on self-determination theory online.
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  Dan Pink: My 5 favorite TED Talks on work

  You can't go wrong by watching my five favorite TED Talks about work.