The Science of Motivation
So the recession is over eh? Well according to some indicators we are entering a new phase. And I wonder, what are businesses going to do with the workforce that remains? Leaders should be asked:
How are you going to motivate your people?
How are you going to get them to give the discretionary effort that’s so vital in delivering a great customer experience?
How are you going to get your people to trust you, and each other?
This feels like a rare opportunity to do something different, to apply some science to motivation. How? Well for a start, instead of returning to the tired old method of incentives (and let’s face it if we’ve learned only one thing from the banking crisis it’s that incentives drive value destroying behaviour), why don’t we try some new approaches? How about some autonomy, mastery and purpose? Here’s a link to a great talk given by Dan Pink on the science of motivation. I suggest you go get a cup of tea, and take 18 minutes to watch, listen, and then do.
Dan Pink – The Science of Motivation
Have a great day
dialoguelife.wordpress.com 
I did see that talk on TED some weeks ago, and already completely forgot it. Thank you Doug that it showed up here again. Even though Dan’s way of presenting performing is oh so American, the content is rock solid.
I crystallize it to my self in this way. When tasks are very simple and does not need creative solutions, financial incentives work very well. When tasks are more complex, as it is in most of the work in developed world, financial incentives actually decrease performance.
Dan really has a point, that is not something how business works.
According to Dan we need.
Autonomy
Mastery
Purpose
Looking forward to see these things in a mainstream big business culture. At the moment with DialogueLife these things are pretty obvious, when there is owners working on the company it is hard to avoid autonomy, mastery and purpose.