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Drive

The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us

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Drive

By: Daniel H. Pink
Narrated by: Daniel H. Pink
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Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people - at work, at school, at home. It's wrong. As Daniel H. Pink explains in his new book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world 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. Along the way, he takes us to companies that are enlisting new approaches to motivation and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are pointing a bold way forward. Drive is bursting with big ideas - the rare book that will change how you think and transform how you live.©2011 Canongate Books Career Success Motivation & Self-Improvement Personal Development Personal Success Career Motivation Inspiring Thought-Provoking Management Business Leadership
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Critic reviews

"Provocative and fascinating" (MALCOLM GLADWELL)
"Pink is rapidly acquiring international guru status . . . He is an engaging writer, who challenges and provokes"
"A bold and persuasive call to bring our understanding of human motivation out of the realm of folklore and into the realm of science . . . Drive will make you rethink everything you do to motivate yourself and those around you" (RICHARD WISEMAN, author of 59 Seconds and Quirkology)
"Inspiring"
"Punchy and energetic"
"What really drives high performance? In this eye-opening book, Daniel Pink draws on 40 years of science to offer some surprising answers. He shows the limits of carrots and sticks and explores the hard-headed power of autonomy, mastery, and purpose to help us work smarter and live better" (CHRIS ANDERSON, author of The Long Tail and Free)
"As Dan Pink's new book Drive argues, financial incentives are no longer enough to give a business an edge: in an economy driven by ideas and creativity, it's more effective to give workers a sense of purpose, of mastery, of autonomy over their time and their tasks. Because the only certainty in the decade to come is that disruptive change is going to continue to catch out businesses that are unprepared"
"Drive drives a stake through the bedrock of classic "if-then" motivational theory. It demonstrates in an entertaining way how self-motivated rewards provide their own behavioural alchemy, exposing the mismatch between what science knows and business does" (JAMES BORG, author of Persuasion: The Art of Influencing People)
"Drive is the rare book that will get you to think and inspire you to act. Pink makes a strong, science-based case for rethinking motivation - and then provides the tools you need to transform your life" (DR MEHMET OZ, co-author of You: The Owner's Manual)
"Pink's ideas deserve a wide hearing. Corporate boards, in fact, could do well by kicking out their pay consultants for an hour and reading Pink's conclusions instead"
"Daniel Pink argues that human motivation is mostly intrinsic – that it is not dependent on external factors, such as earnings or status – and that the aspects of our innate motivation can be divided into autonomy, mastery and purpose"
"Fascinating . . . If Pink's proselytizing helps persuade employers to make work more fulfilling, Drive will be a powerhouse"
"Pink's analysis-and new model-of motivation offers tremendous insight into our deepest nature"
"Pink makes a convincing case that organizations ignore intrinsic motivation at their peril"
"Persuasive . . .Harnessing the power of intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic remuneration can be thoroughly satisfying and infinitely more rewarding"
"These lessons are worth repeating, and if more companies feel emboldened to follow Mr. Pink's advice, then so much the better"
"Important reading...an integral addition to a growing body of literature that argues for a radical shift in how businesses operate"
All stars
Most relevant
Absolutely brilliant! A must for anyone interested in motivational theory. Pink et al review the previous research behind motivational theory ('sticks and carrots') and demonstrate why this is no longer appropriate for changes in the type of work that our society and business now needs and can, in many circumstances, result in poorer performance. The authors then review the research base over the last ten years, pointing to three main factors (autonomy, mastery and purpose) that research has demonstrated effect type I (intrinsic) motivation, with examples from business. The authors helpfully suggest some techniques you might employ in yuour own organisation to tap into type I motivation.

Essential motivational theory reading

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Book TOC:

Part One - A New Operating System

CHAPTER 1 - The Rise and Fall of Motivation 2.0
CHAPTER 2 - Seven Reasons Carrots and Sticks (Often) Don’t Work . . .
CHAPTER 2A - . . . and the Special Circumstances When They Do
CHAPTER 3 - Type I and Type X


Part Two - The Three Elements

CHAPTER 4 - Autonomy
CHAPTER 5 - Mastery
CHAPTER 6 - Purpose

Part Three - The Type I Toolkit

Type I for Individuals: Nine Strategies for Awakening Your Motivation
Type I for Organizations: Nine Ways to Improve Your Company, Office, or Group
The Zen of Compensation: Paying People the Type I Way
Type I for Parents and Educators: Nine Ideas for Helping Our Kids
The Type I Reading List: Fifteen Essential Books
Listen to the Gurus: Six Business Thinkers Who Get It
The Type I Fitness Plan: Four Tips for Getting (and Staying) Motivated to Exercise
Drive: The Recap
Drive: The Glossary
The Drive Discussion Guide: Twenty Conversation Starters to Keep You Thinking ...

FIND OUT MORE—ABOUT YOURSELF AND THIS TOPIC

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Review:

Common motivators
Usual motivators are reward and punishment. Carrot and the stick.

Research results
Money as a drive works on tasks based on process/protocol (step 1,2,3...complete).
Once the task involves higher than rudimentary cognitive skills, extra money as reward not only doesn't increase but it lowers performance.

Whereas for stepped tasks the blinkers focus the worker. The person's attention is now on the money, not the task they need to find a solution for. The blinkers become a total enemy of creative problem solving.


Commitment and bonds
Childcare centre has some parents running late so imposes fines after 10 minutes late. The rate of lateness doubles. Parents no longer see not getting to the centre on time as breaking the bond with their kids carer, not being nice. Instead its a purely financial transaction, something else to buy.


Enter the game of autonomy and challenge
At Attlassian, their entitled "FEDEX days", the company gives employees a 24 hour challenge. Employees can do what they like, however they like, with whoever they like. Only requirement is next day they present it over drinks, cake and pizza.

Redgate, scrapped sales bonuses. Instead they pay people a fair sum. Full attention on the task/job.

Zappos, call centre, revamped how a call centre is run. Usually staff turnover of 100% on year on year (like a lightbulb2). Zappos instead of timing/automatising/scripting their staff's response, offered money for new trainees to leave if they wished, then gave staff autonomy to resolve customer issues. They ended up with the highest ratings of customer satisfaction. (Supposition is increase of staff autonomy and sense of belonging and importance)


Freeware/Wikipedia - based on people's donations of time and effort. Sometimes considerable compared to people's existing day jobs, and they are doing same or more effort on their limited discretionary time, for free.

Google 20%. Many of their great ideas is a product from Google's freedom to allow their staff to work on their own project 20% of their work time. E.g. GMail, Google News.


Key points from the research, people want:

Crude incentives negatively affect performance
Autonomy, self-direction, augments the sense of self worth and fosters progress,
Collaboration, Game (3. is personal thoughts)
Challenge and Mastery,
Purpose.


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This book was an insightful listen. It tackled my personal belief's about what I thought motivated me as well as provided me with a further explanation on modern day motivation as opposed to historical, psychological theories. It's made me much more aware of what motivates me as an adult in a working life in comparison to how I was motivated in education and as a young adult

A Great Explanation of Motivated in Modern Society

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Loved this book! Really detailed analysis of what motivates us, with surprising evidence of what can improve or worsen productivity.

Especially useful for those interested in self improvement in themselves, children, but particularly organizations wanting to move to the next level, by engaging their workforce.

Excellent

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I would like to know more studies and researches on what is a good drive, not just what is bad!

incomplete

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