Genres
Publication
Riverhead Books (2011), Edition: Reprint, 288 pages
Description
Business. Management. Nonfiction. Economics. HTML:The New York Times bestseller that gives readers a paradigm-shattering new way to think about motivation from the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money�??the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home�??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. Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does�??and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three elements of true motivation�??autonomy, mastery, and purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform… (more)
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LibraryThing member rm80780
This is old news that $ is not the only motivator and in about 30 pages he could have made his point which is people would prefer activities where they can pursue three things.
Autonomy: People want to have control over their work.
Mastery: People want to get better at what they do.
Purpose: People
Autonomy: People want to have control over their work.
Mastery: People want to get better at what they do.
Purpose: People
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want to be part of something that is bigger than they are. Show Less
LibraryThing member cameling
What motivates individuals in the workplace? Corporations generally believe that monetary rewards or promises of promotions are what motivates the employees. What Daniel Pink discovers through research conducted by a number of respected organizations and the academia, is that this is not
He outlines 3 additional powerful motivating principles that could be and should be considered by managers, namely; autonomy, mastery and purpose. Let's take autonomy as an example. Individuals, he believes, can be motivated by having more control over what they do, and he provides good examples of companies who have implemented certain practices that allowed the employees to go off and work on projects that they plan on their own, and how some of the most popular products today have emerged from these very projects.
He makes a good case for each one of these principles and substantiates his claim with a number of good case studies.
Whether you work in a company in a management capacity or not, this is an interesting book that will outline some points that could help you motivate yourself and others to improved performance. He provides some good tips on compensation and strategies for individuals and companies.
A bonus to this book is that he writes in a very entertaining fashion.
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necessarily correct, especially if a company wants to be more innovative.He outlines 3 additional powerful motivating principles that could be and should be considered by managers, namely; autonomy, mastery and purpose. Let's take autonomy as an example. Individuals, he believes, can be motivated by having more control over what they do, and he provides good examples of companies who have implemented certain practices that allowed the employees to go off and work on projects that they plan on their own, and how some of the most popular products today have emerged from these very projects.
He makes a good case for each one of these principles and substantiates his claim with a number of good case studies.
Whether you work in a company in a management capacity or not, this is an interesting book that will outline some points that could help you motivate yourself and others to improved performance. He provides some good tips on compensation and strategies for individuals and companies.
A bonus to this book is that he writes in a very entertaining fashion.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Scarchin
My boss loaned me this book after a discussion about teacher compensation.
In our discussion, I took the position that teachers needed financial incentives instead of the static salary schedule model we have in place right now. My boss said that he thinks that internal/intrinsic motivation may be
Turns out that we're both right.
Before I explain, I'd like to say something about the author. When I was about halfway through the book, I had a few questions and observations. On the book jacket, the author encourages emails - so I emailed him. I got a thoughtful response THE NEXT DAY. Not bad!
There's a lot to say about this book and I'm just going to make a few quick points. For those of you who, like me, just want a quick "Should I read this and why?" here it is: If you are interested in understanding motivation, in learning better management techniques, and getting more personal satisfaction out of your work (and ultimately your life), read this book. It will only take you 3-5 days.
Now on to my observations...
As far as my being "right" about better teacher financial incentives, Mr. Pink doesn't say that offering bonuses, raises, or other financial rewards for performance will increase motivation. What he says is that people in ALL fields need to have a baseline of fair compensation to START with. Without that baseline, he argues, there is going to be dissatisfaction. My friends and colleagues who are teachers understand this. If you were to ask them if they honestly felt that hard-working,dedicated teachers are fairly compensated, the answer would be a passionate "No!" And over time, I would argue, that is why burn-out, mediocrity, and bitterness kick in. It's why so many leave after 5 years or so.
As far as the internal motivation angle goes, Mr. Pink argues (and demonstrated with examples) that giving autonomy and respect to employees (or students!) along with clear goals and expectations is what gets people excited about their vocations.
There were a few examples that really intrigued me - companies where supervisor's said "We need you to do X. We don't care if you come in to work all day, every day, some days, once a week, once a month...whatever. As long as you accomplish X, we don't care how you do it." There were other examples where companies gave employees time to pursue ideas that weren't related to their normal tasks independently or with colleagues. Oftentimes this lead to breakthroughs and innovation.
Now how I could use this as an educator is still buzzing around in my head - but I've definitely got a few ideas this book inspired me to try.
In our discussion, I took the position that teachers needed financial incentives instead of the static salary schedule model we have in place right now. My boss said that he thinks that internal/intrinsic motivation may be
Show More
more of a factor, and he cited this book - which happened to be on his desk. He was about to read it, but he generously offered to let me read it first.Turns out that we're both right.
Before I explain, I'd like to say something about the author. When I was about halfway through the book, I had a few questions and observations. On the book jacket, the author encourages emails - so I emailed him. I got a thoughtful response THE NEXT DAY. Not bad!
There's a lot to say about this book and I'm just going to make a few quick points. For those of you who, like me, just want a quick "Should I read this and why?" here it is: If you are interested in understanding motivation, in learning better management techniques, and getting more personal satisfaction out of your work (and ultimately your life), read this book. It will only take you 3-5 days.
Now on to my observations...
As far as my being "right" about better teacher financial incentives, Mr. Pink doesn't say that offering bonuses, raises, or other financial rewards for performance will increase motivation. What he says is that people in ALL fields need to have a baseline of fair compensation to START with. Without that baseline, he argues, there is going to be dissatisfaction. My friends and colleagues who are teachers understand this. If you were to ask them if they honestly felt that hard-working,dedicated teachers are fairly compensated, the answer would be a passionate "No!" And over time, I would argue, that is why burn-out, mediocrity, and bitterness kick in. It's why so many leave after 5 years or so.
As far as the internal motivation angle goes, Mr. Pink argues (and demonstrated with examples) that giving autonomy and respect to employees (or students!) along with clear goals and expectations is what gets people excited about their vocations.
There were a few examples that really intrigued me - companies where supervisor's said "We need you to do X. We don't care if you come in to work all day, every day, some days, once a week, once a month...whatever. As long as you accomplish X, we don't care how you do it." There were other examples where companies gave employees time to pursue ideas that weren't related to their normal tasks independently or with colleagues. Oftentimes this lead to breakthroughs and innovation.
Now how I could use this as an educator is still buzzing around in my head - but I've definitely got a few ideas this book inspired me to try.
Show Less
LibraryThing member haridasi
A good book about motivation based upon research in the field. It tells us about the primary characteristics that needs to be present in our private and work life to bring about motivation (and pleasure/happiness) and how we can find/look for these characteristics ourselves.
LibraryThing member jgrann
Fine high-level summary and collection of some important works that should be more widely applied. I liked the continual citation of relevant basic research in psychology and the gap of applying this work to practice. The work could have been strengthened by updating the literature review and
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cutting down on the padding at the end of the book (the final 1/3 felt trite). Show Less
LibraryThing member eclecticlibrarian
Good read, but after a while he seemed to repeat himself. Probably would have been sufficient as a long essay or series of essays rather than attempting to be a book.
LibraryThing member paulsignorelli
Daniel Pink, as always, is a wonderful storyteller who reintroduces us to others we have read, brings unfamiliar sources to our attention, and, in the process, makes us look at the world a little differently than we would without his own special focus. "Drive" carries us into the world of
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motivation in an entertaining and thought-provoking fashion; it's a wonderful addition to what he inspired through "A Whole New Mind." Show Less
LibraryThing member wortklauberlein
Some good nuggets and a basically well-supported premise, but it reads like a magazine article padded out to $26.95 book length. The Twitter summation and cocktail party summation are amusing but at the same time too cute and thus demeaning the more serious aspect of the work. Pink writes as though
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he's altogether too pleased with his right-braininess. In short, interesting but irritating. Show Less
LibraryThing member GShuk
An easy to read book with some salient points that resonate. He differentiates between internal and external motivation stating that external motivation works for routine tasks while internal motivation works for more creative tasks. For internal motivation he focuses on autonomy, mastery and
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purpose. There are plenty of examples and resources in this book. The many resources at the end of the book are hard to listen to though. Show Less
LibraryThing member ldmarquet
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
My name is David Marquet, from Practicum, Inc and we help our customers structure their organizations to maximize the potential of their people. We call this leadership. When we talk with our clients one of the things we ask them is “do you need
Pink’s book is very helpful because it clearly illuminates and explains what we’ve observed – that external motivation ends up feeling like manipulation and that people will do better in a structure that allows them to find their own intrinsic sources of motivation.
What are the characteristics of those structures? Pink tells us they are structures that enable individual autonomy, mastery, and purpose. In our practice, we had been emphasizing control, competence, and connection as being important. While control parallels autonomy and mastery parallels autonomy, purpose is an element we had not singled out.
We think Pink is right, though. Connecting your activity to a higher purpose does give people a reason beyond the immediate that seems necessary to sustain enduring loyalty to the mission. This was particularly true aboard submarines, where crews that understood how their tasks, however difficult, supported a greater goal (defending the Constitution, for example), performed better.
Drive is a quick read and we recommend it.
My name is David Marquet, from Practicum, Inc and we help our customers structure their organizations to maximize the potential of their people. We call this leadership. When we talk with our clients one of the things we ask them is “do you need
Show More
your boss to motivate you?” Very few people raise their hands. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise to read in Daniel Pink’s recent book, Drive, that people do not respond best to external motivation. Pink’s book is very helpful because it clearly illuminates and explains what we’ve observed – that external motivation ends up feeling like manipulation and that people will do better in a structure that allows them to find their own intrinsic sources of motivation.
What are the characteristics of those structures? Pink tells us they are structures that enable individual autonomy, mastery, and purpose. In our practice, we had been emphasizing control, competence, and connection as being important. While control parallels autonomy and mastery parallels autonomy, purpose is an element we had not singled out.
We think Pink is right, though. Connecting your activity to a higher purpose does give people a reason beyond the immediate that seems necessary to sustain enduring loyalty to the mission. This was particularly true aboard submarines, where crews that understood how their tasks, however difficult, supported a greater goal (defending the Constitution, for example), performed better.
Drive is a quick read and we recommend it.
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LibraryThing member ambookgeek
A very worthwhile read, though, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as A Whole New Mind. Though I can see real merit to his idea of motivation 3.0, I still find it incredibly hard to see how it can be put into place on a large scale. Even with the existing companies that he uses as examples of
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motivation 3.0 in practice, I find it hard to imagine that there aren't at least some software engineers sitting around surfing Facebook and heading out for coffee at the nearest Starbucks. I my cynicism (based on a lot of years working with both wonderful co-workers and lazy bums) isn't specific to the places where I have been employed. Show Less
LibraryThing member unlikely
This is pop psychology pap. It also largely consists of "book reports" on works by others, and other completely derivative material.
LibraryThing member librarythingaliba
I really like this Dan Pink guy. The entire book is premised around the idea that human behavior is governed by an operating system (or operating systems) and that too many individuals and organizations are running a legacy version of Motivation 2.0. Mr. Pink recommends an upgrade to Motivation
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3.0, which, like Maslow's higher-level needs - centers around self actualization in the form of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. He closes the book with a variety of resources for engaging type I individuals (those operating from intrinsic vs. type X - or extrinsic - forces) on a single and organizational level. I want to buy this book for everyone I know. Show Less
LibraryThing member emlzcole
An interesting book that I find most notable for bringing ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) to my attention.
LibraryThing member RobinJacksonPearson
To explain why autonomy, mastery, and purpose motivates people more than traditional rewards/punishments, Daniel Pink provides a substantial amount of scientific evidence and enlightening anecdotes. People really do prefer to work from the heart as well as the head -- and happily, that's how Pink
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likes to write. So Drive is not only well-argued, but also engaging and entertaining. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nodosaurus
Mr. Pink argues that current motivational methods, those used primarily in schools and in business, are ineffective at best and counterproductive more often. These methods come from mostly 19th century understandings of motivation, based on a carrot and stick approach to motivation.
Science has
The first part of the book discusses the carrot and stick analogy and how we typically use it. He shows its shortcomings with plenty of examples that we are well familiar with. He divides tasks into two categories, then shows how traditional motivational techniques affect people in each. Then describes how an updated technique can improve the outcomes.
The book continues to develop the new motivational techniques into different circumstances, discusses how to motivate people in a work environment, motivate children, and self motivation.
The book ends with plenty of suggestions for further reading, websites, suggested schools, exercises, step-by-step improvement suggestions, and more.
Although much of the information was not new to me, I found it stimulating, thought provoking, and encouraging me to study more.
Science has
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progressed far from this perspective, but society is lagging behind. Mr. Pink makes a case for updating our playbook to improve our ability to do any tasks we put ourselves to. The first part of the book discusses the carrot and stick analogy and how we typically use it. He shows its shortcomings with plenty of examples that we are well familiar with. He divides tasks into two categories, then shows how traditional motivational techniques affect people in each. Then describes how an updated technique can improve the outcomes.
The book continues to develop the new motivational techniques into different circumstances, discusses how to motivate people in a work environment, motivate children, and self motivation.
The book ends with plenty of suggestions for further reading, websites, suggested schools, exercises, step-by-step improvement suggestions, and more.
Although much of the information was not new to me, I found it stimulating, thought provoking, and encouraging me to study more.
Show Less
LibraryThing member 8bitmore
Great pop-science (not in the derogatory sense) book with concisely summarized information on the research done on motivation. Extremely useful for self-analysis in regards to motivational crisis/issues.
LibraryThing member cenneidigh
Wow, what drives us to work, play, seek things we need and want? I saw myself and my family in these pages. Very interesting to read and to rethink the way we do things and why we do them.
LibraryThing member PaolaM
I tend to run a mile at the first whiff of self-help book: a third of the book is exactly that, so in this respect I am unsurprised I am not giving it more than "it was ok". But for the other two thirds, the book is repetitive and monodimensional: a man on a mission to convert us all to the beauty
In a nutshell, the central point of the book is: there are three types of drive: basic urges, respose to incentives/disincentives, and intrinsic motivation. The latter is the type of motivation which would really improve our lives and the lives of those around us, as well as the efficiency of the organisations which employ us, and this is what should really be at the centre of all incentives schemes. Indeed, in most cases carrot and stick approaches won't work and actually produce the opposite effects, as once you get used to a reward, you'll put less effort if no reward is forthcoming.
In fairness to the author, I did find the book informative on various levels, and did point me to a number of (hopefully better :-) ) books that I now consider reading; what irked me was the almost complete lack of critical assessment of the various theories that are put forward as those we should be paying attention to. For instance, there is no counterpoint to the theories presented in terms of criticism which must exist in academia (or if it does not, it would be good to know); for the experiments that are presented in support of the theories, there is no mention of alternative explanations (and if they do not exist, then again it would be good to know). The evindence goes all in one direction, which cannot be right.
I also find the book quite patronising in tone, as the reader is expected to have the attention span of a goldfish, with all concepts broken down into easily manageable chunks. Shoujld this bee too much for the overburdened reader, don't worry as there is a chapter by chapter summary: which may be helpful for a textbook, say, but really Mr. Pink I think you should give more credit to the cognitive abilities of your readers!
The target readership also seems pretty well defined, to the "aspirational" middle classes, or anyhow those who can take a break without worrying too much about vile money. Just to give an example, in the "tips and tricks" third part of the book the author recommends to take a year off for your personal development. He states [it] requires a fair bit of planning and saving. But doesn't forgoing that big screen TV seem a small price to pay for an unforgettable - and an un get-backable - year of personal exploration. The truth is, this idea is more realistic than many of us realize. Well, on my book that must be a hell of a tv...
Show More
and effectiveness of self motivation.In a nutshell, the central point of the book is: there are three types of drive: basic urges, respose to incentives/disincentives, and intrinsic motivation. The latter is the type of motivation which would really improve our lives and the lives of those around us, as well as the efficiency of the organisations which employ us, and this is what should really be at the centre of all incentives schemes. Indeed, in most cases carrot and stick approaches won't work and actually produce the opposite effects, as once you get used to a reward, you'll put less effort if no reward is forthcoming.
In fairness to the author, I did find the book informative on various levels, and did point me to a number of (hopefully better :-) ) books that I now consider reading; what irked me was the almost complete lack of critical assessment of the various theories that are put forward as those we should be paying attention to. For instance, there is no counterpoint to the theories presented in terms of criticism which must exist in academia (or if it does not, it would be good to know); for the experiments that are presented in support of the theories, there is no mention of alternative explanations (and if they do not exist, then again it would be good to know). The evindence goes all in one direction, which cannot be right.
I also find the book quite patronising in tone, as the reader is expected to have the attention span of a goldfish, with all concepts broken down into easily manageable chunks. Shoujld this bee too much for the overburdened reader, don't worry as there is a chapter by chapter summary: which may be helpful for a textbook, say, but really Mr. Pink I think you should give more credit to the cognitive abilities of your readers!
The target readership also seems pretty well defined, to the "aspirational" middle classes, or anyhow those who can take a break without worrying too much about vile money. Just to give an example, in the "tips and tricks" third part of the book the author recommends to take a year off for your personal development. He states [it] requires a fair bit of planning and saving. But doesn't forgoing that big screen TV seem a small price to pay for an unforgettable - and an un get-backable - year of personal exploration. The truth is, this idea is more realistic than many of us realize. Well, on my book that must be a hell of a tv...
Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Business book about motivation. Like many books aimed at businesses, this one seems a bit inflated with examples, but the core ideas are still valid, and interesting. Autonomy, mastery, and purpose are best, not just carrot-and-stick style discipline.
LibraryThing member jcopenha
I can certainly identify with his ideas. There are valuable things to think about in here. The few studies he has referenced help, but I really think it's more worthwhile to watch his hour long talk than to read the book.
LibraryThing member TheMadTurtle
Drive is a wonderful book that offers a tremendous amount of insight, not only into what motivates us to do the work we do, but also into organizational behavior and how that can impact our happiness in our work. I learned a lot about myself and why I'm sometimes unhappy about my job. It really
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brought a lot into focus for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member Scrabblenut
This book cites the surprisingly counter-intuitive studies about what motivates us. While some modern companies seem to understand this, most don't, with dire consequences for productivity and employee happiness.
LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
Pink's well-researched book is jammed with "news you can use" in so many arenas. He provides a surprising spin on traditional carrot-and-stick motivational strategies. By weaving in examples and contemporary anecdotes (i.e. the rise of Wikipedia), Pink succeeds in making what could have become a
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highly technical and theory-driven book an enjoyable read. The underlying lesson is that external rewards (money, etc.) can deter intrinsic motivation and undermine creativity. The bottom line: don't try to bribe or brow-beat people into compliance; motivate folks to move into purpose-driven missions. Pink serves up "seven deadly flaws" of carrot-and-stick methods, eight exercises for bringing more autonomy and purpose into your life and many other practical suggestions. He even includes useful chapter summaries and a "dictionary of drive" that becomes a helpful glossary. I would highly recommend this book to managers, aspiring managers, entrepreneurs and other folks who must harness motivation to produce results. Show Less
LibraryThing member VVilliam
A great read with lots of relevant and applicable advice. I'll likely re-read this again in the future.
ISBN
1594484805 / 9781594484803
UPC
710261016008