Intrinsic motivation: doing things because they matter

By William Seidman I’m excited about Daniel Pink’s book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Pink thinks “there’s a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.”  Intrinsic motivation, according to Pink, is what really motivates people. He calls autonomy, mastery, and purpose THE motivating forces, and the old carrot-and-stick approach “a lazy, dangerous ideology.” Numerous good studies have shown that people want autonomy at work, and that it’s a better motivator than money. Drive is consistent with Cerebyte’s approach. We focus on the knowledge of an organization’s positive deviants. Social good is a powerful motivator for these workers. They’re driven from within and by the pleasure of doing things they care about — and that really matter, both to them and to their organization. ]]>