Motivate Intrinsically

photo by becominggreenblog

Dan Pink’s recently posted TED talk makes a convincing argument for why extrinsic, if-then rewards are detrimental to our businesses.  If you need an 18-minute break then you could spend your time in far worse ways.

If you don’t have 18-minutes then the gist is:

Extrinsic rewards / contingent motivators limit thinking and block creativity.  Extrinsic rewards do work to narrow focus and work well when solution is known.  But right brain, conceptual abilities are what are needed in our knowledge-based workplaces today and these are stunted by if-then rewards.

His evidence is partly a study in which people were given a box of tacks, matches and a candle and were asked to attach the candle to the wall so it did not drip on the table.  The solution requires some literal ‘out of the box’ thinking.  Two groups were given the challenge.  One was told their time would help establish group norms and the other was given a monetary incentive to complete it in the fastest time possible.

The result?  Those who were given the if-then incentive completed the problem three and a half minutes…slower.

The incentive narrowed their focus and limited their creativity.

Chances are the team you’re leading isn’t building widgets and being asked to push buttons and pull levers faster.  Your team operates within a changing marketplace where the solutions to success are not always obvious.

If you want to look good yourself then you need the mental horsepower of your entire team to find the solution.  Providing a bigger carrot isn’t going to help.  Rather you need to figure out if your team members even like vegetables.

Intrinsic motivation, according to Pink, comes from three things.  He only defines the first in his talk so I’ll go out on a limb and color between his lines on the latter two.  Those three are:

1. Autonomy – giving people the chance to work on the things they believe to be important
2. Mastery – allowing people to play to their strengths and having a coach (not a manager) in their corner who is interested in helping to make them better
3. Purpose – ensuring people are working on things that are important.  Tying their ‘to do’ list to the team and company goals

I’d also like to throw in a fourth which may be a derivative of ‘purpose.’  I’ll call it ‘potential.’

1. Potential (should be #4, but c’est la vie) – Find out how the team member views herself.  Where she sees herself going.  What she wants to accomplish.  Help her get there by leaping over the hurdles the team or company faces

Far too often we succumb to the ‘inherent truths’ that turn out to be just not true.  Social science has a lot to offer us in the business world if we’re willing to challenge our beliefs and listen.  Let us start here.

Turn your people loose with what matters to them, work hard to align company and individual goals, give them the support they need to fulfill the goals and help them reach their potential.

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