Conventional wisdom suggests that people are motivated by tangible monetary rewards. In a work context, if you pay people more, they will produce better work. In this compelling video, Dan Pink argues that this is true only for the most simple and mechanical tasks. As soon as tasks become more complex and cognitively challenging, people actually do worse when the stakes are higher.
He argues that people are actually motivated by autonomy, a sense that they are gaining mastery of their craft, and by the idea that they are making the world a better place.
At Johns Hopkins, are we well positioned to provide those three incentives to our employees? As leaders, I wonder whether we are as successful as we could be at motivating people by emphasizing the three things that motivate people most.
After watching the video, try to write down a few things you could do or say to motivate others. You will find the effort to be much smaller than the pay off!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avnHUxSVfVM&feature=youtu.be
