Daniel H. Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us insists that business has it all wrong because it does not apply what science knows—that the human animal is motivated not by money or extrinsic gains but creative challenges or intrinsic considerations. Pink, the author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future, which I reviewed on this blog in an earlier post, claims that organizations have a greater chance of flourishing if they learn to tap into our natural tendency toward problem solving, self-development, and creative endeavors.
The author uses the metaphor of the carrot (rewards) and the stick (punishment) as examples of twentieth-century thinking that no longer work in our society and economy. He refers to case studies from the business world to suggest the triumvirate of autonomy, mastery, and purpose are the clarion call of our time.
