Drive - Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

In this book Daniel H pink portrays about the intrinsic motivation we get from the different elements from our surrounding society and workplace. Initially, Mr. Daniel portrayed how the motivational elements keep constantly changing with the formation of more complex societies and with the rise of each new generation. He started off with the carrot and sticks forming the basis of the early operating system – motivation 1.0. At those early times human’s needs were simple and basic. Nevertheless, as the age transformed and developed, the humans had an increase in their basic requirements. There was an increase in need for coordination between people and hence the carrot and sticks method failed gradually. It is revealed that carrots and sticks can promote bad behavior, create addiction, and encourage short-term thinking at the expense of the long view. It no longer fully accounted to who we are. Thus we can conclude carrots and sticks have seven deadly flaws:

  1. They can extinguish intrinsic motivation
  2. They can diminish performance
  3. They can crush creativity
  4. They can crowd out good behavior
  5. They can encourage cheating, shortcuts, and unethical behavior
  6. They can become addictive
  7. They can foster short-term thinking

This led to the rise of a new operating system called Motivation 2.0. This then had a positive effect on the economic progress in the last two centuries. Moreover, by the invention of software by the American engineer, Fredrick Winslow Taylor, expertly crated to run atop the Motivation 2.0 was quickly adopted. Here pink also puts forwards distinction between type 1 and Type X behavior that fosters this operating system despite its greater sophistication and higher aspirations, Motivation 2.0 still wasn’t exactly ennobling. This further led to another operating system Motivation 3.0.Here Daniel has contrasted the Type 1 and Type Xbehavior which fosters Motivation 2.0.

Type 1 is fueled by the intrinsic desires than the extrinsic ones and Type X is fueled by the extrinsic than the intrinsic ones. Daniel has also presented examples to prove that Type 1 behavior always outperforms Type X behavior as the Type 1 behavior is based on the fundamental practices and attitudes while Type X behavior are not as they are extrinsically motivated. Hence he also brought out the conclusion that the Type 1 behavioral ways promotes physical and mental wellbeing as they bring satisfaction to the person. Therefore motivation 3.0 is related to the Type 1 behavior. It concerns itself less with the external rewards to which an activity leads and more with the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself. Hence we can jot accordingly

Motivation 1.0- Biological
Motivation 2.0- Extrinsic
Motivation 3.0-Intrinsic

Changing societies are always influential. Besides this, pink has explained how to use rewards effectively. He has precisely pointed out how different methods work and how they work.

If – then : Is effective for those who do routine and dull tasks
Now-then : Is for people who do non-conceptual tasks
In today’s world, Daniel has bought out the right estimation on the performance quality of the two individually. He shows a confident outlook that the now-that rewards are more suitable today and that it will intrinsically motivate than the if – then rewards. For creative, right-brain, heuristic tasks, you’re on shaky ground offering “If-then” rewards. Simultaneously a scientific research conducted by Daniel for 4 decades, revealed the elements of true motivation-autonomy, mastery, and purpose. These have evolved over time. According to the writer,

Autonomy- Is the directional guidance set up primarily on to the path of success n victory. It’s an intrinsic desire.
Mastery- Is the individual wish to get better at something.
Purpose- Is the driving force that gets out of bed every morning. When the other two elements form a basic yet an important foundation, people desire for a perfect outcome for themselves. Since these desires are way stronger, they gear up and their expectations rise to a cause larger than themselves.

This book gives us the clear cut to those new organizations and the entrepreneurs and also to the existing ones about the right approach to motivation. The points listed are very much the right advice we require in this computer age. Pink also signifies that money is a good motivator and that the people shoulder paid enough so the money issue is off the table. His motivational theory gives us a positive vibe on to the dealings with life too. This book really does broaden our minds and voices the bold ways and ideas expressed by the scientists.