Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

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Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

by Daniel H. Pink (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · rating details · 4,791 ratings · 862 reviews

Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people--at work, at school, at home. It's wrong. As Daniel H. Pink explains in his new and paradigm- shattering book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new thing...more

Hardcover, 242 pages

Published December 29th 2009 by Riverhead Hardcover (first published 2009)

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Feb 06, 2011

Newengland rated it

Shelves: contemporary, finished-in-2011, nonfiction

Why am I writing this review on Goodreads, anyway? I'm not getting paid for it. There are plenty of other things I should be doing. And it's not like I have a coterie of devoted followers waiting with bated breath for my next review (in fact, the vast majority of reviews I write here get zero comments and zero "likes"). So why, then?

DRIVE has the answer. I do it for me. I do it for intrinsic reasons and thumb my nose at the world of extrinsic ones. I do it because I ...moreWhy am I writing this review on Goodreads, anyway? I'm not getting paid for it. There are plenty of other things I should be doing. And it's not like I have a coterie of devoted followers waiting with bated breath for my next review (in fact, the vast majority of reviews I write here get zero comments and zero "likes"). So why, then?

DRIVE has the answer. I do it for me. I do it for intrinsic reasons and thumb my nose at the world of extrinsic ones. I do it because I derive personal pleasure from it, because it challenges me to summarize and critique succinctly, because I am free to be funny, irreverent, scholarly, deadpan, conventional, or wacky. Now THAT'S incentive!

And you don't even have to read this whole book to get Daniel Pink's message. For one, he sums up each chapter in a pecan shell at the end of the book, so you can read that instead next time you're at Barnes & Noble. Or you can visit the TED website and watch Pink sum up his message in a speech for free. But if you want the dirty details, read the book. It's fast, it's easy, it's enlightening.

The book is chiefly geared toward the business community, but has ramifications for all of us and, in my case, for the education community (where I first saw it recommended). It debunks the myth of the carrot and stick, that rewards get results and sticks get results -- always. No, no, no. Science, Pink says, proves otherwise. And he parades one case study after another to make his point.

Perhaps the most salient is the encyclopedia example. Back in 1995, Microsoft paid writers big bucks to write Encarta, an encyclopedia it sold on CD and as software. Only, around 10 years later, Bill Gates' boys had to wave the white flag and fold up camp, vanquished and defeated by a competitor that paid no one -- not a bloody dime -- and offered its encyclopedia for free. That competitor? Wikipedia. Written by everyday Joes and Josephines the world over. For nothing.

Then there was the Swedish blood bank. Its administrators decided to cash in by switching from a donation model to a pay-to-bleed model. What happened? Blood donations plummeted. Why? Swedes preferred to give blood for humane reasons, not for blood money. They did it for intrinsic reasons, not extrinsic ones.

So what does this mean to businesses? It means the old ways of dictatorial managers overseeing not-to-be-trusted worker bees are over. If, Pink says, you give workers THREE gifts -- autonomy, mastery, and purpose -- they will work like hell for you (because it's as much for THEM). In many ways it makes sense. Given the choice, humans will work for less money if a company offers them more leeway, creative outlets, flexibility, challenges with long-term goals, camaraderie, and raison d'être's (so to speak).

Pink points to our childhoods. We're all born with a built-in hunger to learn, to challenge ourselves, to WORK, but schools (and then workplaces) beat it out of us with monotony and inanity, dullness and repetition. What if you got a "FedEx Friday" every week -- a day to work on any project toward the company's cause you wished, as long as you presented your results to co-workers and admins the following Monday? That's how Post-It notes were invented by a guy at 3M. The company gave its workers time to manage and challenge themselves. Voila!

In education, it amounts to adding relevancy to the classroom. What's the point? How does this connect to the world and how can it be used in the student's future? Can we give students choice, provide the tools, and turn them loose while serving as mentors? Oddly, many teachers cannot and will not because they feel like they will be ceding control AND because they will no longer be doing their job the way they have always done it and/or the way THEIR teachers always did it to THEM (oh, sins of the fathers!).

So, yeah. If you don't know the lessons of DRIVE, you should jump on the Autobahn and get up to speed. Really. It's not just for work -- it's for you, too. Motivate yourself. Check it out.(less)

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Aug 11, 2011

Jeanette rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio, cultural-and-social-commentary, how-to, nonfiction

So, I listened to this entire book about motivation, and I can't figure out why I don't feel motivated to write a review. No carrot, no stick, no review.

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Mar 30, 2010

Cath Duncan rated it

I got an early copy for the Bottom-line Bookclub. Look out for Drive on the shelves from 29 Dec.

I'm LOVING this latest book by Dan Pink. A Whole New Mind is a stroke of genius in understanding the way that the world of work has changed, and DRIVE is a powerful extension to A Whole New Mind that argues that, because of the ways that the world of work has changed, carrot-and-stick motivation is no longer effective or desirable. Instead, he explains how you can elicit a much more powerf...more

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Jan 23, 2011

Michael Halligan rated it

I imagine this is a great book to confuse those with a lot of management theory behind them. Luckily I'm not one of those, and this book has really struck home. Pink focuses begins by focusing on describing existing management processes as a carrot and stick reward system having evolved workplace of monotonous, undesirable tasks. He introduces the work of a number of social scientists and management theorists, as well as the results of their experiments both in the lab and in the work place. He...more

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Dec 06, 2011

Ken rated it

This book has been on my "to read" shelf for some time, and while I had read some excerpts, understood the general ideas and seen the excellent RSA Animate excerpt (http://goo.gl/zH1QH), there is far more here than is generally summed up.

This book became extremely interesting because it was juxtaposed with a discussion of Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs published shortly after his death. A coworker not known for his managerial skills but who is respected for his ...moreThis book has been on my "to read" shelf for some time, and while I had read some excerpts, understood the general ideas and seen the excellent RSA Animate excerpt (http://goo.gl/zH1QH), there is far more here than is generally summed up.

This book became extremely interesting because it was juxtaposed with a discussion of Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs published shortly after his death. A coworker not known for his managerial skills but who is respected for his results read the Jobs book and commented that his biggest takeaway from Steve Jobs' contribution was that despite my coworker's abusive management style, he was far to kind to his employees. Jobs was notable for his often abrasive and abusive style in pursuit of better results, and many seem to believe that his willingness to disregard others in pursuit of excellence was one of the secrets to Jobs' success. Dan Pink's "Drive" offers an alternative explanation and is excellent lens into the true genius of Steve Jobs and those like him.

In reality, Pink shows that the strongest results regardless of the field generally come from individuals that are intrinsically rather than externally motivated. Pounding on people in any setting produces short term results, but as Pink shows, can have disastrous long term consequences. Despite this, Jobs and other tyranical managers often show results. I suggest that the reason for their success is really in their ability to choose talent and offer vision rather than their work style. Pink shows via numerous examples that, given resources, freedom and opportunity to develop themselves, people will seek the highest and best use for themselves.

While much of the book is a survey of other work (Arielly is mentioned by name, and there is much that is reminiscent of Talib and Gladwell), Pink goes further and adds some insight of his own by expanding on the idea of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations.

More importantly, he adds a series of practical suggestions for developing intrinsic motivation in a number of settings at the end of the book. Practical applications are what is most often missing from books of this genre and his suggestions are welcome.

In the end the book is an easy read and is definitely not a panacea for management skill in any setting. But it delivers in the area that it should. It provides a foundation for the reader to consider specific ways they can improve themselves and others. In other words, the book makes you think.
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Jul 08, 2010

Phoebe rated it

Only the first chapter is necessary. The rest is repetitious and filled with soon-to-be-obsolete computer metaphors.

However, I've been thinking a lot about this book since I read it (a few weeks ago?), so two stars was perhaps a stingy rating. Everywhere I go lately, I see examples of poorly-designed systems, destined to kill people's intrinsic motivation.

I recently read "Unconditional Parenting" by Alfie Kohn. Kohn's premise is basically that rewarding and...more

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Aug 08, 2011

Neeraj Bali added it

Here is a book with a new take on motivation:
We know that 'businesses' have always been profit-maximizers. The new entities are, however, purpose-maximizers. The author offers examples like Wikipedia to substantiate his point. This is not to argue that profit is no longer a motive for business. It is. There is, however, a shift towards 'purpose' as the motivator. Pink calls the old ‘carrot and stick’ motivation as Motivation 2.0 and the ‘new’ intrinsically based motivation as 3.0.

Intrinsic motiv...more

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Jan 03, 2012

Amy Moritz rated it

To be honest, I can't remember where I heard of this book or if I encountered it while clicking around Amazon or some other how to live your best life type of site. But on my Christmas wish list it went and it ended up in my pile of loot so thank you Uncle Ken and Aunt Jane.

"The surprising truth about what motivates us" is actually more the surprising truth of what does NOT motivate us. You know the old carrot-and-stick approach? That is so 2.0. Bonuses, promotions, perks, ...moreTo be honest, I can't remember where I heard of this book or if I encountered it while clicking around Amazon or some other how to live your best life type of site. But on my Christmas wish list it went and it ended up in my pile of loot so thank you Uncle Ken and Aunt Jane.

"The surprising truth about what motivates us" is actually more the surprising truth of what does NOT motivate us. You know the old carrot-and-stick approach? That is so 2.0. Bonuses, promotions, perks, tying rewards to performance basically does not get the job done. And Pink presents the research to demonstrate. So what is Motivation 3.0? It's an approach which centers on autonomy (the desire to direct our own lives), mastery (the urge to make progress and get better) and purpose (the yearning to do something bigger than ourselves).

Extrinsic rewards -- like bonuses or, say grades -- only motivate us in the short term. They don't produce lasting results. They don't produce real learning or innovation or loyalty. But intrinsic rewards -- the satisfaction you get from doing something you love, trying to get better at it and having a greater purpose drive it -- provides lasting motivation.

I often joke that left to my own devices I would morph into my couch while watching reruns of Law & Order. And as much as the visual makes me smile, I know in my heart that's not true. Lazy is only good for so many days. Heck, so many hours. Pretty soon, I want to do something and I create a project, I learn and I try to get better at it. My desire for "mastery" (as defined in various levels) connected with a sense of purpose keeps me going.

The basic premise from Pink is one that hits home with me, in large part because I've been coming around to this point of view, slowly, on my own. It's refreshing to have different jargon to describe it (where I don't sound like I was hit with the Oprah stick) and reassuring that I don't need to chase carrots the rest of my life or be afraid of the stick in order to create amazing things.(less)

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Dec 27, 2011

Tim rated it

According to the author, “When it comes to motivation, there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system— which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators—doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way” (p. 204).

Daniel H. Pink is a best-selling author and former speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore. In this book, he synthesizes research from psychology and economics to provide a new ...more

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Dec 21, 2011

David rated it

This book has important information about motivation that goes beyond the conventional self-help genre and discusses some recent social science advances on the topic. The author exposes research that finds the customary practices tied to extrinsic motivation are typically flawed and misguided in our modern world. We are grounded in the belief that rewarding an activity will get you more of it and punishing an activity will get you less of it. But counterintuitive consequences of extrinsic inc...more

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Nov 29, 2011

Chris rated it

Shelves: adult, nonfiction, not-graphic

I have a confession to make: I am a Youth Services Librarian who at my core hates Summer Reading Club, Teen Read Week, National Library Week, and all of our other special events that attempt to coerce people into reading with special incentives. If you're not reading because you love reading, you're doing it for the wrong reasons, the enterprise is sullied, and chances are you won't do it again without more incentives. I don't feel it's my job to get people to read; it's my job to help people ...more

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Nov 01, 2011

Karen rated it

The basis of this book should not surprise the reader. Life IS what YOU make it. The concepts of repeated and "exciting" external motivations will only last so long. People who have the intrinsic drive to better themselves, test themselves, be themselves win in the long run. The best we can give our children is self esteem. Over the top praise and monetary gifts tend to temporarily nurse the individuals inner voice but soon falls short on individual drive. The inner want and desi...more

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Oct 22, 2011

Mark rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

If you are like me (and most Americans), you believe that money is a great motivator. Maybe the best motivator. Dan Pink argues otherwise and is on a mission to point out the gap between what science knows and what businesses and society do when it comes to motivation. This is not to say that money doesn't work as a motivator. It does. But it only functions well as a motivator when you need people to focus in a factory-like situation. As long as creativity isn't needed, money should be you...more

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Oct 15, 2011

Tucker added it

Shelves: finished

Six decades ago, Harry Harlow discovered that monkeys would solve puzzles because they enjoyed it, but once he introduced a reward, their performance would worsen. Subsequent work was done by Douglas McGregor, who in 1960 observed that people have drives aside from responding to reward and punishment. In 1977, Edward Deci and Richard Ryan began collaborating on this subject. Their "self-determination theory" identifies three innate needs -- competence, autonomy, and relatedness -- o...moreSix decades ago, Harry Harlow discovered that monkeys would solve puzzles because they enjoyed it, but once he introduced a reward, their performance would worsen. Subsequent work was done by Douglas McGregor, who in 1960 observed that people have drives aside from responding to reward and punishment. In 1977, Edward Deci and Richard Ryan began collaborating on this subject. Their "self-determination theory" identifies three innate needs -- competence, autonomy, and relatedness -- on which our motivation, productivity, and happiness rely. In 2002, Kahneman and Tversky received the Noble Prize for their work in behavioral economics. They argued, in Pink's words: "That hyperrational calculator-brained person wasn't real. He was a convenient fiction."

Pink outlines three psychological drives:
"Motivation 1.0": Survival.
"Motivation 2.0": Attempting to control others' behavior through reward and punishment. Pink refers to personality types who prefer reward and punishment as "Type X" for "extrinsically motivated". Edward Deci found that Type X personalities were more likely to be Type A personalities as well (competitive, impatient, and so forth).
"Motivation 3.0": Doing something for the love of it. Pink refers to these personality types as "Type I" for "intrinsically motivated". He believes that "our basic nature is to be curious and self-directed" and if we are not this way in adulthood "it's because something flipped our default setting." Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this state "flow."

He says a business should ask itself whether it is a "profit maximizer" or a "purpose maximizer."

He argues that "if-then" rewards should be used in the workplace only as incentives for boring tasks, e.g. If you enter 1,000 rows in the spreadsheet, then you will receive a $100 bonus. For more creative tasks, a "now that" reward system is more effective, e.g. Now that we've signed contracts with three new important clients, let's celebrate with a party. What he calls the "Sawyer effect" describes how "rewards can perform a weird sort of behavioral alchemy: They can transform an interesting task into a drudge. They can turn play into work. And by diminishing intrinsic motivation, they can send performance, creativity, and even upstanding behavior toppling like dominoes." He thinks that most employees function best when they are self-directed, and as a consequence, the word "management" should perhaps go "onto the linguistic ash heap alongside 'icebox' and 'horseless carriage.'"

Teresa Amabile has found that rewards are better suited for logical tasks, not creative problem-solving, since people who receive rewards tend to focus on the how to achieve the reward rather than contemplate the "periphery" that is the source of creative innovation.

Punishments for unfair behavior can actually increase the unfair behavior. One experiment showed that monetary fines for inconveniencing a child-care provider increased such violations because the subjects felt they had purchased the right to break the rule.
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Sep 25, 2011

Kater Cheek rated it

Drive, by Daniel Pink, is (as its title suggests) a book about what motivates people. Since I've read books that mention this book (Better by Mistake) and books that this book uses in its bibliography (Stumbling on Happiness, Outliers) I kept my expectations modest. If I buy a cookbook and get two really usable recipes out of it, I consider it money well spent. Likewise, if I read a non fiction book and there are two facts or quotes I remember, I consider it worth reading. This book had those t...moreDrive, by Daniel Pink, is (as its title suggests) a book about what motivates people. Since I've read books that mention this book (Better by Mistake) and books that this book uses in its bibliography (Stumbling on Happiness, Outliers) I kept my expectations modest. If I buy a cookbook and get two really usable recipes out of it, I consider it money well spent. Likewise, if I read a non fiction book and there are two facts or quotes I remember, I consider it worth reading. This book had those two things.

The first part of the book talks about rewards, and how they can help (or hinder) people's motivation to do things. It talks about carrots and sticks and how the theory of management has changed over time. It discusses the "Sawyer effect" (from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer whitewashing scene) where re-defining an activity as leisure can make it more interesting than if it is described as work. These are all ideas I've seen elsewhere, but they were presented in a nicely clear and logical way.

The first thing that I took away from this book is on page 69, where he includes a simple flow chart as to when rewards will actually motivate people, and when they won't. For example, if you give someone an "if-then" reward (if you do x, then you will get y) for something they already like, you will ruin their intrinsic motivation. Also, they will no longer do it without a reward. Yet, sometimes (as when there isn't any intrinsic motivation for the action) rewards help. I admit, this is mostly useful for managers. I've already started bribing my kids with extra money for some chores, so that ship has already sailed.

The middle section of the book talks about autonomy, and how much better (and more creatively) people work if they feel as though they are in charge of their own project and have control over how it's done. He references avant garde thinkers at companies who use a "results only work environment" in which it doesn't matter if or when they show up to work, who they work with, or what they do, as long as they produce results. These ideas seemed intriguing, but not easily replicable, even if I were a CEO (which I'm not.) He does offer some insights for people in my managerial position (parent), mostly rehashing of Dweck's research in which praising children for intelligence rather than hard work makes them less motivated and more afraid of challenges.

The latter section of the book is where Pink started to lose me. At first, I was intrigued because on page 154 there was an eye-opening quote by Clare Boothe Luce, who offered advice to then president Kennedy
"'A great man,' she told him 'is one sentence.' Abraham Lincoln's sentence was : 'He preserved the union and freed the slaves.' Franklin Roosevelt's was: 'He lifted us out of a great depression and helped us win a world war.'"
I loved that idea, that a person should orient themselves towards a one sentence life*, that we should avoid being, as Luce said: "splintered among different priorities[,] that his sentence risked becoming a muddled paragraph."
At this point, Pink offers suggestions, such as giving oneself a performance review every once in a while, to assess how close you've come to your goals. (Maybe doable, but weird) or taking a "Sagmeier" a sabbatical from your life every seven or eight years to try something completely different (Intriguing, but largely incompatible with responsibilities like spouse, family, house and career.) At this point, his suggestions started to become off center. For example, create your own motivational poster? Move five steps closer to mastery? Use 3 x 5 cards to ask yourself if you're on the path to autonomy? Without concrete examples of how this would work, I found them useless and frankly, kind of annoying in that preachy self-help way.

Pink offers some conclusions about how to motivate your employees (most of us aren't CEOs) and how to motivate your kids (mostly geared towards teachers). After that, the last twenty or so pages of the book felt like filler. He had a bibliography, a glossary, a chapter by chapter summary (as if this were a textbook), and then a few one or two page examples.

If it had stopped midway through, and only talked about how to make people more intrinsically motivated rather than extrinsically motivated, I would have been happier with it. Better to discuss one subject well than a smattering of subjects poorly. There were some terms, ROWE, for example, that were so new that I had to remind myself of what they meant. There were other ideas, for example, that I just didn't get and or like. He says that a person is either an "I" person or an "X" person (Intrinsically or extrinsically motivated) and offers a link to an online test where you can find out which kind you are. That seemed incompatible with the notion that people could be motivated by either. If this were a diet book on how to get people to eat more from hunger than boredom, would it really be helpful to have people take a test to find out if they were "H" eaters or "B" eaters? If they came out as "H," they'd assume they didn't need the book, and if they came out as "B," they'd assume they couldn't be changed.

Pink also spends a lot of time talking about "flow" or "autotelic" experiences (bonus points for using a word I didn't know.) This is a great concept, but he just brings it up and says it's important, but doesn't spend a lot of time defining it. Since the concept of seeking this state of "flow" was mentioned over and over again as an important state to achieve, I would have liked a better description, rather than just the title of the book we should read to understand what it means.

Frankly, I was kind of perplexed as to why "flow" was mentioned so often. What does losing track of time by doing something enjoyable have to do with what motivates people? I'm not sure. At some point, the book diverged from a book about psychology and turned into a self-help book as to how to achieve mastery and autonomy and purpose. I suppose they fit together in a certain logical way, in that carrot-and-stick is for short-term motivation and "contemplating states of engagement and autotelic experiences" and "defining your life's ambition" is more for long-term motivation, but the stylistic changes still made me feel as though the book took a left turn somewhere. The cover says "The surprising truth about what motivates us" and somewhere around page 100, it became "how to fix your life."

Maybe that's a minor difference, but the latter third of the book also felt significantly less coherent and not written with the strength of the first third. The last third was the point at which I felt that the book had ceased to become a "one sentence book" and got muddied into a rambling paragraph. It's not a bad read, and I did get two good things out if it, but it's not likely to be the book that changes your life forever.
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Sep 11, 2011

Joe rated it

Shoot, my life would be better if the last two thirds of this book had never been written.

If this book only consisted of the first third, I would be able to give it a high rating and a nice review: this book is a little bit short, I would say, but it talks about an interesting, non-intuitive aspect of human psychology -- an aspect that has been ignored by significant fields like economics and psychology. We clearly recognize that there are two large drives that motivate people: the fi...moreShoot, my life would be better if the last two thirds of this book had never been written.

If this book only consisted of the first third, I would be able to give it a high rating and a nice review: this book is a little bit short, I would say, but it talks about an interesting, non-intuitive aspect of human psychology -- an aspect that has been ignored by significant fields like economics and psychology. We clearly recognize that there are two large drives that motivate people: the first is biological, the urge to drink, eat, procreate, etc; the second is external rewards and punishments, such as going to work to get paid, avoiding speeding in front of cops, etc. But, people are definitely motivated to spend huge amounts of time on activities that don't seem to satisfy either of those drives. I'm sure you're familiar with some examples, such as people spending large amounts of time playing games that don't satisfy biological urges, and don't give any real external reward. Even if you aren't a gamer, chances are you've spent time playing Tetris or Farmville, or even participating in some other type of activity that seems enjoyable without giving any direct external benefit.

Not only do people seem to be motivated to participate in activities that don't satisfy basic urges, and don't provide a direct external reward -- but, surprisingly, people often find that activities in this third category actually lose their appeal when they become connected to an external reward. Find an activity that someone enjoys -- say, collecting achievements in a game -- and tell them you'll pay them to do it. In the short term, they'll appreciate it, and maybe even do a better job. But take away the reward for performance, or even just wait for a while so that the reward becomes expected, and their enjoyment won't just go back to its original level: chances are, they'll start to dislike the activity.

That would have been my review. Unfortunately, after the book talks about this phenomenon and some of its implications, it turns into a sort of self-help / leadership how-to book. It provides a number of example strategies and examples of how to achieve goals and get co-workers and subordinates to be more effective. Maybe there are some useful lessons to learn, and having a better understanding of human psychology is useful in dealing with people, but the tone of this book simply sounds like a fad-of-the-month management book, and it detracts from the book's overall quality.(less)

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Sep 03, 2011

Jan rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

I got my Master's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, in a program that required you to take one of four "tracks" within the degree. My track was Liberal Arts (seriously, how much vaguer can my degree be?), but the most popular track was called Organizational Communication. I like to think of it as a "business light" degree, aka, the touchy-feely side of a business degree. I had to take a few of those classes, despite being on a different track.

This book is EXACTLY...more

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May 14, 2011

Chad Warner rated it

Recommended to Chad by: Holland Chamber of Commerce

Shelves: business, self-help, non-fiction, psychology

An intriguing investigation of the factors that motivate people. Pink shows that science has learned much about motivation, but business and education still follow outdated models. The old systems of rewards and punishments are no longer effective for today’s non-routine, creative, conceptual work. People need a sense of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Pink divides human history into three “operating systems” of motivation:
Motivation 1.0: People are driven by their biological urges...moreAn intriguing investigation of the factors that motivate people. Pink shows that science has learned much about motivation, but business and education still follow outdated models. The old systems of rewards and punishments are no longer effective for today’s non-routine, creative, conceptual work. People need a sense of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Pink divides human history into three “operating systems” of motivation:
Motivation 1.0: People are driven by their biological urges: hunger, thirst, sex, survival.
Motivation 2.0: People are given external rewards and punishment to enforce compliance; the “carrot and stick” model.
Motivation 3.0: People are empowered to follow their intrinsic motivation and desire for purpose. The goal is engagement; to achieve flow, the state of being “in the zone”, and mastery.

The book refers to several management styles that have developed since the Industrial Revolution. It then explains the three factors of motivation: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. It explores autonomy further, explaining that people should be free to choose their task (work), time (schedule), technique (work style), and team (people they work with).

Pink divides people into Type X (extrinsically motivated) and Type I (intrinsically motivated), and describes research showing that Type I people are generally more successful. He compares “purpose goals” and “profit goals”, and explains that people striving for purpose have higher self-esteem and lower anxiety and stress than those pursuing profit.

Rewards are a major theme in the book. Pink shows that “if, then” rewards (“if you do this, then you’ll be rewarded”) may be effective in the short term, but are detrimental in the long term. In their place, he recommends “now that” rewards: “now that you’ve done this, you’re being rewarded”. These responsive rewards play off a person’s intrinsic motivation rather than wielding extrinsic motivators like a whip.

I liked the point that rewards can turn play into work, but focusing on mastery can turn work into play. Thus, a hobby that turns into a job often loses its appeal. Alternatively, a person who truly loves his work and strives to master it finds himself “in the zone”, enjoying it as much as he would a hobby.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding human motivation and what drives workers, volunteers, hobbyists, and schoolchildren.(less)

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Mar 25, 2011

Alice rated it

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Shelves: 2011, audio, library, nonfiction

This was an interesting look into human motivation. It posits that humans are, by nature, intrinsically motivated, but that we learn, through school and upbringing and various supervisors' approaches, to only perform for a reward. The intrinsic motivation, Pink argues, is what drives creativity and innovation, and so we need to foster it.

I couldn't poke a lot of holes in Pink's arguments. I have some psychology background, so a lot of the psychological concepts and history he disc...moreThis was an interesting look into human motivation. It posits that humans are, by nature, intrinsically motivated, but that we learn, through school and upbringing and various supervisors' approaches, to only perform for a reward. The intrinsic motivation, Pink argues, is what drives creativity and innovation, and so we need to foster it.

I couldn't poke a lot of holes in Pink's arguments. I have some psychology background, so a lot of the psychological concepts and history he discusses made sense to me, though I'm not sure the average reader picking this up would follow as well. He doesn't acknowledge the Skinnerian concept that, in order for something to increase behavior in learning, it must be meaningful, which I found a curious hole in his argument. Surely, self-actualization is far more meaningful than a little extra food or being able to afford the cool gadget this paycheck instead of next.

Regardless, there were a lot of points he did raise that were interesting, and it was nice to see so many psychological and economical concepts tied together. He makes a point about how a higher salary doesn't matter once you reach a comfort zone, and that higher than that actually inhibits performance. I was glad to see that included, and repeated for the slow readers. Not that I know many overpaid executives, but there does seem to be a trend emerging lately that being paid big bucks doesn't mean someone is doing a better job.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it's read by the author. While that is the least confusing way for a sometimes first-person nonfiction account to be presented, Pink is not trained in voice acting. There wasn't anything wrong with his reading, but he often came across as flat or droning, like a lecturer who's talked about the subject hundreds of times already.

Overall, I think this is a book that goes beyond teaching executives how to motivate their employees, and that I think a lot of people might benefit from. If nothing else, run your company through the 4-T analysis Pink discusses in the exercises section, and, if your company doesn't stack up, recommend your supervisor or his/her higher-up read this book. Or consider writing your resignation letter, because that place is smothering your soul.

I know. I went from a very low-autonomy company to my current job, which rates very high in autonomy. Though my current job is higher in stress and extremely challenging, I find it a lot more satisfying, and now I know why.(less)

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Mar 15, 2011

Doug rated it

Pink is an engaging writer, and I certainly was entertained by and learned useful things from Drive. It examines the difference between extrinsic motivation (e.g., "I want to earn a million by the the time I'm 35") and intrinsic motivation (e.g., "I want to be the best criminal lawyer in the state."), and argues, with considerable support from relevant research, that the latter is more likely to succeed in the knowledge-work-based economy we're transitioning to. It also makes...more

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Mar 13, 2011

Jignesh Shah rated it

Daniel Pink's analysis of intrinsic motivation is insightful and thought provoking. I would not call it 'eye-opening' or 'a whole new way of thinking' similar to some of the praise that has been bestowed on this book. The fact that human beings are driven by much more than carrots-or-sticks type of stimuli has been well known and documented through out the ages. For example, in many of the author's conclusions and recommendations I found echos of things I learnt growing up in India where philoso...more

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Feb 18, 2011

Lars Guthrie rated it

In his essay about the spate of new books dealing with the effects of the internet on culture in a recent New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/at...), Adam Gopnik separates observers into three camps: the Never-Betters, the Better-Nevers, and the Ever-Wasers.

Daniel Pink, as readers of his previous ‘A Whole New Mind,’ will guess, is a Never-Better type, seriously optimistic about our potential and the odds of achieving it.

While ‘Drive’ isn’t specifically...more

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Jan 22, 2011

Andrew rated it

Excellent book by Daniel Pink making the case for how businesses are operating super inefficiently by having the wrong view on workers.

Daniel Pink describes how since the dawn of time, humans have been driven by two motivations a) survival (ie. thirst, hunger, sex) and b) rewards/punishments. The latter is how businesses try to motivate its workers (ie. bonuses and reprimands). This works great for tasks that have simple algorithms (ie. stuffing envelopes), but for more complex ta...moreExcellent book by Daniel Pink making the case for how businesses are operating super inefficiently by having the wrong view on workers.

Daniel Pink describes how since the dawn of time, humans have been driven by two motivations a) survival (ie. thirst, hunger, sex) and b) rewards/punishments. The latter is how businesses try to motivate its workers (ie. bonuses and reprimands). This works great for tasks that have simple algorithms (ie. stuffing envelopes), but for more complex tasks, such as the arts, web design, or I would argue science, these motivations work in a negative fashion. In a widely described study performed by Dan Ariely and colleagues in India, tasks that required more cognitive imput were NEGATIVELY impacted by higher monetary incentives (ie. 1 year's worth of pay). Pink argues that such extrinsic motivators (ie. the "If... then" type) impair intrinsic motivation, crush creativity, crowd out good behavior, and potentially foster negative consequences, such as cheating and striving for short-term gains.

Daniel Pink describes how scientists have come to find out about a third intrinsic drive to succeed. This is highly dependent on the worker having autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Pink describes the need for more of such "Type I", rather than "Type X" behavior for greater productivity and also a more fulfilled workforce. Dan Pink describes how Wikipedia, Google, 3M, Zappos, and Atlassian have embraced these concepts to build a stronger workforce. Pink also advocates for a ROWE (results only work environment), such that requirements are only to produce items, no other formal meetings or requirements. Pink also advocates for time off for creative side projects, such as how Google's 20% time produced many great, innovative products, such as GMAIL, Google Skymap, etc.

I am not quite as optimistic as Daniel Pink is, as I have worked with individuals who appear to be intractibly stubborn and in need of constant prodding to gain productivity. Perhaps, Dan Pink would explain this away as someone who already was too addicted to the rewards/punishment system and his/her intrinsic drive to succeed was sapped away. Pink has demonstrated that working on this third drive is beneficial for tech companies, but I'd like to see how well it works in other arenas (ie. education and medicine). In those areas, the jury is still out. It sounds like it should work, but that was also the case for many previous fads in education.

All in all, an excellent book with novel counterintuitive ideas. I audiobooked it and it was an easy listen. I recommend this book for all those who will run organizations one day.(less)

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Dec 26, 2010

Prakash Loungani rated it

-- The 3 elements of motivation are autonomy, mastery and purpose. Rewards don't help performance and could even hurt it.
-- A nice flow chart on p. 69 summarizes when managers/companies should use rewards.
-- CEO Jeff Gunther runs a company calls Meddius. Employees don't have schedules. They have to get their work done: "how they do it, when they do it, and where they do it is up to them" (p. 86).
-- People like to have autonomy over the four T's: "their task, th...more

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Nov 29, 2010

Danielle Larca rated it

In this fascinating book, Daniel Pink explores what he calls our "third drive" - intrinsic motivation. That is, the desire to perform a task where the gratification is in the performance and not based on some external reward. He uese the work of social scientist, economists and psychologists to demonstrate the gap between what science has found and how businesses are run.

The three main points Pink focuses on are autonomy, mastery and purpose. These elements are key to ...more

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Sep 23, 2010

Francis Fish rated it

I think this book is really important. I was led to it from Seth Godin's site, via a presentation he recommended up on http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/201...

In essence we are contradictory beasts, you can get people to do simple things with simple rewards, e.g money and a bit of carrot and stick. More complex tasks need a sense of flow and eventual mastery. If you try to use carrot and stick when people need to think they do less well - spectacularly so. There is a whole science ...moreI think this book is really important. I was led to it from Seth Godin's site, via a presentation he recommended up on http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/201...

In essence we are contradictory beasts, you can get people to do simple things with simple rewards, e.g money and a bit of carrot and stick. More complex tasks need a sense of flow and eventual mastery. If you try to use carrot and stick when people need to think they do less well - spectacularly so. There is a whole science of this that has been discovered over the last 20 years or so. But if you look at really successful, innovative companies and organisations I think you'll find they would say that most of this is blindingly obvious.

The old style motivational tools Pink calls Motivation 2.0 (1.0 is getting warm, comfortable and fed - basic drives). This works when most people do repetitive, boring jobs that don't require a lot of thinking once learned. Motivation 3.0 is what we need now - the harder you push someone who needs to think the harder they find it is to do their job. If they can get into the mental state of autonomy, flow and personal validation with a route to what he calls mastery (unachievable but the journey is emotionally stimulating and satisfying), they will perform really well and enjoy what they do.

As someone who cares passionately about doing software right and a staunch advocate of Agile methods I was re-reading The Art of Agile Development. The word that jumps out of the page is trust, plus there's an imaginary team that a developer called Pat is introduced to. The team are all switched on, having fun, doing something worthwhile that will help the business. Motivation 3.0, Agile software development is based on an empirical discovery of Motivation 3.0. Pink's book gives the theoretical underpinning as to why Agile, done properly, is so powerful. It also explains why some projects just fail, too much control, too little autonomy, and some succeed anyway - people were allowed to shine, so they did.

In fact, one of the failure modes is Big Design Up Front (BDUF) - what is this but sucking the autonomy and the contribution of the talents and skills of the people actually delivering the software, of devaluing what they can give? Anyone who has been handed one of these 400 page architecture plans full of drivel will know whereof I speak. Deferring decisions to the last possible moment means they will be made by people who have enough information to make the best decision possible allows them to blossom.

So, the obvious thing: treating people like responsible adults - giving them good, sharp, tools and a framework that helps them get better at what they do. There is a ton of empirical evidence that Pink quotes to show that this doesn't just make you feel good, it's the best way to proceed.

I think I might present the headmaster of my son's school with a copy, but I doubt he'd read it. This makes me sad.(less)

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Aug 29, 2010

Keith D. rated it

A relatively easy and entertaining read. I like his style of writing. This book goes beyond expressing an idea across to being the manifesto for a "cause" including a tool kit at the back to help others spread the message.

What is the message? Quite simply that pay-for-results (extrinsic motivation) does not work when the task is more complex than a routine task. This is illustrated with a lot of clear relevant examples. He sees a future where people are motivated intrins...more

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Aug 20, 2010

Pamela rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

DRiVE uses the latest findings of behavioral and brain science to explain the key motivational triggers that inspire people to peak performance. It questions the idea that any person can "motivate" another, and it also ponders why the business world has been so slow to apply current behavioral science to the workplace, in terms of how work is structured.

Pink trumpets ROWE -- the Results-Only Work Environment established at BestBuy and touted in the book "Why Work Suck...more

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Aug 12, 2010

Alyson rated it

Great book (a bit more like a text at times) for anyone who manages other people at work, church, or home. The author, Daniel Pink, questions whether extrinsic motivators (rewards) really motivate or do they kill our motivation. He cites a lot of research studies to prove his point. I really liked the last few chapters where he applies the studies to everyday situations. I'll definitely change some of my parenting methods as a result of this book. Here's an example. Don't tie chores to an ...more

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Jul 23, 2010

Hinch rated it

An extremely well written book regarding human motivation. The book identifies three classes of motivation: biological (desire for food and warmth), extrinsic (rewards and punishments), and intrinsic (self motivation). The text explores the failings of the second category, the "carrot and stick" approach, except in the context of manual or algorithmic activity. The adoption of "if then" rewards - "if" you do X, "then" you will get Y - diminishes appreciati...more

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About Daniel H. Pink

Daniel H. Pink is the author of a trio of provocative, bestselling books on the changing world of work: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, and Free Agent Nation. His next book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, will be published in 2010.

Dan's articles on business and technology appear in many publications, i...more

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A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself

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“The ultimate freedom for creative groups is the freedom to experiment with new ideas. Some skeptics insist that innovation is expensive. In the long run, innovation is cheap. Mediocrity is expensive—and autonomy can be the antidote.” TOM KELLEY General Manager, IDEO” — 6 people liked it

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