Or how to develop intrinsically motivated, high-performing teams?
In 1970, a British sociologist warned that paying individuals for blood donations would not only be immoral, but actually reduce the overall blood supply in the country. The theory was ridiculed at the time, so two Swedish economists decided to test the idea twenty-five years later. It turned out that the British sociologist was correct! 40% fewer people from the ‘incentivised’ group ended up donating blood.
There was a time when the ‘carrot and stick’ approach was the main motivation theory in management. Humans were thought to be driven purely by incentives, especially hard incentives (e.g. money). But the last 5 decades have shown that those are just hygiene motivators, i.e. they are necessary but not sufficient for a fulfilling work experience.
This applies even more so for people who are ‘smart creatives’ in fields that require creative problem solving on a daily basis (in today’s world, that is almost every field of work). Extrinsic motivation is easily extinguishable; intrinsic motivation is the only long-lasting driver of performance and growth.
Research shows that the secret to high performance isn’t our biological drive or our reward-and-punishment drive, but our third drive—our deep-seated desire to direct our own lives, to extend and expand our abilities, and to live a life of purpose.
The theory of motivation that I have found most relatable is the one from Daniel Pink’s book ‘Drive’, that builds on these deep seated desires. Motivation at work comes from three aspects: Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose (or AMP for short).
- Autonomy — Our desire to be self directed. It increases engagement over compliance.
- Mastery — The urge to get better skilled.
- Purpose — The desire to do something that has meaning and is important.
How to enable these three aspects for your teams?
- Autonomy — Give control to the team, remove obstacles, and nudge instead of directing.
- Mastery — Upskill regularly. Stretch their craft at every stage. Give them challenges just outside their zone of competence.
- Purpose — Help them link their work to the greater good. Start with the ‘why’, remind them about this connection and this bigger picture.
The OKR framework helps with all of the above if done well. I’ll cover that in a subsequent post.