Drive

Summary

Drive introduces 3 concepts of motivation, motivation 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 and argues that we are thinking about using motivation the wrong way. Essentially, intrinsic motivation is what matters most in modern day tasks, and that is what he terms motivation 3.0. It is about motivation that is not based on reward and punishment (2.0) but instead revolves around autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Autonomy is about the choices that people can make: what they do, when they do it, how they do it and who they do it with. Companies can for example give employees the option to work on the things that they want to work on and gather colleagues to support them.

Mastery is about getting better at something that matters. It leads to intense practice and the sensation of flow, mental states that are highly engaging and motivational.

Purpose is about the sense that the work is important for the greater good. This feeling can be hugely motivational, and if used correctly, can lead to tremendous amounts of work getting done. Examples for this would be companies like SpaceX, that are trying to do something that has never been done before.

Extrinsic rewards can reduce motivation in the long-term, they are better used for motivating for small, non-creative and non-complex, repetitive tasks. Yes, that means that reward and punishment can make people less productive not more. This is especially true for novel, highly cognitive demanding work, like problem solving or designing things etc.

Pink differentiates people into Type I (intrinsically motivated) and Type X (extrinsically motivated) people. Type I performs better than Type X in the long run, Type I behavior can be learned, people like this are not focused on money, but they also don't despise it, they keep their own production capability an idea known from the 7 habits in mind. It's more healthy in the long run because people don't tend to overwork and the focus on autonomy reduces stress.

To sum up the message of the book in Pink's own words:

Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.

Overall I found the book very similar to ideas that I already knew from other books like Mindset by Carol Dweck, Grit by Angela Duckworth and Flow by Csikszentmihalyi and a little bit fluffed in it's content and lower on original ideas.