Book Summary: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Abstract
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink is a non-fictional book that argues on humans and purpose. The book argues that human motivation is at a higher percentage intrinsic and requires aspects of motivation, which include autonomy, mastery, and purposes. Daniel argues against the various models of human motivation driven by reward and fear of punishment. These models are not intrinsic motivational aspects since they act as a form of force inserted to avoid the penalty or be rewarded. They are dependent on external factors such as money, and therefore the withdrawal of the end effect can result in the removal of the motivational aspects (Pink, 2011). For example, in the absence of reward, human beings will not be motivated to work smart in life. The paper explores the summary and application of the book.
In Drive the surprising truth about what motivates us, Daniel draws human motivation into three aspects, autonomy, mastery, and purpose. These aspects are intrinsic, and they can genuinely release the inner force in a person to work smart towards achieving something. These aspects are a drive to productivity and fulfillment in the life of a human being. Autonomy, according to the author, is the desire to be self-directed, and its purpose is to increase engagement over compliance. Mastery refers to the urge to acquire better skills that will help achieve a specific goal or increase the productivity of a person. On the other hand, the purpose is the desire to do something important and meaningful to a person (Pink, 2011).
Pink uses the analogy of the societies as operating systems to bring out what the human assumptions are based on. Societies have operating systems, which are the laws and the socio-economic frameworks that are built and based on the assumptions of how things are carried out in society and how human beings carry out themselves. Pink argues that besides natural desires and external motivations, human beings also desire to acquire knowledge and skills, learn, create, and make the world a better place. These are the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors in the life of human beings- it recognizes the power of inner drive or motivation. Pink addresses the three elements of motivation. These elements are based on the Self Determination Theory (STD). which argues that human beings require an innate drive for them to be autonomous, self-determined and connected to their purposes in life (Pink, 2011). To create a better environment three elements are required including the autonomy, mastery and the purpose. These elements help human beings to focus on creating the surrounding world productive.
Apart from the intrinsic factors, Pink argues that extrinsic rewards also play a role in motivating human beings but the main influencers are the intrinsic factors. The extrinsic factors are like the basement rewards that keep on driving the inner factors in human beings. Pink uses the analogy of, when to use carrots and Sticks, to bring out the idea of baseline rewards. Rewards in life narrow someone’s focus because one gets to focus only on achieving specific reward. Rewards hinder a person’s thinking capacity and therefore they cannot expand and think beyond the reward. Baseline rewards such as salary and money are the pre-requisites for motivation, they motivate people to work hard in the workplace. Without fair and equitable payment at the workplace there is no motivation of the workers. Rewards acts as morale builders in the workers. However, beyond the baseline, salaries or carrots and sticks can be destructors rather than motivators.
These rewards need to be used effectively in the leadership positions. As a leader, one is supposed to be motivated in order to fulfill the set goals at the end pf the leadership period. The three elements of intrinsic motivation are the key drivers in the life of a leader. Autonomy makes a leader to go beyond the set goals through self-direction. Mastery enables a leader to find better leadership styles and skills in the specific areas of leadership and also to be a unique leader, one is required to have a purpose and work towards achieving it (Pink, 2011).
As an employed worker, I will use the intrinsic motivation aspects to ensure I deliver quality work. This will entail working with minimum supervision, delivery work on time, finding more skills in my career from both the colleagues and individuals from other companies. I will also work according to the purpose of the set goals of the organization to ensure that I do not run against the set rules and principles. I hope to encourage other members of the work place to work with intrinsic motivation factors. Despite the fact that intrinsic motivation is the key, salaries and wages will also motivate me to deliver the best and work smart (Pink, 2011).
These concepts of intrinsic motivation, will not only apply in the future career but also in my school environment and my future family. Planning and setting a goal in my school work are the main purpose, then working towards achieving it stands to be crucial. Therefore, in work towards achieving the set purposes, io will train myself to be a self-directed person, working towards goals and mastery of the content in class. I will also increase my knowledge about the course am pursuing through discussions with my predecessors and my classmates.
Therefore, from the book, human beings require both intrinsic motivations to keep them moving. These motivational concepts act as the drive in life and they fuel a person’s determination and hard work spirit towards success. In as much as the intrinsic factors are the key, extrinsic factors also play a role in the life of human beings. One requires an external force to keep them moving. The external motivation however acts as the activator of the morale. In response to the CIVID 19 pandemic, most of the companies have not been in a position to pay the full salaries of their workers. This is a risk since it kills the morale of the workers especially when they are paid less that what they expect. Lack of payment of salaries to the workers demoralizes them in and in most cases, they end up delivery poor quality job and at some point, resigning. This contributes to the failure of the company.
In conclusion, I liked the way Pink argues about the self determination theory in response to the intrinsic motivation concept. I will recommend students, families and business workers to read this book since it is amotivation in itself.
Reference
Pink, D. H. (2011). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. Penguin