Strategic Innovation

In this provocative presentation from July’s Global TED (Technology, Entertainment Design) Conference in Oxford, England, Dan Pink overviews some of the key ideas that he details in his upcoming book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”, which is due to be released before the end of the year. He’s previously written “A Whole New Mind” and “Free Agent Nation”, both of which are great reads.

With the premise that 21st Century business challenges require innovative problem solving approaches, he contends that organizations seeking innovation need to be led by managers who agree with a scientifically-supported notion that most people are driven more by intrinsic motivators than extrinsic ones (typically depicted in a “carrot/stick” metaphor). Specifically, he cites three intrinsic motivating elements for individuals that comprise a new way of thinking about management:

• Autonomy: the urge to have control of our own lives and destinies
• Mastery: the desire to become better at something that really matters
• Purpose: the need to do what we do in the service of something larger than oneself

Dan speaks primarily about autonomy as a motivator and also touches on the concept of ROWE–results-oriented work environments that remove the typical constraints of a nine to five rigid structure in favor of a more flexible workplace culture that entrusts the workers to schedule themselves to a large degree as long as business results are delivered. Clearly not all professions can offer this sort of workplace environment–airline pilots, teachers, bankers, government workers come to mind immediately, but for those of us who’ve worked in this fashion for quite a while, experience has shown that individual efforts and organizational results are often much greater.

While I think this talk is preaching to the converted to those of us at Idea Couture, it’s a strong argument for managerial innovation at many organizations and professions. That’s not to say that extrinsic, often contingent motivators—whether they’re financial (salary, bonuses, commissions) or emotional (public praise, greater authority) don’t have value, but that intrinsic motivators are even stronger.