When it comes to motivation, there\u2019s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our\u00a0current business operating system\u2014which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators\u2014doesn\u2019t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way.<\/p>\n
This new\u00a0approach has three essential elements:<\/p>\n
Autonomy<\/strong><\/p>\n Our \u201cdefault setting\u201d is to be autonomous and self-directed. Unfortunately, circumstances\u2014including\u00a0outdated notions of \u201cmanagement\u201d\u2014often conspire to change that default setting and turn us from\u00a0Type I to Type X. To encourage Type I behavior, and the high performance it enables, the first Mastery<\/strong><\/p>\n While Motivation 2.0 required compliance, Motivation 3.0 demands engagement. Only engagement\u00a0can produce mastery\u2014becoming better at something that matters. And the pursuit of mastery, an\u00a0important but often dormant part of our third drive, has become essential to making one\u2019s way in the\u00a0economy. Mastery begins with \u201cflow\u201d\u2014optimal experiences when the challenges we face are\u00a0exquisitely matched to our abilities. Smart workplaces therefore supplement day-to-day activities with\u00a0\u201cGoldilocks tasks\u201d\u2014not too hard and not too easy. But mastery also abides by three peculiar rules.\u00a0Mastery is a mindset: It requires the capacity to see your abilities not as finite, but as infinitely\u00a0improvable. Mastery is a pain: It demands effort, grit, and deliberate practice. And mastery is an\u00a0asymptote: It\u2019s impossible to fully realize, which makes it simultaneously frustrating and alluring.<\/p>\n Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n Humans, by their nature, seek purpose\u2014a cause greater and more enduring than themselves. But\u00a0traditional businesses have long considered purpose ornamental\u2014a perfectly nice accessory, so long\u00a0as it didn\u2019t get in the way of the important things. But that\u2019s changing\u2014thanks in part to the rising\u00a0tide of aging baby boomers reckoning with their own mortality. In Motivation 3.0, purpose\u00a0maximization is taking its place alongside profit maximization as an aspiration and a guiding\u00a0principle. Within organizations, this new \u201cpurpose motive\u201d is expressing itself in three ways: in goals\u00a0that use profit to reach purpose; in words that emphasize more than self-interest; and in policies that\u00a0allow people to pursue purpose on their own terms. This move to accompany profit maximization with\u00a0purpose maximization has the potential to rejuvenate our businesses and remake our world.<\/p>\n
\nrequirement is autonomy. People need autonomy over task (what they do), time (when they do it),\u00a0team (who they do it with), and technique (how they do it). Companies that offer autonomy,\u00a0sometimes in radical doses, are outperforming their competitors.<\/p>\n