Daniel Pink’s book, Drive, was discussed this week in PMO 527, and yes, Pink brings up a very interesting point about “Motivation 2.0” and “Motivation 3.0”. Pink basically believes that organizations should utilize an operating system that focuses less on rewards and punishments (motivation 2.0) and more on fostering autonomy, mastery, and a sense of purpose in its employees (motivation 3.0). On my PMO 527 discussion board, I expressed how torn I was with Pink’s perspective on motivation. I still am not convinced that the military organization should move towards motivation 3.0. I believe the majority of the people in the military posses autonomy, mastery and a sense of purpose within their profession, and that there is a place for rewards and punishments in the military.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I’m left wondering about the originality of Pink’s perspective. Isn’t this just building on the “Motivation Theory”, which states that
“when we motivate ourselves, or someone else, we are developing those incentives or that we believe will help move a person to a desired behavior. Whether it is through intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation, most individuals are moved by their beliefs, values, personal interests, and even fear”
However an organization decides to approach motivation, be it “2.0 or 3.0”, isn’t the organization just trying to figure out how to get people to accomplish their jobs efficiently and increase productivity. Pink was just suggesting a method he though would work best, but I’m wondering if that method has already been outlined in other literature. For instance, Pink’s motivation 3.0 theory can be made to fit into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which was published in 1954, well before Pink’s book. Actually, a fellow classmate, Kezia Edmonson mentioned how she agreed with Pink’s assessment on motivation because of how it fit into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. So again, has Pink done anything new here.... or is it just re-word and re-categorizing the work that has already been produced on motivation?
Regardless of how someone is motivated, as managers and leaders we need to be aware of the different theories on motivation, and we have to figure out how to employ them in our command roles. From the class discussions on Pink’s book, Drive, I will take away the knowledge that not one person is motivated in the same manner as someone else, even if they do the same job and are the same age/sex/background. The point is, one needs to find out what motivates their people, and build on that.
