Motivation 3.0

Maybe this is what I'm talking about, quoted from here:

Autonomy is an innate psychological need in humans. Our basic nature is to be curious and self-directed (at least until our parents and teachers break us).

In our jobs, we are most motivated and productive when we have autonomy over what we do, when we do it, how we do it, and with whom we do it. So says author Daniel Pink in his new book.

Pink borrows from the software world by dubbing the carrot-and-stick approach to management as “Motivation 2.0.” Most organizations have been stuck in this mindset since the industrial revolution. Pink argues that it’s time to upgrade our thinking about management to adapt to a new world that demands more complex, right-brained work.

We need “Motivation 3.0,” he says.

“Motivation 2.0 assumed that if people had freedom, they would shirk – and that autonomy was a way to bypass accountability,” Pink says. “Motivation 3.0 begins with a different assumption. It presumes that people want to be accountable – and that making sure they have control over their task, their time, their technique and their team is a pathway to that destination.

Here’s how a few organizations have put motivation 3.0 principles into practice:

In the 1930’s and 40’s, 3M adopted a policy that staff could spend up to 15 percent of their time working on projects of their choosing. One result of the policy was the invention of Post-It Notes. The company has made a few dollars off that innovation.

Not many organizations followed 3M’s lead. Google is an exception. Google has a 20 percent time policy – meaning that employees can spend 20 percent of their time working on any project they choose. In a typical year, half of Google’s new offerings emerge from this period of pure autonomy. Gmail [Keith's email program of choice], for example, was the product of the 20-percent policy.

At W.L. Gore and Associates (makers of GORE-TEX), anybody who wants to rise in the ranks of management can do so by assembling a team of people willing to work with them.

I think the way to work well with Motivation 3.0 is find people who are self-motivated.  As a self-motivated person (like Kaley) it's hard to imagine that others exist who would rather have a thumb on them all the time telling them what to do... but they exist! And actually, more than likely, outnumber us 3.0ers.