Definitions of motivation can 'hugely vary'

Date: 01/02/2010

One author's new book has drawn the attention of a leading publication, which understands that his unique take on motivation may have a wider impact on the way offices around the country deal with the issue.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us is a book by Daniel Pink which MoneyWatch.com says shows the subtle differences between usual methods of incentives and recognition and the new way businesses can approach it.

He argues that organisations should forget about bonuses as they are expensive and not cost-effective, while punishments are just awkward; instead, creative employees must be allowed to work on their own because they want to and because they enjoy the work.

Daniel Pink asserted that the third scenario is optimal because the best motivation is not so much from "the supposedly reliable carrot-and-stick incentives" but by "intrinsic motivation", where the performance of the task is its own reward and work, in turn, does not feel like work.

According to the executive director of corporate development at Henley Business School Linda Irwin, soft skills are a great way to inspire the "very best" in people and help with team building conferences, a recent report for Personnel Today revealed.

Posted by Michael Ewing

Related Articles:

Employee motivation: Staff see improvement in work-life balance
Employee motivation: Letting staff watch key Olympic events could boost morale
Employee motivation: Workplace pride defies recession
Employee motivation: Staff wellbeing toolkit launched
Employee motivation: How to spot a good employer

 

› Return