The Puzzle of Motivation

In an engaging Ted talk, Dan Pink makes a case for changing how business is done.  Citing  research on the power of incentives in solving problems, which found that those who got incentives to perform tasks took longer than those who did not. Pink suggests that external incentives do the opposite of sharpening the mind: they block creativity. Since engagement is the only thing that leads to self-development and creative thought, business strategy in the 21st century needs a whole new approach, one which generates the intrinsic motivation that drives creative action. This approach must  generate the three drivers of motivation: (i) Autonomy (the urge to direct our own lives), (ii) Mastery (the urge to get better and better at something) and (iii) Purpose (the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves). Pink’s case for business provides a significant lesson for creating 21st Century learning environments in classrooms at all levels of education.

Language – English

Author(s)/Editor(s)/Director(s) – Dan Pink

Access Location(s) – Youtube

Publisher/Producers – TED

Year of Publishing/Release – 2014

User – Students, Teachers, Educators, Parents, School Leaders, Professional Development, Trainers

Level – Undergraduate, Post-Graduate, School, College, Secondary, Senior Secondary, Pre-service, In-service