As a leader, do you motivate your staff by rewarding the good and punishing the bad?
Motivation 1.0 - trying to survive. From roaming the savannah to gather food to scrambling for the bushes when a saber-toothed tiger approached, that drive guided most of our behaviour.
Motivation 2.0 - to seek reward and avoid punishment. Harnessing this second drive has been essential to economic progress around the world, especially during the last two centuries. The Motivation 2.0 operating system has endured for a very long time. Indeed, it is so deeply embedded in our lives that most of us scarcely recognize that it exists. For as long as any of us can remember, we've configured our organizations and constructed our lives around its bedrock assumptions. The way to improve performance, increase productivity, and encourage excellence is to reward the good and punish the bad.
From: Drive by Daniel H. Pink
Published by: Riverhead Books
Check tomorrow for..........Motivation 3.0
This is disturbing. I read this over a couple of times. I understand the economic concept here. However, as I re-read it, I started to think about the psychological aspects of this type of 'motivation'. Do we 'reward the good' and 'punish the bad' in psychological ways......such as giving praise and/or thanks to people who do things we like. Do praise and thanks become forms of motivation we use as leaders to encourage people to do the work we like or feel is needed? A lot to think about here.....
ReplyDeleteI agree. I would not use either one of Motivation 1.0 or Motivation 2.0. I interpret Motivation 1.0 as "Fear" tactic, Motivation 2.0 as "reward" based system. I believe motivation needs to be deeper than that and I have a feeling thats what Motivation 3.0 will be about. Stay tuned....
ReplyDeleteI can see the benefit of using Motivation 2.0 with some staff members. As much as we would like to believe or hope that people did things to improve performance and encourage excellence because it is our ethical and professional responsibility to do so, we know that this is not always the case. Therefore, by using rewards (for ex. leadership responsibilities),
ReplyDeletea school leader will be able to draw in those staff members who would otherwise respond to a change in for example, instruction or school culture with "what's in it for me?".
We know that often when a vision is being implemented and changes are necessary, not everyone will readily buy-in. In these instances, external motivation may be the influential factor in getting people on board.
I believe strongly in praise, but moreso, meaningful praise. People want and need to feel appreciated for their efforts and work and this type of external gratification works with motivating through verbal rewards.