Summary of Drive: by Daniel Pink | Includes Analysis

By Instaread Summaries

Summary of Drive by Daniel Pink | Includes Analysis

 

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Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2011) is a book about human motivations. Many of the prevailing ideas about why humans make decisions and operate the way they do aren’t true or, at

• Language: English
• Publisher: Instaread, Inc
• Release date: May 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781944195526

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Overview

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2011) is a book about human motivations. Many of the prevailing ideas about why humans make decisions and operate the way they do aren’t true or, at least, they are incomplete. Businesses, schools, and organizations are stuck in outdated, unexamined beliefs about human motivation. These beliefs are rooted in the idea of extrinsic motivation—that people make decisions based on external rewards and punishments. But research in psychology shows that there is a significant discrepancy between what behavioral scientists know and what businesses do. Extrinsic motivation is not only ineffective, but in many situations it can actually be counterproductive and harmful.

Companies and organizations would do well to consider the power of intrinsic motivation instead. This is a drive that has largely gone overlooked. Unlike biological motivation, by which humans seek to satisfy primal urges like hunger, thirst, and desire for sex; and unlike extrinsic motivation, which is based on external, carrot-and-stick factors, intrinsic motivation has to do with the innate pleasure humans derive from completing or mastering an activity. Studies show that people are often driven to succeed not because of rewards or punishments, but because they enjoy the challenge of a certain task and the opportunity