What motivates you to work? Is it money? Prestige? Pride in your output?
Researcher Dan Ariely conducts compelling experiments that analyze what makes a person want to work. The results are extremely thought-provoking regarding motivation. According to Ariely, if you compare efficiency in work with work that is meaningful, you find that in today’s knowledge-based economy, work with meaning is a much stronger motivator for productivity than actual salary amounts. Ariely also examines the effect of even the slightest de-motivating factors on our performance. Says Ariely, “Ignoring the performance of people is almost as bad as shredding their effort in front of their eyes.”
This Ted Talk is particularly useful because rather than mapping out a plan for increasing worker motivation, it prompts people to stop and think about solutions in our own situations.
By the way, if you watch this video, you will never look at Betty Crocker Cake Mix the same way again!
Leave a Reply