AHS TED Talk Blogging: Post 3: Dan Pink

In his TED Talk, Dan Pink considers what motivates us. He argues his point in a very logical manner, presenting evidence, interpreting and explaining what it means, and describing the real world application of these conclusions. He explains that through multiple scientific studies that it has been determined that with easy to complete, mechanical, and narrow-minded tasks, a monetary reward increases productivity. On the other hand, with complex, intellectual tasks, the monetary reward decreased productivity. Imposing a monetary reward on such tasks decreased its intrinsic value. No longer is the person doing the task for the joy of it, the challenge, or the end results, they are doing it to earn money which makes the task mundane and tedious.Pink says businesses need to focus on granting its employees independence and focus less on "the carrot and the stick" approach. Pink has passion about this concept (even getting noticeably agitated while he talked) and believes that if businesses will learn for the science of how we are motivated, companies and its employees will be much more productive.

What Pink says indeed has merit and its concepts I can see in myself, but I do not believe he has determined a useful application for his research and conclusions. The concept of autonomy and its affect on work makes a lot of sense. For example, I enjoy reading both fiction and nonfiction books on my own and on my own schedule outside of school very much. I find learning from these books to be fun and engaging, but when forced by the school to read with the punishment of a bad grade and the reward of a good grade, I find myself bored and uninterested. Schools should focus on the joy of learning and less on the grade. This will undoubtedly boost student’s performances. In the workplace however, it is much harder to find ways to incorporate Pink’s ideas. A business cannot stop paying people because than people will stop working. Even though a job may have enjoyable elements, almost everyone would stay at home if they did not get paid for working. Therefore, it is very difficult to focus on the concepts of autonomy, mastery, and purpose in most workplaces due to the necessity of monetary reward. Pink gives the example of Google and other software companies offering days for programmers to work on whatever they want. This concept works great in a creative job where multiple results can equal company earnings, but in a less creative job such as construction jobs, autonomy will get the company nowhere. Overall, Pink has some very valid points, but he has not explained how they can be applied to most businesses.