Saturday Thoughts.

I just watched this thought-provoking TED talk and thought I’d share.

It’s called “The puzzle of motivation”, given by Dan Pink. The talk is fairly short – about twenty minutes long. It’s worth a listen if you have the time.

I was blown away by the studies referenced in his talk, which focuses on what types of incentives spawn a more successful, productive workplace with overall happier and more loyal employees. Dan’s focus is that for industries or positions where creativity is most valued (as opposed to people performing the same tasks repeatedly day after day), a financial incentive doesn’t inspire better (read: effective, efficient, faster) work. Instead, what does inspire better work is more freedom within the workplace to manage one’s own work, and also devote time to work on something that isn’t part of your regular job for some amount of time during the year.

At my company, my colleagues as well as myself, are micromanaged to the most minute detail of our job function. I don’t have the freedom to do much without being scrutinized for a choice I made, or for the way I do something. Often, it’s not that I do something incorrectly, I just do it differently than someone else does. The narrow field of vision at my work drives me beyond bonkers, and it’s refreshing to know that while they aren’t prevalent, there are many companies in the world that support and allow room for creativity.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did!