We Know What Needs to Change
We know what to do. With the empirical research that’s been done on Self Determination Theory and Optimal Performance, we have more than enough data to tell us what works as far as engaging and motivating employees is concerned. We also have over 20 years of business success to back up the research.
As Dan Pink points out in Drive, there’s a knowing-doing gap between “what science knows and what business does.” The problem isn’t that we don’t know how to make work engaging, rewarding, and innovative; the problem is getting businesses to adopt these ideas.
We are still operating under Business 1.0. Corporations as we know them began about 150 years ago, and management practices have not changed much since then. Most of our businesses operate on a command and control, carrots and sticks model.
A dozen or so companies have started to transition to Business 2.0 practices, and a few have made the transition. They’ve all found their way into my previous blog posts. So what does life look like the inside of Business 2.0 companies?
Employees are measured by their results, not the number of hours they work.
They work on things they are passionate about, with who they want when they want.
They are fully engaged and look forward to working.
Busy work and nonproductive meetings are the exceptions and not the rule.
Managers act more as coaches who help their workers find their passion, and potential and push them toward higher competency levels. They work with employees to create goals just beyond the reach of their skill sets.
Titles become less important than the work, and roles change with projects.
Employees have some choice in their compensation which may reflect the level of risk and reward they are comfortable with.
Information is shared freely across the organization. It’s not compartmentalized.
Feedback is continuous, not just given during an annual review.
Turnover is less than five percent per year.
They have a clear vision that guides employee decisions so that decisions can be pushed closer to the customer.
They have rich, caring cultures that foster trust at all levels. They are more sustainable and transparent.
It sounds like the fabled Shangri-la! It’s hard for me to fathom that more organizations have not adopted practices that would foster these results. I realize that these ideas may seem unrealistic or even threatening to folks working in the average workplace. Most of us find change difficult or at least uncomfortable.
No one is more intimidated and fearful of this change than executives. They have the power, and people in power rarely give it up freely. The paradox here is that by giving up a large chunk of that power, they’d end up with more profitable and sustainable companies in the long run.
Nature vs Nurture in the Realm of Success
What makes our top achievers in business, sports, or music great at what they do? Is it something they’re born with? Is it an overbearing parent pushing them to succeed? Is it hard work? Most of us think that talent is something we’re born with, that you either have it or not. We think that how smart someone is determines their potential. Not so much. Sure, some people have inherited advantages in rare cases, but these advantages being smarter, stronger, taller, etc, have little to no relation to how successful someone will be. How hard we work at something also has little to do with how successful we’ll be. Working hard is not equal to achievement. We all see people who work 50 hours a week and have little to show for it. Pushy parents can be helpful in the beginning to keep kids focused on practice, but in the long run, kids need to want to practice and get better to succeed.
Some things are very relevant to high achievement. Growing up in an environment where parents support their children’s growth. Believe in one’s ability to achieve, “What you believe about the source of great performance thus becomes the foundation of all you will ever achieve.” Geoff Colvin, in his book Talent Is Overrated. Having a directed practice designed to develop skills that focuses on what Dan Pink calls “Goldilocks tasks” - ones that aren’t too hard or too easy but push you just beyond what you can do now. Most of us need a coach or a mentor to help us design our directed practice. Things like sports or arts tend to be parental, at least at the start. In business, if you’re lucky, you’ll find a mentor.
So it’s not your inherited traits or hard work alone that determines if you’ll be a high achiever, it’s a dedicated lifelong practice focused on improving the skills you need most to succeed. And equally important, you have to believe that you can succeed. Becoming a high performer is not rocket science; it does not take a 130 IQ. It does take dedication and focus. According to Colvin, it takes about ten years to get from novice to exceptional performance in most areas of study or work. Even if you’re not willing to do what it takes to be a Tiger Woods, you can still improve your ability to achieve. So if you’re willing to do the work, the sky is the limit.
Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose, Oh My!
Dan Pink’s new book, Drive brings together 50 years of research and 25 years of practical experience from companies using these ideas successfully and profitably. He says that economists and psychologists agree: carrots and sticks are only good for a narrow band of tasks that don’t require creativity. As soon as a creative task is tied to a reward or punishment, it will most likely have a long-term adverse effect on that task.
These ideas are not new to the world, but it’s the first time anyone has brought them all together in one place and made them easy to understand. Part One – A New Operating System talks about the failure of carrots and sticks, the exceptional cases they work in, and the differences between people who are intrinsically motivated, “Type I,” and extrinsically motivated, “Type E,” and starts with the history of motivation. Part Two – The Three Elements discusses autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. “(1) Autonomy—the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery—the urge to get better and better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose—the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.” Part Three – The Type I Toolkit is dedicated to helping us learn more about these topics and on how to integrate them.
I continue to find this book a source of inspiration. It’s well written and easy to read, it’s meant to be a seed rather than a tree, but it’s a seed that, once planted in the fertile ground of our minds, takes root. The Type I Toolkit tells us how to water and fertilize our seed. The booklist is particularly helpful.
I’ve listened to the audiobook and read both the ebook and the print version. Dan Pink masterfully reads the audiobook. The other versions are easy on the eyes and have illustrative pictures and quotes. Whichever version you pick, you’ll be pleased.
