We've long been taught that the best way to motivate people is with external rewards like money, bonuses, prizes and other incentives. But is that really true? According to Dan Pink's fascinating TED Talk, the research tells a very different story.
The Limits of Carrots and Sticks
Pink explains that for tasks that are purely mechanical in nature, offering a higher financial reward can indeed lead to better performance. If the job simply involves turning a crank over and over, for example, people will crank faster if you pay them more.
However, once a task requires even rudimentary cognitive skills and conceptual thinking, the dynamic flips. Offering larger rewards can actually lead to poorer performance on these types of conceptual tasks.
Dozens of studies across many different domains have borne this out. Larger rewards don't improve results on tasks requiring creative thinking, problem-solving ability or moderate levels of intelligence. In fact, the rewards often prove to be detrimental and demotivating.
What really drives Peak Performance?
So if not rewards and incentives, what does lead to optimal motivation and peak performance? Pink cites three key factors:
1. Autonomy
2. Mastery
3. Purpose
Tapping Into Intrinsic Motivation
Safety professionals should recognise that most leaders are already intrinsically motivated to improve safety, driven by a sense that it's the right thing to do and can benefit the organization's performance and profitability. However, this intrinsic motivation alone doesn't ensure leaders will take the right actions.
The key is to tap into and engage leaders' inherent motivations in a way that demonstrably influences safety outcomes. This means going beyond transactional approaches like incentives and bonuses, which have mixed results
Fostering Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose
Safety professionals should help create an environment that taps into employees' intrinsic needs for autonomy (being self-directed), mastery (continually improving skills), and purpose (being part of something larger)
Traditional command-and-control management often works against these motivating factors.
Wrap Up
By understanding and applying these principles, safety professionals can create a culture where employees are intrinsically motivated to pursue safety excellence, rather than just complying out of obligation.
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