Drive - Daniel H. Pink

This was actually a very fast read. (I feel like I might have overpaid for the hardcover version!)

Pink advocates for a rethink in the way we incentivise people. Currently, we use a combination of carrots and sticks to ensure that people perform their task well. However, Pink says that enforcing extrinsic forms of motivation would have side-effects that become more evident in our world today. Here are the key points that Pink makes:

1. Carrots and sticks work wonders for algorithmic tasks. Higher reward / stronger sticks --> higher productivity. However, for creative tasks, these traditional levers actually limit creativity. Nonetheless, a minimum amt of carrots is necessary for the individual to not be focused on the unfairness of the situation.
   
2. Tangible rewards kill intrinsic motivation. If-then rewards are especially potent and can lead to unhealthy expectations. The solution is to give rewards that are unexpected.
3. It can encourage unethical behaviour as the focus at hand becomes the reward (or avoidance of the punishment) and creates a win-at-all-cost mindset.
4. The solution is to focus on satisfying the fundamental human needs of competence, autonomy and relatedness. In competence, the system has to allow the individuals to develop areas of strength and grow. I think this also means that grooming one's team is especially important. In autonomy, Pink advocates giving people flexibility with when and where they want to work. I see it also as not micro-managing people. In relatedness, people want a sense of purpose to what they are doing. It is the leader's responsibility to keep on linking people's work to the larger picture and higher purpose.