The following are suggested communications talking points that may help inform the media and general public on the puzzle of motivation. 

 

• The candle problem experiment

  • The key is to overcome functional fixedness.

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• Sam Glucksberg’s candle problem experiment and the power of incentives 

  • Incentives do not normally work and instead dull thinking and blocks creativity.
     

• Incentives work best when there are a clear set of rules and a clear goal.

  • Rewards narrow focus and concentrate the mind.

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• Humans have built businesses around the idea that incentivization works.
   

• The science of human motivation compares extrinsic and intrinsic motivators.
   

• Dan Ariely, economist, did a study on MIT students giving them games and offering 
  them rewards as incentives.

  • Higher incentives led to worse performance.

  • A similar study was conducted at the London School of Economics.

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• The new approach to motivation involves intrinsic motivation.

  • Autonomy, mastery and purpose

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• Greater employee autonomy in companies drives motivation, creativity and innovation.

  • Atlassian’s FedEx Days 

  • Google’s 20% time

  • Results Only Work Environment (ROWE)
     

• Wikipedia encyclopedia model proves intrinsic motivation superior to extrinsic motivation.
   

• Science knows incentives can work but only under certain circumstances. Rewards can destroy creativity. The secret to high performance isn’t rewards and punishments, but the unseen intrinsic drive of humans.
   

• Repairing the mismatch between science and business will strengthen our businesses. 

 

 

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