What Motivates Us

Jun 5, 2010

The RSA dubs itself as 21st century enlightenment, and no better way to illustrate that with gorgeous drawings while tackling thought-provoking issues. The main theme of this presentation circles around the idea that higher rewards always lead to higher performance; this video aims to dispels that notion. Scientific studies actually have shown that the higher the reward, the lower the quality of overall work in tasks that require higher cognitive skill (conceptual creative thinking for example). So what’s the spin? Approximately around the 5:00 minute mark, the presenter outlines the three factors that really lead to better performance: autonomy, mastery and purpose. Anyone who has started their own business or has worked on their own should be able to relate.

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