In my first blog post introducing Daniel Pink’s book Drive, I outlined the basic core of its motivational principles. Today, I’d like to retrace the basics of Motivation 2.0 (M2):

We identified M2 as the fundamental driving principle behind the “carrot & stick” approach to human behaviour - which has been the main driving force behind civilization since we moved beyond our biological drives, i.e. Motivation 1.0, and began to develop our very first societies. Once we became self-aware beyond the confines of basic survival (M1), we began to gather in groups and organize our lives accordingly. Everyone was meant to contribute in one way or another - but how to manage this push & pull of society was what developed out of a fundamental rewards & recognition type of organization - i.e. M2.

OK then - so how effective was M2? Obviously, very, or it wouldn’t have been adopted as a “best practice” solution around the world in every strata of society & its organizations for millennia. Every rudimentary, routine, organized, and mechanical task imaginable was first established and enabled using M2 management technology systems.

However, since most of our governance and defense is now secure in our Western-based societies (more or less?), how can we mobilize our labour around the best practices of M2, just as the very nature of our labour is in an existential crisis? Especially as factory-based, and white-collar service jobs are being transported overseas to other societies in the millions and at an alarming rate. What is it we can do to make our labour intrinsically more productive and empowering at the same time?

In 2011, since our Western-based society no longer utilizes brute force in a “carrot & stick” approach to organize governance and defense; with labour, what we need to do now is to mobilize the creative mind & spirit of our citizens in order to help take our society to the next level – and its at this level where M3 comes into play in a major way. 

Do you agree that once the basics are set up: government, defense, industry - society tends to turn towards more leisurely yearnings i.e. the rewards of Freedom & Peace, which are intrinsically more creative and artistic in their nature?

I look forward to your comments & debate before my next blog post on the fundamentals driving Motivation 3.0.

Much Kudos,
~eleni