As the non-profit and public sectors continue to increase their collaboration with the private sector, I hope they will learn how to combine ‘autonomy’ and ‘mastery’ to their current motivation of purpose.
I just watched this video of Dan Pink discussing what motivates people within their work environment. Having grown up on the west coast, only minutes from Google’s amazing campus and from Apple’s headquarters- the idea of innovation, collaboration and flat internal structures has always seemed like the most logical way to engage and keep qualified staff. For example, every single person I know who works for Google, loves it, and who wouldn’t with organic vegetables grown outside that you can pick for lunch, bicycles that can be ridden from one end of the campus to another and flexible work hours. Google combines all three of the motivators that Dan Pink mentions- Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. What I understand about the company (from storing up facts about cool California companies to lord over friends when we begin complain about the east coast work style) they allow their staff to work on projects they are excited about, reward new ideas (regardless of of position or title), and allow people to work on more flexible schedules. They also create an environment where conquering a skill set is possible, and everyone is working towards the goal of making the world a better place.
What motivates us:
- Autonomy
- Mastery
- Purpose
Beyond the world of technology, where the autonomy of a computer programmer might seem logical, how does an organization apply these three concepts in a way that allows for enough structure to keep the ball rolling? None of the above motivators are about making a lot of money, or being rewarded with a perk. The non-profit and public sector plays off the ‘purpose motivator’ to entice extremely qualified individuals to work for salaries far below their market value. Many of my friends and I have made career decisions forgoing prestigious jobs in order to pursue opportunities focused on issues we care about. I do not regret the decisions I have made, and I doubt my peers are wishing they had headed to Wallstreet.
This being said, the first two motivators highlighted by Pink are often overlooked by the public and non-profit sectors. Over the past twelve years, I have worked for small non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) with multi-million dollar annual budgets, and for the U.S. government. I have provided consulting for small start-ups and run my own business. Although I do not have 30+ years of management experience, I have seen firsthand the ill effects of a defeated spirit in the workplace. Surprisingly, a lot of people can put up with ill tempered management, but few people will remain in a job if they 1) don’t feel like they have the freedom to accomplish the tasks they have been assigned (autonomy) and 2) don’t feel they have room to grow and learn new things (master a skill).
Another great example of how the public and non-profit sector stifals progress and efficiency is the unspoken rule about “paying dues”, a frequent phenomanon here in Washington, DC. I met several Harvard law school graduates answering phones for no pay while I worked for the U.S. Congress- a clear example of an under utilization of skills. The issue is not the lack of pay , because I know many people with Harvard Graduate degrees who would be delighted to work for free, but instead the requirement to do tasks far below ones capability for extended periods of time. If the U.S. Congress, for example, had a bottom line then when a very well educated individual walked in the door, Congress would determine their most lucrative skills and set them to work using them. Instead, often due to structures that prohibit autonomy and skills mastery (who, at 23 or 30 needs to master making coffee???), the talent available is not utilized or retained.
I am excited about what Dan Pink had to say about carrots and sticks- I think too often we are rewarded in the wrong way, or ill placed incentives limit our ability to think of out of the box solutions to problems. As the non-profit and public sectors continue to increase their collaboration with the private sector, I hope they will be able to learn how to combine autonomy and mastery to their current motivation of purpose.