What Motivates Us?

Update (04/10/2013)

Came across another interesting video on the same subject (thanks to Stanislav Glozman)

Original Post (12/13/2010)

Very interesting video that I found via a reference in one of the Information Technology (IT) online publications that I read on a pretty much daily basis:



I liked many things about it - the format, in my opinion, is awesome; the presentation is dynamic; and, of course, the content is quite interesting. This "new theory of motivation" departs sharply from the established practice of monetary incentives and instead emphasizes the following three intrinsic human motivators:

• Autonomy
• Mastery
• Purpose

I have first discovered these ideas in the book called "Cognitive Surplus" by Clay Shirky. The format was not as animated, but the ideas about these intrinsic motivators (and how they sometimes can be canceled by an addition of a monetary incentive) were interesting nonetheless. The book was a good read, though I must admit I was more impressed with author's previous book - "Here Comes Everybody". Here's a relevant excerpt:

We have always wanted to be autonomous, competent, and connected; it’s just that now social media has become an environment for enacting those desires, rather than suppressing them.