The Puzzle of Motivation

In this TED Talk, Dan Pink outlines some key findings of social science experiences focused on the impact of pay-for-performance on task fulfilment. Using the conclusion that pay-for-performance incentives work well for well-defined but not for those that involve more cognitive thought, he suggests that there is a disconnect between business compensation and motivational science. A greater focus on intrinsic motivation within employee compensation structures could yield more effective results over structures that only focus on extrinsic motivations.