What Drives Us?

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I'm really enjoying Daniel Pink's book, "Drive". It is about what motivates us.  I'm half way through.

He starts by outlining Motivation 1.0, when the need to survive drove us to hunt and look for shelter.  Motivation 1.0 was all about survival.

Motivation 2.0 is known as the "carrot and stick" model of motivation. Pink suggests that while this model worked in the past, up until and during the industrial revolution, it no longer works today.  He outlines the work of behavioural theorists who suggest, with good evidence, that what motivates us are three states: autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Pink talks about the two personality types: Type X and Type I.  While Type X is motivated by extrinsic outcomes ( money) Type I is motivated by intrinsic factors.  Money is important to both, but once needs are met, the creative Type I works for the satisfaction of creating and solving problems.

ROWE form the new business model: "results only work environments", where autonomy and choice are the norm.  Set hours and workplaces are gone.  Pink shows us that when people are not given set goals and deadlines, they are far more creative.

What does this tell us about how we should approach learning in schools? How we treat our teachers? What is the role of the leaders in schools? Is there a place for management and rigid, traditional models?  How does this conflict with how government is approaching improvement in education?

I'll keep reading...