Dan Pink, the author of A Whole New Mind, was recently on TED with an 18-minutes version of his book. He talked about creativity and motivation in the workplace. Very interesting stuff.
Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don’t: Traditional rewards aren’t always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories — and maybe, a way forward.
More on Dan Pink (from TED’s website):
http://www.ted.com/speakers/daniel_pink.html
More of Dan Pink from Better Life (55 minutes):
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Aside from the methods mentioned in the clip (Atlassian’s FedEx Days, Google 20/80, etc), if you were the CEO of a company, or to manage other people in any working environment, what creative method can you come up with, to tap into employees’ intrinsic motivation? We’re looking for short, simple, smart, clear, and positive ideas that can be incorporated into any working environment.
I feel that the methods used in FedEx Day and Google were really effective. Employees under this working environment have to be self-drivened. On top of this method, I would like to host weekly meetings to serve as a follow-up on the current assignments/projects. Not only will the employees attend the meetings, they will also bring a guest along. For example, if the target audience for the current project are kids under 7 years of age, the employees will have to bring their own children or borrow kids from the street. During the meetings the guests will be the bosses of our employees, with the rights to tell employees what need to be fixed. This is primarily for the purpose to gather ideas from actual members of the target audience to best fit the needs of their group. I believe this will increase prodcutivity because employees will have a chance to choose their own teammates as well as bosses, which very often will be their own family and friends.
I think that every once in a while, if people within a company would trade their job position with a fellow co-worker just for a day, we would experience new operational and organizational skills. That said, we might find better ways to overcome a problem, ways that we might not have previously thought of. By allowing everyone to take a chance at doing it “their own way for a day”, new “work patterns and designs” will emerge.
My first method would be to combine a few of the listed ideas. I would instill a one week paid vacation to all employees to take at any point they would like within the calendar year. During this week, they would be expected to “think outside the box” by incorporating their own passions i.e. music, animals, etc. to their daily work. I would ask them to look for motivation and inspiration in other areas of their life to help produce better results in the work place. I would encourage exploring new and random activities such as skydiving, belly dancing, or acrobatics to alter their initial thinking when they return. I feel that this would open their minds to new ways of thinking and would undoubtedly make the employees return with a new sense of self with positive outcomes.
I would also plan a “company meeting” outside of the office consisting of go kart racing, or something exhilarating that would help the team experience something new together. Hopefully, each member would bring something positive from the experience back to the office and back to their work.
If I had to create a method it would incorparate the same idea as mentioned before of changing job positions, but I would have one employee be the CEO for a day once a month. They will get to run the company and make decisions that they normally don’t have control of. Majority of people like to have control on what they do and be their own boss. Each person is motivated by different things and by giving them the opportunity to be in charge they can learn on what needs to be changed to better the company.
I think I would do anything to make my employees commute and interact as often as possible. They would not work in separated offices but in a huge place all together. I would create a rest area, isolated, providing nice music, televisions and even videogames, to provide the workers a place to enjoy their breaks. Then I would settle once a week an optionnal workshop, always on a different subject, such as stress management, learn a a music instrument, how to draw, or highlight on a different culture. These workshops would open the employees minds and would create another mutual experience to share to each other.
People are able to think more creatively and achieve their creative goals more easily when they are freed of the stress and restrictions induced by a work environment. As a CEO, I would assign an hour or so a day of on the clock time for employees to use their creativity in tasks that are in no way related to their actual work. One day employees may be encouraged to take polaroids to decorate the walls. Another day employees would make collages. Another day, employees would make mix tapes ( ermm cds). The hour or so a day dedicated to seemingly useless projects, would in effect enhance work productivity and quality. These “arts and crafts” / “relaxation and reflection” periods would be used in the morning to jump start creativity, and midway through the day to be creative boosters. When people are given time to do creative things with no consequence, they may be less inhibited. Also, when they are able to reflect on their family, human nature, etc, they will be more in tune with the things that make them “tick” as a human being, and spark ideas to be used throughout the day.
Another idea to use in the workplace, would be to have a kitchen. It would be a little bit like a big Italian family having dinner. One large table for people to eat, and a place for people to cook. People could bring in their own recipes, and brainstorm ideas over the “dinner table.”
The last thing I would do as a CEO of a company, would be to make the actual work space very open, enjoyable, and somewhat quirky. People do not want to work in a sterile environment, or they would work at a hospital or mental institution. Here are the things that I would do to the actual work space: outlaw cubicles, make the space more open, have lots of windows, lots of IKEA decorating, use bright colors, allow people to decorate their work areas with movie posters, quirky items, sentimental items, etc, hang lots of light fixtures, and anything else that would make people feel comfortable. You want your employees to enjoy being at work. The “mood” is set on a dinner date, the mood is set at a doctors office, the mood is set in a children’s playground. If there is a mood in every space, that compliments the happenings of that environment, than that should be no different in a creative space. A creative job should inspire creativity by it’s very walls.
If i was a ceo of a company i would enjoy being in control. but, i would make sure that i was interacting with my employees. i would want a casual working environment and would want my empoloyees to respect me as boss but, think of me as a co worker. I would want to get my hands dirty to! as long as the work was getting done on time then their wouldnt be a problem. i would want everbody in the company to interact a share idea. each week the company would all come together and have a meeting. it would be optional to come to the office or not, but, they would have to have a web cam and be involved in the meeting. their would be incentives for good ideas and good work. but, i would want to be approachable and work as a team.
I think it is important to understand what your employees really think. Besides the regular meeting on the projects, every week or while a short period of time, set up social events and meetings so staff feels a sense of belonging; acceptance; and connection to others. Or having a one-on-one meeting with each member in order to listen to your employees, finding out what your employees want and finding a way to give it to them or to enable them to earn it. And also try to always provide staff with varying tasks so they constantly leave and stay interested in their work.
In the position of a CEO I would want to inspire the most creative and most attractive ideas in my employees. The problem of is the fear of productivity falling if more autonomy is given to employees. However if studies are showing that productivity and creativity are coming out of more autonomous situations then changes clearly need to be made. I would try to create a much more informal work enviornment similar to what others mentioned, getting rid of cubicles. The each workplace room would have different themes to try to harvest creativity. In addition to that, project time would be divided up; Some amount of hours in your work day dedicated in the actual workplace, some of the time would be free to explore ideas outside of the workplace. I would also want to hold unorthodox meetings, for example, if we had an account that we were working on for kids then we would hold some of our meetings at a playground and bring sack lunches or at a park and put ourselves in the enviornment of our clients target audience. Of even if we have an account for a more serious type of client such as a bank, the meeting enviornment can still be make interesting by maybe putting out a bunch of play money and chocolate coins on some of the desks.
No matter what the nature of the project or assignment is, there would be structured and unstructive time and a less formal work enviornment.
If i were a CEO I would open up the doors for employees of all backgrounds and education levels. Because as we sit here and say that this education system that we live in kills creativity, we are in fact diving right back into it when we hire the person whom was at the top of his class for advertising at Yale. I also too understand that the more educated person may also have great ideas, so I may hire that person as well as I would not think twice about hiring the person who was a refugee from Bosnia and fled to the united states where he finished high school but could not afford to attend college. The empathy in the work environment would be great and the person who graduated from Yale would not think that he was the best employee because the education system tells him he is. People would be encouraged to have work relationships, get to know others, because that does not happen enough we need to understand that there is a bigger picture and maybe another employee who is the most different from you can let you see the bigger picture and change your perception and open up new creative doors. In this working environment once a week we would have a meeting and people would share their life stories to see the differences in so many people and realize that we are not all the same and have different functioning brains.
I also too like the idea of having a paid vacation where employees can go anywhere they choose and get paid while they are away and pursue their passions and when they return share their experience to the rest of the employees.
If I were the CEO of a company and I wanted to tap into employees’ intrinsic motivation, I would have my employees’ participate in a lot of outside or external activities that would help motivate everyone outside of their cubicles. Things such as having group meetings to discuss anything BUT work or even going out after work to have a drink at a local bar. Perhaps having a pot luck dinner at someone’s house with all the employees or having a barbeque at a nearby park three times a month. In order for people to have intrinsic motivation within a company I think everyone needs to get along, share their different ideas, feel comfortable with each other and strive for success. With these group gatherings outside of work, I think it will help employees’ get along better and making it enjoyable to work every day. The CEO’s and big bosses would participate just as much as all the other employees, because it will create a better work environment, which will lead to a successful business, full of new and fresh ideas.
If I were to be the one in charge at a large company I would make sure every employee utilizes their creative characteristics to the fullest while on the job. First of all I would make sure each and every employee was comfortable in their surroundings. Its hard to think and be creative when you are sitting there with your eyes glued to the computer screen wearing an uncomfortable suit that gives you sweat stains all the while hoping your boss doesn’t catch you zoning off into space. My company’s office and atmosphere would be the complete opposite of this. I would require my employees to bring in five personal items to put in the office giving them a comfortable at home feeling. There would also be no formal dress code. Although going to interviews and meetings with clients I require my employees to wear professional attire, while they are in the office they can wear whatever feels the most comfortable for them. I would have the office set up in a way to make the employees feel as if they were at home. This means no cubicles, stiff uncomfortable chairs, and quiet working environment with elevator music playing in the background. Instead there would be desks set out in the open throughout the office, comfortable couches for lounging and thinking, and music brought in by a different person each day would be playing to give a sense of imagination. There would be meetings held once a week in the office for all the employees to attend. This is where we would sit down and bring all the creative ideas to the plate. Everyone would have a turn to present their ideas to the group. A different person would present each week. After each person presents, the group would discuss the ideas and decide what needs to be fixed, added, changed, edited, etc. This would help our presenter get other ideas besides their own. It would also give them a chance to mix in their own ideas along with the other employees ideas. I would also want all of our employees to get along with each other. This meaning that all of the employees need to get together outside the office to hang out and socialize with each other. Whether it be to go get a drink, go bowling, the movies, etc. It is important when working in the creative department that all the employees consider each other family and are comfortable being around each other all the time. This way ideas can be processed easily without the stress of others.
If I were a CEO of a company, I would use creative methods to tap into employees’ intrinsic motivation by offering my employees a clear and recurrent stream of goals, expectations, response and admiration and recognition for a job well done. I feel capitalizing on individual strengths work to generate a more constructive and dynamic work environment. As a CEO I think it would be important for me to be agile, compliant, and forward thinking so that my company would be able to retain itself in the rapidly changing business climate. With the constant interaction with employees, new ideas, opinions, thoughts, and feelings are able to be generated which makes more room for the company to grow. I think the more interaction with one another and with others on a particular goal is significant. Creative activities such as The Candle Problem are great exercises, exercising the different parts of the brain. Through Autonomy where we have an urge to direct our own lives, mastery where we strive to do better and better at something we are trying to create, and purpose where we do something larger than ourselves, are great guidelines to build a foundation for a successful business.
If I were CEO of my company, in order to create a creative environment I would hold a weekly meeting in order for my associates to be aware of the product. I feel that in order to be creative you would need to know as much information as possible of the product. This weekly meetings would be valuable because once the employees understand the product then the work would be divided and they have the option to work from home. I feel that people that are most products are people that work from home because they feel more relaxed then any other environment. In order to keep track of their progress they would have a mandatory conference call to see what ideas they have came up with. Finally, we would have a last meeting to see the finally product of the idea and to make any last changes.
If I were the CEO of a company, in order to manage other my employees, I would have a three-fold approach.
The first approach is target toward the existing employees I already have. Often times, people are “stuck” doing jobs that they do not want to do because of business politics such as “seniority” or just because that was the only open position available at the time of hire. For those who have found that they do not enjoy completing the job description they have been assigned, or if they merely have grown weary of doing the same job repeatedly, I would encourage them to find another job role within the company that does utilize their strengths in a more efficient way. To discover their strengths, a personality test would be part an opportunity for them. Also, they could simply “petition” to take on a new role within the company by showing the head employee of another area that they are qualified and have potential to do the jobs required there. This idea may seem like an obvious solution, but I think it is one that is not made available to people within businesses very often. If it is something that is encouraged rather than left unsaid, I think that people will be motivated to think of how their talents can be used in a more efficient way that is more enjoyable for them and beneficial for the company as well.
The second approach applies to the new-hires. Those who are newly hired will have to go through a two-week orientation in the beginning of their employment where they will have to come up with new ideas or help critique others’ ideas in each department. In this way, they will be informally tested of their strengths, weaknesses, and enjoyments to find the areas they will best excel personally and corporately. After this two-week orientation, they can be recommended by others in that department, and they can also state the areas in which they desire to work. Working with a combination of the deciding two factors, they will be placed into a certain job position.
The third approach is for all my employees. First, customer feedback will be regularly taken to see the complaints, suggestions, or problems that customers say that they have with the products or services my company offers. For each of the significant problems and suggestions, give a type of contest to who can come up with the most effective ways to solve that problem. They contest prizes would consist of the choice between extra money, paid time off, etc. They would also be naturally awarded with the satisfaction of doing a job well for the purpose of helping make others’ lives easier. They may be featured on the company website or newsletter as a designer or inventor of the idea.
Between these three ideas, not only would the employee be more personally satisfied, but the company will be benefited as well.
If I was in control of my own company andthe goal was to come up with creative and innovated ideas I would try two different tactics. My first idea would in tale having a wall where people can post any idea on it. The first 30 minutes of work is devoted to placing an idea on the wall no matter how smart, funny, unintelligent, or crazy the idea is and placing it anywhere on the wall anonymously. Then, the next 30 minutes I would give each person a blue marker (not red because I believe people get scared of seeing red on their paper from countless years of schooling) and mark a 1 for the best idea, 2 for the funnest idea and 3 for the most random idea. After that is done each person would take either their number 1, 2 or 3 idea and add too it how ever they want. in doing this, I believe it would come up with very creative ideas because your name is not attached to it, making you as free as possible to explore your own ideas as well as others.
To tap into employee’s intrinsic motivation it is crucial for a CEO or a manager to first set a company vision. The employees have to buy into the vision and the goals of the company. The CEO sets the vision and goals and then those immediately below the CEO execute the vision through a variety of programs. Some of these programs include a financial program which allows the employees to share some of the profits instead of just their standard salary – this increases their incentive to work harder to make more money. Another way to motive them is to set up skills trainings where employees will better themselves by increasing their skills and expanding their career expertise thus potentially improving their career growth. Promoting employees from within the company based upon their positive impact on the company, both financially and teamwork is also a motivating factor that can add to a company. Allowing freedoms to the employees is also a good idea because less restrictions and teamwork is a positive thing and can produce great results. For example, brainstorming sessions and enabling employees to take ownership in their job and their responsibilities will promote new ideas and different ways of execution. And lastly, awarding the employees on new ideas, cost savings, new products or any other creative initiative is another way to tap into employee’s intrinsic motivation. When something is on the line, people tend to push themselves to new levels as they look for benefits for themselves and their futures.
If I were the CEO of a company, there are a couple of different ideas I would implement in order to boost productivity and creativity. I believe that it is important for everyone in the workplace to understand everyone else’s importance and contributions to the company. I have learned that some people think others people’s roles in the company are less important or do not matter which hinders team building and producitvty. I would have all of my employees cross trained and have some training and work a little bit in all the different company positions. Almost everyone would be able to fill in for someone else and everyone know how valuable and important each postion is to the success of the company. I would also have a company blog. One aspect of the company blog would be the ability to post questions, comments, and suggestion regarding different company roles, positions, and policies. If there is a problem or something that can be improved anyone from and department would be free to post there comment. Employees would allowed to post anonymously if they wished which would be helpful in avoiding conflict and tension.
Another idea I would implement is about work place environment. Everyone thrives in a different environment. Some people require a daily agenda, business suit, and structure while others are much more comfortable in jeans and a relaxed, at home environment. Everyone would be allowed to pick the business environment of their choice and remain in that business environment is they are productive. If they want to dress casually but still have an office at work or they want to work from home and teleconference they could. The office would be split into different sections according to the different business environments because working next to someone in jeans with a messsy desk and no set schedule could be difficult for someone in a suit with a rigid schedule. All employees would be required to post daily on their workspace blog so we can see what they are up to. Workspace blogs would be private and only for the eyes of directors and managers. All emplyees would also have to teleconference or meet with their teams once week. When and where would be up to them as long as it was appropriate. (Example: No team meetings in a bar)
There would also be 2 more blogs. One would be a creative and idea blog. Anyone who wants to post an idea or new goal, project, etc would be allowed to. All other employees could make suggestions or comments and discuss their ideas in an open forum. Anonymity would be an option. We would also have a policy blog. Any employee wishing to make comments, questions, or suggestions to any company rule or policy could make the comment on the blog. Anonymity would be an options as well as private or public view of the suggestions. It would be like a better version of a suggestion box. The goal with all of these ideas is to promote creativity and productivty and to promote an open and comfortable work environment.
Wow. i really liked that longer clip. So, i have trouble coming up with ideas that would be applicable to any work environment. While i liked the ROWE idea, it wouldn’t work where i am presently employed. There was one idea that occurred to me, and it is this: the break-room where i work is horribly dull. There are 3 vending machines (2 for beverages, 1 for snacks) and 2 refrigerators. There are several long tables placed end-to-end in three rows with chairs around them. There is a television set in one corner. It is a boring place to be, and i often skip my 15 minute breaks because it’s not much of a mental relief from my workspace. However, i work within walking distance of my home, and i generally chose to go home on my lunch break rather than stay there because in my home, i am comfortable with my surroundings. In my opinion, it would be a great idea to have “break areas” instead of a generic “break room.” A break room shouldn’t just be for a break from the task, but a break from the monotony of the workplace. Each place could have a different theme or idea behind it: a classic library-type study with books, or more of a lounge with bean-bag chairs and bright colors on the walls, or an Ikea room with every funky shape of chair they offer (okay, maybe a little extreme, but you get the idea). If there were simply a way to get into or out of a particular mood by putting myself in one of those break areas, i think i would be much happier at work, and more willing to take my breaks, which would make me more productive, i believe, while i am working.
If I were CEO of a company i would run my office like i do my home, treat my employees as my guests and their would be no job titles.No job titles because i feel it puts up walls and gives some a false sense of superiority. All decisions would be made together because if everyone feels like they are valuable and an asset to the company and feel more involved and ‘in the loop’ they will value the company and treat it as it was/is their own. I want the office to be decorated stylish, warm, and comforting. No white walls and no cubicles, just one big open room. I want each of my ‘teammates’ or “partners” to bring an item of their choice for decoration.We would lunch together in the office kitchen and would not be allowed to talk about anything work related. i would ask each person about their hidden passion, or something that intrigues them or that they have always wanted to do but been too afraid to do or didn’t find themselves talented at. I would pay for each one to take a week off and fully explore their hidden passion. When they returned they would share with us what they learned, whatever it may be so we would continue to learn and grow and bond. We then would figure out a way to incorporate those learnings into our business.There would be a no-negative policy, no idea will be labeled in a negative manner so everyone will feel free and open.I truly believe that in this environment, creativity will be constantly generating.
If I were a CEO of a company I would firstly have an open office, by that I mean in the center of the office there would be an open area with couches and other comfortable chairs for those who choose to work out in the open. For individual offices, I would have each individual create their own workspace ex. Paint the walls, hang any pictures, basically do whatever they need to do in order to have their creative juices flowing and make their work place more comfortable. I would also have casual dress on days we are not meeting with clients because the more comfortable you are, the better you will perform. I would also try the “come in whenever you want method” as long as all the deadlines are met and productivity remains high. In the kitchen area, it would look like any other kitchen you would see at a house. People who choose to cook can cook.
In addition to the environment of the office I would hold biweekly meetings so that everyone can share their ideas to create synergy. Either combine ideas or improve others. I would make it biweekly because if people share their ideas they might affect other people’s ideas stopping them from thinking outside the box. When its time to have the meeting it will be held in the open office on the couches so that everyone feels relaxed. Finally I would have team building retreats for the employees so that it will keep them as a team and hopefully allow them to have fun with one another outside of the work setting. Retreats will also allow new team members to meet older team members. In order for any company to survive everyone has to work together and hopefully like one another so that team members are not spending their creative energy on how much they don’t like working with someone else.
I really enjoyed this video; I am very interested in ideas that challenge the norm. I believe the ideas Pink stated about human motivation and autonomy are factual, but not represented or recognized in business settings. Like pink said there is a mismatch between science and business, current approach is outdated. I like the example of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation with the example of Encarta and Wikipedia. Wikipedia is built on the knowledge of others, who are not paid, but has a huge very specific database. Likewise Pink says, reward narrows vision and dims creativity. When rewards are given in a creative situation, the reward becomes the focus and the mind can become closed off from creative intuition. Overall, this video was interesting and had great examples to back up the information.
Simply put, I would find what motivates people. As a business owner, I’ve dealt with numerous employees over the years. Ability, time, attitude, passion – all of these come into play, but as the speaker mentioned, it’s all about applying yourself to earn more dollars.
Recently I had to cut-back an employees work load, not because he doesn’t need the money, but because his lack of motivation and lifestyle were getting in the way of otherwise superb work. In the end, I’ve identified that he’s experiencing a lack of fulfillment. To compensate, I’ve literally asked him, “What motivates you? What’s your ideal life?” From this, we’ve started a dialogue where hopefully his future output with my business can both (A) pay his bills, and (B) fulfill his goals in life. In this case, I don’t believe he’s 100% aware of EXACTLY what he wants to do for motivation; he lacks a great deal of empathy which I hope will develop.
For now, I take a sense of satisfaction knowing that my products are bringing joy to people of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the world. As a business owner and entrepreneur, I believe in the following time line for business and personal growth: Learning Years, Earning Years, and Returning Years.
As a ceo I would have a box where co workers could put in annoymous comments about things that bother them about anything, it could be things with in the office, outside office, life, whatever,(much like basis of dyson products) the ideas would be shared after meetings and the office will be givin until the next meeting to think of ways to solve this problem. This wold be a way to unify the offic ebut also allow creative juices to flow without pressure to perform. Also, I would have a day or section of the day to decorate your cubical/office in a way that represents you. I would give a each person good sized pin board to keep in their office and they can do whatever they want to the board but it should be a represenation of you and things you like. At the end of the day everyone would share their project with the office. This daywould be a day to share with office who you are and open up communication with your co-workers. Lastly, a bring your dog to work day. When well behaved they can be relaxing.
I think a lot of inspiration comes from the things that we enjoy doing. Our hobbies, pastimes, and passions are sources of great creativity and as CEO of a company, I would try to incorporate these into the workplace to help intrinsically motivate my employees. I would invite all employees to bring their interests into work with them and encourage them to share these interests with their coworkers. By having new and diverse activities and information incorporated into the work environment, employees could draw new insights and ideas for their work. The other technique I would use to intrinsically motivate my employees is to create a family-like atmosphere at the office where everyone is comfortable with each other and with their work environment. To do this I would use many of the previously mentioned approaches like open offices, getting rid of job titles, and extracurricular activities. However, I would try to take it one step further to create an environment where the employees want to come to work because they enjoy their work and want to hang out with their coworkers. I would try to nurture those relationships by taking time out of the work day, perhaps one day a week, to do fun activities with the whole company. For example, going biking, taking trips to the beach, and playing sports would be good ways for employees to bond and strengthen their relationships. This family atmosphere would eliminate the barriers between employees and most importantly, create a workplace that employees would feel comfortable in sharing their ideas as well as enjoy working in.
These videos were very interesting. These “outside the box” ideas Pink refers to are very true and, i believe, can be very effective. The Fed Ex days and 20 percent time rules i think are just the beginning of what should be set as a trend throughout most businesses. If i were the CEO or owner of a company i would have to say that i would let employees talk to me or their their supervisors about what ideas they would have about things they would like to see done around the office. The autonomy idea is very useful i think and i would have to give my employees the most creative control i can. If they are constantly given things that they cannot change and are told to be “creative” then they would most likely lose interest more and more. If they are given some control and even a small stake in what they are doing, then they might be more apt to just create what they feel and let their creative juices flow. Even using incentives such as having more creative control if they do a good job could be a good way to motivate people. I would be open to any suggestions and not be a rigid unimaginative person. I think the main thing though would be to try any different thing and try to come to some kind of conclusion as to which motivational technique would be most effective.
As a CEO of a company I would attempt to run my company in the way I believe would best bring about the best of my employees creative side and increase productivity. First of all, I would employ the method of the company being like a family. I would like each and every one of my employees to know each other as more than just a coworker basis. I would implement this through various company events like picnics, parties, etc that would occur at least twice a month. I would also encourage them to bring their family members too. Each employee would also have their own office, and be allowed to design it however they want, from having a beanbag as their chair, to the color paint on the walls. The only dress code that would be permitted in the workplace is clothing necessary, other than that employees could wear whatever they feel comfortable in. The purpose of this is for their office to as comfortable as if they were at home working. There would also be no set hours for them to come in and work. The office would be open 24 hours for them to come in and work at whatever time they feel. One method of work I would impress upon them is to do research on whatever the target market for the product would be. The type of research I would want my employees performing would be the kind that gets them involved and seeing through the eyes of the target. For example, if the target market for the product, which they are working on is teenagers 14-18, I would tell them to go back to high school as a student and mingle with the student body there for a day or more time if needed to gain insight into the perspective of the target audience, so they could see what appeals to them and gain the knowledge necessary to help them with their task. The only scheduled time for which employees would be required to show up would be weekly meetings that we would have to see how progress is being made towards coming up with ideas for products or clients and reaching company goals. Methods like these are how would attempt to tap into my employees creative abilities and bring out the best in them.
Being a CEO is a tough job, but if I were CEO of a company I would want the place to be professional but comfortable. I would still like everyone to dress nicely, but probably have a casual Friday. I would want the environment to look professional but fun at the same time, meaning there would be pictures and fun art , instead of boring old white painted walls. But I want it to look neat and clean so it still gives off as a professional environment. I would not want to have cubicles, but everyone would still have their own desk. My workers can make it however they want. In order for everyone to be comfortable with everyone else, I would put people in seminars so everyone can get to know everyone. Sometimes people with different backgrounds of ethnicity or religion can play a big factor, and people do not understand one another, so putting them in seminars would help everyone understand that they are all equal and understand everyones differences. I would set people up into teams, so people can establish a good relationship and work better with one another. For projects, I would have each team write up proposals and then I (as the CEO) would read them aloud but not mention which team wrote it. That’s how I will base who gets the project. Now, in order to make sure the same team didn’t get the projects all the time, I would switch the teams every few times, so people can work with new people and learn more new ideas.
If I was the CEO of a company, my goal would be to tap into the employees intrinsic motivation by numerous of methods.
First, I would make sure the company ran as a team. Meaning, I would like to have everyone establish a bond between one another. I feel once everyone is comfortable with each other, that working with someone you liked would give the employees that drive to not only do a better job for fear of letting their teammates down, but allowing them to be comfortable enough with each other to bounce ideas off one another. Allowing this to happen would give the employees that emotional attachment to ensure productivity through out the company.
Second, I would like to facilitate more on the idea of being a team by creating competitions within the company, to allow the employees’ competitiveness to take control. This would allow for them to become more motivated to produce and meet deadlines. Not only that, but it would boost moral within the company and its employees. Everyone likes a good competition.
Finally, as the CEO I would try to relate to all my employees and establish a bond with each individual. I would do this by having weekly one-on-one meetings with each employee on their evaluation and also on a personal note. I would like to establish that bond as to were my employees would feel comfortable enough to come to me about anything. I think if you better understand where your employees are coming from, you can better decide as to what approach you need to take to get them at the level you want. Also I feel this would benefit the company as a whole if the employees would do this one another as well. Where they could hold one-on one’s with each other and kind of explain to each other where they think they might need improvement on. Sometime getting a perspective from a peer is less stressful and hits home a lot closer than one from you boss.
In order to taps into my employees creative and intrinsic motivation, I would incorporate “fun hours” into their actual working hours. They have the option to use their fun hours for an hour a day, or to save them up for a weekly fun work outing. Company outings and fun time is essential because it gives the employees stress free time which can be used to learn more about their personal affinities, as well as what motivates/inspires them.
Other examples of fun time can include:
Company theatrical performance (can be kareoki, mainly for fun)
Weekly outing
pool, foozball, pong tournaments, etc.
Cultivate a sense of self worth and accomplishment within the job environment. Setting short and long term personal goals within the company in regards to productivity as well as vertical or horizontal movement.
The opportunity to be CEO of a company or to be able to just manage people in a working area that will be the day! I feel in order to create a place with good work ethics and find a way of how to motivate the employees is to first ask them personally what motivates you? For some it would be by having the rewards, the prizes, opportunity for advancement. The main idea of asking the employee what motivates them is we are all different people no to people think alike. I want to know what their “buy in” is? This way I believe you are set up for success and everyone wins this way productivity will rise and profits will be made.
I also believe you need a positive work place to motivate people. I would try and implement the ROWE days. It would be a nice change to have days to get your work done whenever and, however. I would also make sure the work place was comfortable and professional. I would try and incorporate every Friday a staff meeting of ideas and suggestions on how to improve. I would always try and get the employers feed back because they are the one in the end making your company grow and become the best it can be
In thinking about possible ways of promoting creativity within the work place, if I were in charge of a group of workers or a corporation there would be several ways that i would bring out my employees intrinsic creativity. Aside from the obvious comforts of home and allowing a more casual dress. I would survey my employees to see what they feel would produce better creativity and performance. I would have themed weeks where based on employee feedback the office would turn into a themed environment. There would be incentives based on creative ideas and actually bringing creative ideas to life would be done by the team. No one person would be greater than the group we would engage and interact and through company objectives and plans the office would produce. Things would be brought back to basics we would have team competitions where after a week the groups would present ideas and come up with prototypes of their projects. I would put the decisions in the hands of my workers. By empowering them and allowing them to recognize others for their thoughts and ideas i would avoid favoritism and allow the work thats not just good to me but to those of the rest of the company go noticed. People would work harder because they would know that its their peers that are judging their work not just me.
If I were the CEO of a company I wouldn’t want to create an environment that allows for passionate people to develop fresh ideas. But with that, I would not just want to flip my entire office upside down just because of a couple case studies regarding productivity and creativity. There must be structure in a workplace, there must be expectations, there must be goals. It’s not some hippy tribe with a bunch of nudists running around smoking whatever fits in a toilet paper roll and hoping that by the end of a fiscal year they came out somewhat on top or at least looked trendy doing it. I believe in organization, I believe in goals, and I believe that humans work the best when they are passionate. Executives in a company structure their company, budget, and workforce around business goals, and people are assigned jobs to meet those goals. However, allowing for time for employees to stretch their brains and imagine new possibilities can pave the way for many beneficial directions that executives might have never seen for their company.
I feel that all expectations or capabilities are broken when a human is passionate about something. So the best situation for productivity is passionate employees. I would personally encourage my employees to go after their passions, and see how they can fit into the future of our company, even in just a miniscule way. I would equip employees with time, resources, and confidence to go after the things they care most about, and find ways to incorporate our business goals as well.
After hearing Dr. Pink’s lectures I have come up with an idea that would give my corporation the creative edge. I would institute an idea that I have named “The Group Project.” Every month I would have a Manager pick a concept or and idea that would be continued to be built on by teams of co workers. For two hours once a week a person will be paired with a different co-worker in order to create and polish this creative thinking project. These employees will meet in the “project room” and the only thing they will be accountable for is the two hour grace period they have been given to either produce or relax. I think the pairing up of coworkers will promote the creative groupthink effort and inspire these employees to think outside of the box.
After hearing Dr. Pink’s lectures I have come up with an idea that would give my corporation the creative edge. I would institute an idea that I have named “The Group Project.” Every month I would have a Manager pick a concept or and idea that would be continued to be built on by teams of co workers. For two hours once a week a person will be paired with a different co-worker in order to create and polish this creative thinking project. These employees will meet in the “project room” and the only thing they will be accountable for is the two hour grace period they have been given to either relax or produce. I believe this idea will inspire these employees to think outside the box and promote new and creative ideas by pairing them up with different coworkers.
In response to Dr. Pink’s lectures I have come up with an idea that would give my corporation the creative edge. I would institute an idea that I have named “The Group Project.” Every month I would have a Manager pick a concept or and idea that would be continued to be built on by teams of co workers. For two hours once a week a person will be paired with a different co-worker in order to create and polish this creative thinking project. These employees will meet in the “project room” and the only thing they will be accountable for is the two hour grace period they have been given to either relax or produce. I believe this idea will inspire these employees to think outside the box and promote new and creative ideas by pairing them up with different coworkers.
If i was the CEO of a company or in a management position of a business and i wanted to tap into the intrinsic motivation of my employees i would construct a system that rather than rewarding them with money or pay increases, the reward for higher and more efficient productivity would be simply more leniency their office or work environment. As Dan Pink mentioned, productivity went up when the management changed the rules in relation to start and end time, where you do your work, and how much of the work day can be spend of “freelance” work.
For example, say you have a worker that is scheduled to come in the office from 9 to 5 everyday and he or she has to work on the same material or has the same task. This worker may intact only do the bare minimum in productivity, most likely just enough to not displease there boss. But if you introduce a different and more satisfying work environment where the times you come in, where you work, time spent on working on freelance work is entirely up to the employee as long as productivity is consistently met, the worker will gain a more intrinsic motivation to not only perform well but to perform to the best of their abilities. One reason why this worker does this during these changes is because he or she may do anything to keep the new work environment.
Developing the intrinsic motivation of my employees wouldn’t be as hard as most people think if the leadership really got the workforce excited and passionate about what the company is doing/headed. While cute workspaces and cheesy motivational posters might make work more passable, I often feel as though the employees are out of tune with what the management is doing/ where it’s headed.
If the passion of the employees could be stoked, creativity would go up. Incorporating “regular joe” employees into the business plans of the company, hearing their ideas, making them feel valued and part of the company they work for, would boost their own creativity levels, and inspire more innovative ideas.
As a CEO, I would make sure that my door was always open to my employees, and I would have an open ear to hearing their suggestions and ideas. Mistakes would be encouraged, because it’s through mistakes that we learn and grow. Just as long as they’re not the same mistakes.
Developing the intrinsic motivation of my employees wouldn’t be as hard as most people think if the leadership really got the workforce excited and passionate about what the company is doing/where they’re headed. While cute workspaces and cheesy motivational posters might make work more passable, I often feel as though the employees are out of tune with what the management is doing/ where the company is going.
If the passion of the employees could be stoked, creativity would go up. Incorporating “regular joe” employees into the business plans of the company, hearing their ideas, making them feel valued and part of the company they work for, would boost their own creativity levels, and inspire more innovative ideas.
As a CEO, I would make sure that my door was always open to my employees, and I would have an open ear to hearing their suggestions and ideas. Mistakes would be encouraged, because it’s through mistakes that we learn and grow.
Just as long as they’re not the same mistakes.
My plan to boost people’s creativity is simply making the workplace a more relaxing and pleasant environment while at the same time keeping the same workplace attitude. For starters, everyone should be well aquatinted with one another so that everyone will be comfortable working with each other. By doing this, creativity can be boosted because there will be no awkward tension. Without this awkward tension, people will be able to think better thus boosting creativity levels. We can start this first plan by playing ice breaker games at work for perhaps 30 minutes every week followup by a company party every month.
After watching these two films, I’ve come up with two different ideas to help tap into employees intrinsic motivation.
The first idea comes from my own experience of working in retail and the restaurant business. Throughout the years, I found that there was a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding between boss (manager) and employee. Managers would create a task for employees and the employees would get upset or not realize the necessity of the assignment. The same thing went for employees, and even myself. Sometimes we may ask something of our managers and they may not follow through, which might end up offending us. I would create a monthly event or project where managers and employees work or come together to finish the project. I think managers still need to have the respect from their employees, but working together as a team might help everyone understand the perspective of their fellow employees or managers.
Also, I feel like there needs to be an appropriate break area for employees. At the job I am currently at, I would not even consider the “break area” to be a break room. I work at a restaurant and the break area is in the back of the restaurant by the dumpsters. It’s hot, and very small with only a table and fold out chairs. It makes myself and other employees feel unappreciated and not cared about. Places like Google, have made sure to create healthy ways for their employees to take breaks. For example, they have basketball courts and a gym. Although I would not expect that of my work, the idea that they care for their employees is evident.
too many comments…While I read these comments, I regretted that why I post so lately.
But, there were a lot of creative ideas about managing employees and it’s good for me to know about diverse thoughts.
In my opinion, it’s difficult to find out the way that can apply to any work places, because the type of job and people in the work place are diverse. Therefore, the owner of each company has to be smart and has an insight into human. Of course, dinner party and activities with co workers are good for employees to understand each other and make atmosphere in work place comfortable. But does every employee have same personality? Is it possible? Any great way that can manage workers effectively have to match with each worker’s personality. By doing so, the great way can work. So, as CEO, I will have meeting with each employees. Or supervisors of each department can have meeting. This meeting will become an opportunity to understand personality of each worker. And in this meeting workers talk about their goals of this week or this month. The goals can be anything that has meaning to themselves. Or I think that making open board on the wall that every worker can attach the paper written their goal on it is good way. And I want to make unique culture in my company. It’s learning mind. For example, reading books can be way to learn. Every week, every worker participates in the seminar that discusses about one book that read during that week. It’s more comfortable for someone who doesn’t want tell about themselves to talk together about common thing or things in the book.
While I read these comments, I regretted that why I post so lately. But, there were a lot of creative ideas about managing employees and it’s good for me to know about diverse thoughts.
In my opinion, it’s difficult to find out the way that can apply to any work places, because the type of job and people in the work place are diverse. Therefore, the owner of each company has to be smart and has an insight into human. Of course, dinner party and activities with co workers are good for employees to understand each other and make atmosphere in work place comfortable. But does every employee have same personality? Is it possible? Any great way that can manage workers effectively have to match with each worker’s personality. By doing so, the great way can work. So, as CEO, I will have meeting with each employees. Or supervisors of each department can have meeting. This meeting will become an opportunity to understand personality of each worker. And in this meeting workers talk about their goals of this week or this month. The goals can be anything that has meaning to themselves. Or I think that making open board on the wall that every worker can attach the paper written their goal on it is good way. And I want to make unique culture in my company. It’s learning mind. For example, reading books can be way to learn. Every week, every worker participates in the seminar that discusses about one book that read during that week. It’s more comfortable for someone who doesn’t want tell about themselves to talk together about common thing or things in the book.
too many comments…While I read these comments, I regretted that why I post so lately. But, there were a lot of creative ideas about managing employees and it’s good for me to know about diverse thoughts.
In my opinion, it’s difficult to find out the way that can apply to any work places, because the type of job and people in the work place are diverse. Therefore, the owner of each company has to be smart and has an insight into human. Of course, dinner party and activities with co workers are good for employees to understand each other and make atmosphere in work place comfortable. But does every employee have same personality? Is it possible? Any great way that can manage workers effectively have to match with each worker’s personality. By doing so, the great way can work. So, as CEO, I will have meeting with each employees. Or supervisors of each department can have meeting. This meeting will become an opportunity to understand personality of each worker. And in this meeting workers talk about their goals of this week or this month. The goals can be anything that has meaning to themselves. Or I think that making open board on the wall that every worker can attach the paper written their goal on it is good way. And I want to make unique culture in my company. It’s learning mind. For example, reading books can be way to learn. Every week, every worker participates in the seminar that discusses about one book that read during that week. It’s more comfortable for someone who doesn’t want tell about themselves to talk together about common thing or things in the book.
Dan Pink said that empolyees did worse when there was a financial reward attached to productivity. Instead of offering a huge bouns with a paycheck, why not offer so sort of exciting outing or a sport activity. Or instead of just using it as a reward at all send the whole company on a day trip. Use outings like that to help better company communiction and have a strcit “no work” talk policy. Have emplyee gatherings that do not require your staff to think about work or just take an extra day out of their work week. Make sort of a “Pandora’s” box if you will. where each emplyee gets to put in a ceritain idea for something the office can do as a whole, or a project that someone really wants to work on and have the office work on the project one day a week until it it done.
Motivation is a mysterious word as where we dont know where motivation derives, everyone is different, everyone has a different spark for motivation. I agree with Dan Pink when he says, “management is not a tree, it is a television.” Meaning that humans created the intangible structure of management as we created the tangible object that is the television. People as a whole have not revised the theory of management. It has been around for centuries and I believe as progressive and innovative as humans are in the 21st century, we should be able to develop a much more affective way to manage our economy. I believe that we should promote positive thinking, using an open mind and losing the binding restrictions of dress codes, time cards, business lingo. As long as people are free thinking and WELCOMING of new ideas and new ways, that should be a big enough first step to lead us in the right direction toward a better business-way.
If I were a CEO of a company, I would encourage creativity by incorporating ‘Jam’ sessions were employees can voice their ideas. Similar to a musician’s jam session, the staff would gather and share ideas in a very casual environment. Any employee, no matter the position, will have time to share feedback, ideas, and goals no matter how outrageous or how simple. During this session, everyone must listen and are not allowed to make judgments or comments. After the jam sessions, the employees with have a free day to work towards their idea. If they liked another employees’ idea, they can team up and work together if they choose. This will help the staff to get to know each other and encourage teamwork and creativity. The employees will also have the freedom to work in their ideal environment, for example, playing music, watching TV, or sitting outside. Many times, people find inspiration in different ways and this is the chance to see what works for other people.
Also, I would make the office seating very open. I would get rid of cubical walls and have open desks. The desks would be fairly close to each other so that the different departments work in a more collaborative environment. The staff will feel more comfortable using each other as support so everyone feels comfortable sharing new ideas.
Lastly, many offices offer exercise classes during lunch or after hours. I would add art classes as an option. This would include drawing, dancing, and other forms of classes to encourage creativity.
When I become the CEO of a company, I would encourage creativity by incorporating ‘Jam’ sessions were employees can voice their ideas. Similar to a musician’s jam sessions, the staff would gather in a casual environment. Any employee, no matter the position, will have time to share feedback, ideas, and goals no matter how outrageous or how simple. During this session, everyone must listen and are not allowed to make judgments or comments. After the jam sessions, the employees with have a free day to work towards their idea. If they liked another employees’ idea, they can team up and work together if they choose. This will help the staff to get to know each other and encourage teamwork and creativity. The employees will also have the freedom to work in their ideal environment, for example, playing music, watching TV, or sitting outside. Many times, people find inspiration in different ways and this is the chance to see what works for other people.
Also, I would make the office seating very open. I would get rid of cubical walls and have open desks. The desks would be fairly close to each other so that the different departments work in a more collaborative environment. The staff will feel more comfortable using each other as support so everyone feels comfortable sharing new ideas.
Lastly, many offices offer exercise classes during lunch or after hours. I would add art classes as an option. This would include drawing, dancing, and other forms of classes to encourage creativity.
If were CEO of a company I would run it just like the Starbucks runs there company. Starbucks produces a great premium product that all there returning and new customers love, because Starbucks mentality has always been putting their employees first and then there customers and vendors. If I gave my employees incentives to enjoy doing what they do so they can produce a great product i would do just that. Great teamwork, benefits, awards, and everything else that Starbucks has come up with is exactly how I would run a company as a CEO. One great and healthy environmental workplace creates one great product.
I think Mr. Pink’s strategy is great for jobs that require high levels of creativity. As he mentioned himself when the answer is straight forward and what supposed to be done is obvious, then bouneses and other incentives are effective and still motivating for employees. Although for company’s like Google I think crativity is number one objective to stay in the competition. Giving employees free time (to think out side of company’s rules and regulation) can greatly help the company to see different ideas to further improve as a whole which in return could favor all the employees too.
My solution to boost intrinsic motivation is a little off the wall. but i find that my best ideas come to me when i am relaxed or about to sleep. Studies have also shown that visualizing something over and over can be just as beneficial as practicing something over and over. So to boost motivation i would have a portion of my employee’s time dedicated to relaxation, in which you would enter a relaxed environment and think about the problems we need to attack. I think in a relaxed state our mind is free to wander and we are able to think of out of the box solutions to everyday tasks. Its sort of like those sensory deprivation tanks that let your mind go free due to the lack of senses.
I really enjoyed the video of Dan Pink because of the illustration he used with the candles. It really helped me understand how the mind works, and its thoughts process. This video is extremely helpful because it helps expand our creativity and thought process. I would recommend anyone who is thinking of opening a business, or has management responsibilities watch this video. I also learned a lot from the sevond video with Abundance, Asia, and Automation One thing that stood out is that price margins are based off significance not utility. Thiese videos were very informational and should be watched by college students and people in the work enviroment
Both the videos and Dan Pink were very motivational and inspiring. The part where he used the toilet bowl cleaner and fly swatter i immediately connected with my hobbies; using the right brain abilities to make my actions in break dancing more desirable and appealing. FedEx days and 20/80′s are creative ways that those two companies have invented to enhance their employees’ intrinsic motivation. Though both seem to be along the same lines of each other, they both depend on working on something not work related and being able to ‘play’ as Dan Pink would say. I feel that the only way to tap into employee’s intrinsic motivation is also to allow them to play. As a CEO of any company I would definitely use the ROWE management strategy and hopefully have a few gatherings with all the employees at least once a month to help promote a better working environment for everyone. I feel that if everyone is comfortable and acquainted with each other, going to work everyday would be more like going somewhere to play instead.
I found the scientific research stated in the TED video by Dan Pink very intriguing. I was surprised to learn the fact that most of the time, a larger reward sparks less of a creative flow in an individual rather than a medium or small reward. With that in mind, I want to optimize creativity in the workplace by having on-going contests through out the year that offer only small prizes such as movie tickets, coffee mugs, coupons for restaurants etc. These small prizes, while not so flashy and news-worthy, will definitley spark a creative flow in employees while keeping more of the creativity in play.
If I were a CEO of a company and I wanted to create intrinsic motivation for all my employees, I would first make the working environment a comfortable and relaxing place to be so that the workers will actually want to come to work instead of dreading their work and their work atmosphere. I would cut down some rules such as dress code since most people don’t like being told what restrictions they must have on clothes. Also, this sense of autonomy will allow their creativeness to come out more since creative juices flow best when one is comfortable in their own skin.
I’d like to begin by re-iterating some of the ideas mentioned above. I think everyone has some wonderful ideas on how to encourage and facilitate employees’ intrinsic motivation. These ideas include open, bright/warm, and colorful work atmposheres, casual dress code, no formal work schedule, no deadlines, optional work meetings, open forum discussions, and social gatherings and much, much more that I have not mentioned. All these ideas seem to have the same goal: to create work environment that least resembles work, or if you will, a “work-free” environment. The aim of creating an fun environment, that is radically different from your standard, formal definiton of work would hopefully produce intrinsically motivated employees.
If I was a CEO one idea that I would incorporate (in addition to the other ones previously discussed) would be to have large, blank, white-erase board (relative to the office size, the larger the office the larger the board/wall) that would allow everyone to express and write down their ideas and thoughts. What I’m hoping here is that small ideas can turn into big and great ideas with the collaboration and efforts of everyone in the workplace. I hope my suggestion revolves around the same theme and direction of a “work-free” environment and yield a higher standard of productivity, happiness, and provide plenty of intrinsically motivational factors to employees.
I think Mr. Pink’s idea of not using the current trend (bouneses and incentives) to motivate employees is great for companies that require high levels of creativity. As he mentioned himself when the answer is straightfroward and doesn’t require thinking outside the box the icentives still work. When it requires creativity, incentives and time limits could put pressure on employees, therefore not getting the best result for Co. and employees.
If I owned my own Advertising Co. I would difinetly try to incorprate Mr. Pink’s ideas. For example; Client BMW. I would make a deal with BMW so all creatives working on the campaing could test drive any (all) model of BMW to get a better feel for it.
Being one of the last ones to post here was somewhat of a challenge because all of the thoughts that originally came to my head have all been posted many times over. But, it forced me to really think long and hard about what is the downfall of most workers. I think that a lot of people get too comfortable in their positions and therefore get lazy and un-creative. So, to counteract this I would force my workers to stay fresh. I would do this by:
-making people switch office locations every few months to give them a new perspective
-move merchandise around frequently if it is a retail store
-change people roles and titles often
-never give people a set schedule, change their days, times, etc
Some of these are a little wacky and off the wall but I really beleive that when people are on their toes, they are more productive and creative. I would want people to constantly have that feeling that they had when they were first hired and everything is so new and exciting.
I guess i would have an open work schedule except for a certain time where every one comes in brainstorming throwing ideas off each other take some notes then go and leave to an environment that suits an individuals creative inspiration. offices would be open 24hrs a day come and go as you please cause sometimes inspiration strikes at odd hours and mobile to mobile would allow more brainstorming sessions to commence.
If I was a CEO of a company I would create a work environment that promoted unity between all workers of the company. Although I feel there should be respect for higher rank employees, I think that all employees should feel comfortable enough not to feel nervous or anxious to speak up in the company. After a comfortable environment is set up between the workers I would promote teamwork through out the company because I feel that people work better with someone along side them. Its nice to have support and productive criticism between co-workers.
In order to tap into employees’ intrinsic motivation, I feel that employees must be given freedom but with some direction as well. I like the idea of the Fed-Ex days, I would do something similar to that but I would encourage my employees to work on things that meant something in their life or represent who they are as a person. I feel that when someone puts their outside life in the work the best ideas and results come out because its something they feel passionate about.
If I was a CEO of a company the creative method I would use to create intrinsic motivation in employees would be to create a better workspace that is not confined to one area. I have had the privilege to be in an office that works this way and I feel that with an open workspace people feel closer together because there aren’t many barriers closing people out. This method helps create a friendly atmosphere and helps people who may be a little timid feel that people are more approachable. The colors in the office would be bright happy colors. The offices that needed to have walls would be made of glass or a see through equivalent of glass so that even though these doors may be shut there is still an open vibe to it because you can see what is going on inside. The break area would be filled with comfy couches and stuff that can help relax or relieve you such as a pool table, a variety of vending machines, an outside area adjacent to the break room with a canopy, tables, chairs, and a nice grassy area along with a half court for basketball. I believe that if you create an area where the employees enjoy being then they will feel more inclined to work better not just for the extrinsic incentives but because they feel better about themselves and with their good work that can make them fell even better.
As CEO, I would have regular social gatherings to just “shoot the shit”, because I think that some of the best ideas come when you least expect them. People are more comfortable speaking out when it is in a casual environment. During these get-togethers I would also incorporate games, such as the Pictionary, or Cranium. It’s always interesting to see how people respond in games and how their brains function, and I think these games subconsciously get their creative juices working.
I completely agree with Daniel Pink’s vision of motivation and new way of managing a business. I myself do better at a task if I am intrinsically motivated and genuinely interested in the task at hand. If I were a CEO of a major company or business I would make it mandatory for every employee to an hour out of every work day to attend a workshop that involoves something of the arts. Such as watching a movie, learning about design, digital design, art history, music, etc. Or they can use that time to autonomically stear their creative mind into something they have never tried before that they think could help them find new ideas or have them take a break for any routine they think is holding them back. I also would have them compare their new artistic knowledge to the work they have done before they attended the workshops and whatnot to see if they could improve any previous work with the new knowledge they have attained and for future projects. I would also allow employees to leave whenever they feel like as long as they can get the work done. I agree that external rewards are very limited but I think after a while the employees will see that the benefits of workshops and creative exercises are limitless and abundant.
I agree with Daniel Pink’s vision on motivation and new way of managing a business. I personally work better when I am intrinsically motivated and genuinely enjoy the task at hand. If I were a CEO of a company I would make complementary workshops available for employees to attend that teaches them about creativity or areas of the arts such as music, design, drawing, art history, and other subjects that could help employees tap into an area they are interested in or have never really learned about before. I would let employees take an hour or 2 each work day for them to attend these workshops or they have the choice to go out (or stay in) and join any activity that they think will get their creative juices flowing and help them take a break from any routine they think they are getting sucked in. I would encourage the employees to take the new knowledge they have attained and compare it to the previouse work they have done and see if they could improve the work by incorporating the new knowledge as well as future projects. It is also encouraged to go out with coworkers as a group in order to bond as well as discuss any opinions or feelings. I would also let them leave whenever they feel like so as long as they get their work done. I think after a while they will find that the knowledge and the freedom they attain will benefit them creatively and intrinsically.
If I were the CEO of a company and I wanted to motivate my employees to become inspired, I would create as little boundaries as possible. I know it sounds rediculous, but I think that many people are intimidated by rules. I think it’s very important to make sure that your employees get there work done, but shouldn’t feel obligated to making themselves, look busy, even when they’re not. Its ok sometimes to take a break from what you are doing and come back to it with a fresh perspective. Intimidation is not a good tactic for motivating employees. Therefore I would talk to my employees like I would a peer, and make the environment and fun as possible, while still maintaing a good work ethic.
If i was the CEO of a company, in order to tap into employees’ intrinsic montivations, I would not only use the methods discussed in Dan Pinks speaches (i really like the idea of fed ex days), i would also hold inspirational meetings once a month to help inspire and motivate my employees. These meetings would in fact be mandatory because they would be giving my employees advice and inspiring them to openly learn and creatively think, therefore each employee would gain from these guest speakers, and would enjoy coming to the meeting. I would also allow my employees to have an open schedule where they can come into work whenver they would like, as long as they get there work done. The catch would be that the office would not be an average “work-place” atmosphere, it would be a place full of art, interesting creations, or unlikely experiments; simply anything that would bring out a relaxed, artistic, and youthfull attitude in my employees so that they would want to come into the office to complete there work. We would have an anual show-n-tell week, where employees have to go out for the week and work on anything they wanted, and not come into the office until the end of the week. They would be encouraged to work on something that represented something about themselves or their passions in life, and at the end of the week they would get the opportunity to show these creations or experiments to there fellow co-workers at our annual party. I think that this would be a fun and casual way for employees to openly think and create things, while putting themselves fully into their projects because it’s something they want to complete and accomplish, not something they are being forced or rewarded to complete.
As CEO of a company I would create an area in the workplace designed for sleeping where an employee can go to sleep in a bed if they lack sleep for whatever reason. I would rather have employees that are well rested then employees that are half awake in order to help the employee function with their full potential. I would also allow employees to go to work in comfortable clothes rather than the typical suit and tie culture found in most offices. If employees are dressed in comfortable clothes then they can produce better work because it would let them feel as if they weren’t working at all. I would also allow an extended break period every week, in which employees can choose how long they’re break will be, as long as it is spent outside of the office. Having a long break will let employees relieve themselves from a stressful day and being outside of the office will let them get some fresh air into their system so that they can free their mind to think more clearly. Finally, I would create a system in which employee are randomly selected to go out to lunch with me each week. This will let me get to know my employees better, so that I can break the barrier between us, and to get feedback and suggestions to make the company a better workplace.
If i were the CEO of a company i would do all i could to make it a place of creative thinking and learning. I really like Pink’s idea of the fed ex days, and i also like the idea of open hours for empoyees to come and go as they please. In a previous post someone metioned the idea of having an office that was open 24 hours to its workers, and i think that this is a great idea as well. Not only are all of these idea good starts to intrinsically motivate my employees, but i would also emphasize the idea of creativity, and working together in my office. The office itself would be full of art, unlikely experiments, motivational perices of work, along with inspirational qoutes. There would be opportunity to work in a desk office setting( keep in mind the office would be no ordinary one), as well as unconvetional places, such as a garden, or balcony overlooking an amazing view, etc. It would be a workplace full of color and life, threfore making employees want to come to work, and when there, they would enjoy each moment. Also i find it more interesting and fun when i work with others so i would encourage my employees to get to know eachother on a more personal level, and throw weekly luncheons, bbq’s etc. Once a month i would invite and inspirational guest speaer to a mandatory meeting for my employees, the meeting would help guide and inspire them to work freely and creatively. The meetings would only be an hour or so long, but they would be beneficial to each employee and inspire each one individually. Optional workshhops would be provided for the employees to gain knowledge about upcoming events or projects, but ultimately the emplyees would have full control of their work and hours of work. Once a year (about half way through) i would use Pink’s idea of fed ex days, but instead they would be fed ex weeks, where employees were to take the week off to work on something that didn’t pertain to their work they do in the office. They would be encouraged to work on something that was meaningful to them in their personal lives, or to simply use their passions to create something of their own choice. At the end of the week (friday), we would hold an office show-n-tell celebration for those employees who wanted to show there work to the rest of the office. There would be no prizes, no rewards, just simply an opportunity for each employee to show what they can do, and to express themselves as indivuals. I believe that as long as the office is a fresh and free spirited work enviorment, the creativity would continue to flow with each day that passes.
The methods I will implement on my company, as the CEO, will be creative, simple, smart, and can be incorporated into any working environment. One idea is to have monthly group projects. The idea is to work on a creative project that will carry a positive message of importance for each employee. I would make them work on whatever they may choose and during the times they may choose, as long as it does not affect getting their job done effectively. The purpose is to teach them how to work together, learn new things about each other, understanding each other, share ideas, and give each other support. In the world of advertisement, incredible ideas are always being shot down and thrown into the graveyard. This leads to an amount of stress that gets in the way of thinking creatively. Therefore, I would create a stress free environment. I would design the department in a way that no matter where you go you’ll feel safe, encouraged, at home, and free to take risks and go beyond the norm. Leaving messages of encouragement, placing art, putting up group projects, and placing pictures of employees hanging out together are some examples of what I would place along the walls, floors, and just about anywhere with space. I want the employees to spend time together outside of the office, with the product or individually, for at least 2 hours while video taping and photographing their experience together. Sometimes creative ideas come to us so quickly that we sometimes forget them. The video footage and photographs can help jog the employees’ memories as we all watch them together. They might just see or think of an idea once they see what was going on through a different perspective.
These videos offer a better understanding of how the creative mind can be opened when there are no limitations. If I was the CEO of a company that needed to get the creative right side of my employees working better I would need to change the regular style of business. I would have to agree with the many previously given ideas. Environment is key to a workplace. If an office is enclosed and not open it lessens our ability to think outside the box since we feel like we are already inside one. Having a fun and diverse work environment would enable individuals to move around and broaden experiences that could develop greater ideas. I like the idea of giving people time to enjoy a project because it is something they want to do. Such as having 24 hours to invent or create something for fun. Less structure could contribute to individuals having more tangible freedom and creative freedom with work. As CEO I would offer work shops that would be available, if the employee wanted to attend, for learning something fun such as a hobby that the employee could enjoy. This would enable them to exercise their creative side and produce more for the company. Perhaps even having some type of field trip for departments where they are able to go out and enjoy something together would be another way to actively engage the intrinsic and creative side of the brain and enable workers to feel more motivated in producing quality ideas and work. Finally in order to increase purpose if the company does not already give or support a worthy cause I would ensure our work would fund an organization that is increasing the well being of others. In this way the company would be prosperous in more than just finance and employees would know they are supporting something beneficial.
If you look at the ideas presented in Pink’s video, he very early on lays before us 2 types of tasks. Ones where a short sighted incentive makes people move fast, and others where it seems to do harm. Optimization is far more intricate that simple black and white and methods cannot just be slapped on to any given task based on a general profile. For this reason, I can’t imagine why one would simply throw out one idea based on what they assess their employees to be, or the position that they carry. I believe that these methods have their place and time and are useful short-term tools to allow employees to succeed.
There is an old saying, and pardon the choice of words, “if you want someone to move quick, light a fire under their ass.” Now while doing this literally will quickly have you up to your ears in lawsuits, doing so figuratively is undeniably beneficial. Hitting people where it is going to hurt, their job and potentially their entire income will make them become more aggressive in completing their tasks.
I believe that peer and management reviews by employees help foster competition, collaboration, and eliminate waste and laziness. Employees who don’t get along, will not be productive in all likelihood. This isn’t to say they must like each other, they just must both understand each others importance, which most intelligent human beings will. Getting rid of the useless or lazy employees will “trim the fat” that is slowing a company down and potentially costing them money. The bottom 10% will be harshly reviewed and likely laid off at the end of each quarter.
Harsh? Yes perhaps, but business is not a charity it is for profit. I believe in cut throat business and believe that the most creative will thrive in this business model. Of course, this model won’t work for everyone but I believe for the people I would surround myself with, this
If I were the CEO of my own company my solution to boost intrinsic motivation would revolve around the idea that people are most creative when they are out and about. I would implement a full day, once every month where you are encouraged to not come in to the office but go out and do something new. Experiencing something new, whether it be a show, concert, class or exhibition you will be exposed to something culturally different. After this expedition, I would have everyone take some time to write about what they experienced and one thing that could be utilized in their daily lives.