Stumbled upon, so to speak, this video from Dan Pink (Drive, A Whole New Mind), which in 10 minutes reminds us of what we know deep inside: People do their best work when they're doing something that they're really interested in.
Our friends at Atlassian have put this idea into practice, taking the old midnight hack into a whole day of condoned behavior. Once a week, people are free to work on something that really interests them. No real surprise in the results: bugs get fixed, new product ideas emerge, people are excited. And then they have a party. Money, Pink points out for those who haven't caught on yet, is hardly the only motivator.
Autonomy, mastery, and purpose are the big three, says Pink, which squares precisely with our findings on successful networks and virtual teams. Self-direction (everyone's a leader), competence (expertise, confidence), and shared vision ("Purpose is the glue; trust is the grease") are what make us want to work--and make us work better.
