Motivation Theories (11/12): Pink’s Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose

This short statement can be a meaningful summary of what Pink’s Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose is all about when it comes to motivation.

Humans are not the same as horses. You cannot get people to do something simply by dangling a bigger carrot or wielding a sharper stick.

Introduction to Pink’s Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose

Daniel H. Pink is a book author who challenged the content theories of motivation and the effectiveness of traditional rewards such as bonuses and sales commissions to motivate people in the modern era. He claimed that those monetary rewards block creativity which is highly required in today’s workforce.

Instead, Pink’s Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose theory proposes that intrinsic motivation, the desire to do something for its inherent satisfaction, is what motivates.

He argued that there are three main factors that drive human motivation including:

1. Autonomy. Being self-sufficient to direct our own lives
2. Mastery. Being able to self-improve by learning and creating new things
3. Purpose. Having self-esteem and drive to do better by ourselves.

Pink does differentiate between two motivational types in his book ‘Drive’: Type X and Type I.

Type X individuals are driven by extrinsic desires, meaning they find motivation in…