Workers are more productive when they are allowed to do what they want. Now that we have computers that can take care of mundane, number-crunching tasks, we need humans to be more creative.

There’s a disconnect between what science knows about motivation and what business knows. We invented management in the 20th century.

While it’s a good system for getting people to comply, it needs an upgrade. In fact, letting people direct themselves actually works the best, Dan Pink said in a TED Global 2009 talk about the science of motivation. Behavior therapist Andrea Kuszewski wrote about Pink’s discussion:

Pink talks of companies such as Google and Atlassian who have pre-set “free work times”; during these times, employees have no restrictions on what they can work on, what time they have to be in the office, even whether or not they have be in the office at all to do their work. The only stipulation is that they have to get “something” done…. thinking for the pure enjoyment of generating new ideas.

Without limits, we are free to come up with creative solutions. That is why people shouldn’t be offered economic incentives because it limits their creative potential. Princeton’s psychologist Sam Glucksberg found that when people were offered an economic reward, it actually took them longer to come up with solutions. “The science confirms what we know in our hearts,” says Pink in the talk. We need to develop a new way to motivate people, one that is built around intrinsic drive, and steers clear from the traditional reward and punishment system.

There are, of course, other methods to try. According to Portfolio, the healthier your employees are, the better your stock price is. Companies who foot the bill for wellness programs are not only seeing their company value increase, but workers are more productive when they work out regularly. So exercise is a win-win situation — plus it will make you feel good too!

Image: flickr/ tribe.paramimedia.com

We Work Best When We Do What We Want is a post from: TechStartups.com

Today, President Obama announced a campaign called Educate to Innovate. The program will try to get kids interested in science, engineering, technology, and math.

Private companies, the federal government, foundations, and professional societies have invested $260 million into this effort, hoping their time and money might rebuild the spirit of innovation in America. Still, Obama is looking to recruit more people. Qualified individuals include: Big Bird, engineers, programmers, and scientists.

For example, Sesame Street will have episodes that touch on the scientific method. The Discovery Channel has set aside commercial-free programming on the Science Channel. Next year, Monday to Saturday, its programs will cater to after-school TV watchers. Time Warner Cable is setting up a website, called connectamillionminds.com, to track local science activities.

In his speech, Obama brought up an old, but disturbing statistic: In America, 15 year-old students rank 21st in science and 25th in math. He argues scientists and engineers need to be elevated as role models, the same way athletes and entertainers are. Obama wants to show kids how “cool science can be.” That’s why he’s going to have an annual science fair at the White House.

Critics argue that this campaign doesn’t do enough to improve science education, which is the underlying problem. Hopefully, the new science programs will be enough to do the trick.

It certainly wasn’t the hours of Full House and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air I watched growing up that got me interested in science. It was the little experiences that mattered. My dad exposed me to engineering. He took me though a tunnel underneath the ground, instead of walking me across the street. I took the path less traveled just to go to the pool!

Image: flickr/ The National Academy of Sciences

White House Wants Elmo, Engineers, and Scientists to Inspire Kids to Study Science is a post from: TechStartups.com