A Humane Economist on the Meaning of Work A possibly apocryphal story highlights the key idea of this 20th century German-Swiss economist. Röpke was walking along a road with a famous colleague Ludwig von Mises. Walking … Continue reading Wilhelm Röpke on Why Do We Work
Category: Self-motivation
How managing stifles initiative and prevents joy
Psychologists on the impossibility of management—even for NINA puzzles The University of Rochester psychologists Edward Deci, Richard Ryan, and their associates carried, perhaps, the most ambitious contemporary theoretical and empirical research on motivation. They argue … Continue reading How managing stifles initiative and prevents joy
Neuroscience shows threats bad and freedom good
Managing with the Brain in Mind David Rock AUTUMN 2009, ISSUE 56 …Although a job is often regarded as a purely economic transaction, in which people exchange their labor for financial compensation, the brain experiences … Continue reading Neuroscience shows threats bad and freedom good
On the focus on money
Mitch Albom “People are only mean when they’re threatened and that’s what our culture does… And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself. You start making money a god. It is … Continue reading On the focus on money
McKinsey Quarterly on non-material motivators
Motivating people: Getting beyond money M. Dewhurst, M. Guthridge, & E. Mohr NOVEMBER 2009 Companies around the world are cutting back their financial-incentive programs, but few have used other ways of inspiring talent. We think … Continue reading McKinsey Quarterly on non-material motivators
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Henry Ford “If a man thinks he can or cannot perform a task, he’s right.”