Complexity as “The Candle Problem”

As an observer and analyst of change in the world, Daniel Pink is among the best. He coined the phrase "Free Agent Nation" long before it became the new attitude for employees in the marketplace, and he's an advocate for embracing the "right brain" in business and breaking our dependence on pure logic and order as the keys to success. Now in his latest TED.com video, he tackles the idea that the workplace consistently demands that employees apply complex, sophisticated thinking in order to perform their jobs, and that as a consequence, organizations need to take an entirely new view on how to motivate performance. What he describes is an enlightened organization.

First, Pink makes his case for complexity by introducing what he calls "the candle problem." I won't give away the details as it makes for a fascinating presentation, but bottom line, what he describes is a workplace that's less about performing predictable tasks, and more about empowered individuals working to solve difficult problems on a routine basis.

He then goes on to argue that the typical carrot-and-stick approach to motivating performance is ineffective in such an environment. Instead, he suggests that three elements need to be in place to engage employees: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

In our view of an "enlightened organization," we make the same argument but simply phrase it in terms of outcomes. Enlightened employees are continually responding to two critical questions:

What is my unique value?

Am I making a difference?

When employees are continually challenged to bring their "A game" to work, have the freedom to demonstrate this value, and then can vividly see that they're personally contributing to a higher goal, you've created a healthy, dynamic workplace full of growth and opportunity.

Check out Daniel Pink's video below.
Jennifer