Drive

Business and economics

Print length: 242 pagesRiverhead Books, 2009

Description

Daniel H. Pink examines what motivates people and how motivation can improve satisfaction in work and life. Drawing on three decades of scientific evidence, he challenges reliance on money and other reward-punishment systems and emphasizes intrinsic motivation: the pursuit of personally meaningful interests. Pink links this approach to performance, creativity, health, and well-being. Practical examples from workplaces, homes, and personal development illustrate how individuals and organizations can apply these ideas. The result is an accessible account of why motivation matters and how a stronger focus on meaningful interests may shape both achievement and satisfaction.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Conversational · Direct · Journalistic

Pace

Brisk

Tone

Cerebral · Earnest · Uplifting

Structure

Argumentative

Focus

Argument · Ideas · Information

Emotional intensity

2 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 2 / 5
Ideas: 3 / 5
Structure: 2 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

Art and creativityFreedomIdentityPowerWork

About Daniel H. Pink

Daniel H. Pink is an American nonfiction writer whose work brings business writing into conversation with psychology and social science. Before writing books, he served as chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore; his subsequent experience working independently prompted “Free Agent Nation,” an article that became his first book. Across seven New York Times bestsellers, Pink has examined how people work, choose, persuade, create, and change. His characteristic method is to set a familiar assumption against scientific research, case studies, and everyday examples, then turn the resulting argument toward practical use. Drive questions reward-and-punishment models of motivation, while To Sell Is Human broadens selling into the ordinary work of gaining attention and cooperation. When treats timing as a subject shaped by psychology, biology, and economics, and The Power of Regret draws on an international survey to reconsider a supposedly negative emotion as useful information. Pink’s books are distinguished by their accessible synthesis of research and their consistent interest in revising common advice about work and behavior.

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Riverhead Books
Language: English
ISBN: 9781594488849

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