Pink, Daniel H.; Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, 2009.

According to Daniel H. Pink, Wikipedia has been extraordinarily successful because “it represents the most powerful new business model of the twenty-first century: open source.” In explaining the strength of open source projects, Pink sites research showing that contributors are motivated by the enjoyment they feel when they master a challenge in a creative way.

There is a role in the workplace for bonuses and other “carrot and stick” motivators, particularly for routine tasks. In his intriguing book “Drive”, Pink writes that “Rewards, by their very nature, narrow our focus…They help us stare ahead and race faster.”

But, Pink says, “For more right-brain undertakings – those that demand flexible problem-solving, inventiveness or conceptual understanding – contingent rewards can be dangerous.”

In other words, if a task is tedious the promise of a bonus upon completion may keep us hustling. But research suggests that an external “carrot” might actually chill our interest in a creative challenge, like participating in an open source project. What is more likely to get our juices flowing is the fun of working with others to create something new.