Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work . . . and What Does by Susan Fowler offers a design based critique of traditional management thinking on motivation. Moreover, Fowler contends that extrinsic motivators such as rewards and penalties do not encourage sustained participation and may sabotage intrinsic motivation. Instead, she focuses on the need to provide people with a clear sense of meaning, autonomy and mastery over their endeavors. The book discusses the postulates of self-determination theory and highlights the importance of intrinsic motivation which occurs when the individual has the values and goals of the task at hand. Such a culture can enable leaders to instill motivation and commitment among team members. At the end of the day, Fowler believes, it is time to move away from using superficial techniques of motivation to the ones that are deeper and more empowering.
