I’ve been reading Daniel Pink’s book “Drive” which looks at some of the surprising science around motivation.
A key principle of the book is that people are motivated more by intrinsic rewards (eg. enjoyment of the task, sense of challenge), more than than explicit rewards (eg. bonuses, increased pay, etc). This controversial insight has created ripples in conventional management wisdom. It’s also not far removed from other trends we’re seeing in business, such as the shift toward flatter structures, autonomous roles and greater work/life balance.
My first role was an ‘online job’. Since then, I’ve reflected on how online careers have certain characteristics which fulfill ‘intrinsic motivations’, just as much as being financially rewarding.
Here are 5 characteristics of Online careers that are intrinsically motivating and share some of the themes of Daniel Pink’s book:
1. Fast Delivery Cycles
There’s more appetite than ever to create faster release cycles for online work. Gone are the days where it would be acceptable to work on a major technology project for several years. Today there’s demand to release more frequently. For online teams, every time a significant piece of work ‘goes live’ (whether it be a new section or the website being launch, or a new Mobile App put onto the app store), this provides a sense of achievement.
2. Close Connection with Customer
When online is done well, it brings businesses and teams very close to customers. For a recent project I’ve been involved in we ran three user testing sessions. This gave us the opportunity to receive feedback from customers, then iterate designs. As well as produce high quality digital experiences, this makes the work people do tangible, and directly connects them with the potential impact of their efforts.
3. Continuous Challenge
To grow as individuals we need to be challenged. While many online projects share similarities, every single project brings with it its own issues, problems and challenges. Solving these obstacles, and growing in the process, is one of the reasons I’m passionate about online.
4. Novelty
Online careers are full of novelty. Tim Berners-Lee founded the internet in 1989. It seems like a long time ago, but in the span of human evolution, its the blink of an eye. The digital era has brought with it enormous change. Year to year there are new opportunities. Consider that Apple’s first iPad was launched as recently as April of 2010. Already traffic to the average website in Australia would be between 15 to 30%. Online careers are full of novelty. There are always a new skills to learn. There are always a new direction to take. 5 years ago the role of Social Media Manager didn’t exist and now its a career pathway. As a result, online careers often have a sense of discovery.
5. Contribution with Others
Working in online is a team sport. To deliver an online project (at least in most of the environments I’ve worked at), involves collaboration across many teams and people. This might be product, marketing, technology, legal….just to name a few. Online people are the ones who bring everyone together. At the end of the work – when the new digital experience is delivered – its common for teams to feel more connected and have a greater sense how they’ve contributed to one another.
