> I want to thank Margaret McIntyre for the suggested questions for our
> discussion of *Punished by Rewards*. Her first suggestion was:
>
> >1) what questions/concerns do we have on this topic BEFORE we begin
> >reading?
I have a few questions/concerns and cautions for the LO list to consider
on this thread. We have been over and over this topic on the Deming
Electronic Network (DEN) for several years. I have enjoyed it very much
and learned a great deal. Most importantly I learned that you should read
Appendix B: What is Intrinsic Motivation? first before reading the rest of
the book or at least before engaging in dialogue on the concept of
intrinsic motivation. Kohn raises some very powerful, yet troubling
questions that will indeed come up in this dialogue if they haven't
already.
Deming advocates, including myself, took Deming's statement "One is born
with intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, dignity, joy in learning..."
grabbed onto Kohn's work from the gut, and pressed on preaching intrinsic
motivation without a clear definition of the term. I think we understood
the concepts of self-esteem, dignity, and joy in learning, and the idea of
"the willing worker" but we neglected to define what Intrinsic Motivation
means. We never agreed on what it meant to be born with intrinsic
motivation. What exactly are we born with? What is the source of
intrinsic motivation and how does resignation to the extrinsic robbed us
of that innate quality within?
Debate over the intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy prevailed on the DEN and we
never really came to any conclusions. It was not until after our
discussion that I read Appendix B and discovered why were having the
problems we did. Kohn was having the same troubles! My hope is the LO
list will address the questions and concerns Kohn raises and leaves open
in Appedix B.
You must read it yourself in full, but here are some of the questions:
In Appendix B: What is Intrinsic Motivation?, Kohn raises some some very
interesting questions/concerns with the idea of Intrinsic Motivation (IM).
Kohn does an outstanding job of pursuading the reader, at least me, that
we are indeed punished by rewards. But for me where it gets real
interesting is in Appendix B, where he says "The very idea of IM is
controversial in some quarters because of its implicit affirmation that
what people do isn't always initiated by forces outside the self...
"...there are quite a few controversies among those who take the concept
of IM seriously but can't seem to agree on exactly what it means."
"...once our definition of IM goes beyond someone's desire to perform a
particular task, we begin to run into problems."
"...the major question is whether we understand the concept in terms of a
desire to engage in a particular task or in terms of certain qualities and
more general motivations that define human beings."
"...IM is an idea that was never intended to apply to something beyond the
needs of separate selves"
"...my question is limited to whether encouraging an intrinsic orientation
threatens to exclude product concerns."
Kohn finishes the Appendix, "My point is that it is not at all obvious
what is meant by the phrase intrinsic motivation. what appears at first
blush an uncomplicated idea reveals itself as a tangle of possibilities,
all of which have substantive implications for what we counterpose to the
use of rewards."
To any of you that have read Appendix B, did you at first blush think of
IM as an uncomplicated idea and then after reading it see it as a tangle
of possibilities?
My hope is the LO list can help me untangle the possibilities. Why does
it "feel" obvious, yet reveals itself intellectually as a complicated
tangle?
I am very much a visual learner, the image I have hanging over my computer
comes from Innovation Asociates brochure (thanks). The image of a child
hugging a mammoth tree at the base and looking up. The caption reads:
"Real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. Through
learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we extend our capacity
to create, to be part of the generative process of life. There is within
each of us a deep hunger for this type of learning."
This image allows me to grasp the deeper meaning of intrinsic
motivation...putting it into words or a science is much more difficult.
Help!?
Have a Great Adventure!
Don Kerr
USA Flight Manifest
donald.a.kerr@USAHQ.unitedspacealliance.com
281.282.3878
--"Kerr, Donald A" <Donald.A.Kerr@USAHQ.UnitedSpaceAlliance.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>