There is more to motivation than carrots and sticks – or in the case of the image above: Gold and rotten potatoes.
- The poor farmer above had the potato harvest fail, and they had to move driven by fear, hunger, despair – at being targeted for outplacement…. as modern management speak would label depleted human resources.
- The wise guy with the pickaxe is out for the rewards of the gold. Out for the cheat and greed of the quick fix. They though fails to deliver in the long run. The balanced score card is loaded for the current budget – containing only my, myself and I.
- Lady Liberty in the back as a symbol of opportunities and unknown rewards. A New Hope. I doubt that many immigrants of the days ever visited the monument in the turmoil – it remained only a beacon…
So what has this got to do about testing?
Motivating people is very much about leading testers. But the three “personas” above might also inspire in thinking about things to test:
– Where are the burning platforms?
– Where are the quick rewards?
– Where are the long-term rewards?
If you are not Alan Page – go see RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
Complexity is a Matter of Perspective 
Thanks for sharing and I had listened to Dan Pink’s TED talk but had not seen this animation. Truly enjoyed it.
In the talk, Dan Pink also talks about the ROWE (Result Oriented Work Environment) and I also found that concept to be very interesting.
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