Drive: Purpose

In my first two articles, I discussed autonomy and mastery, two ingredients that Daniel Pink argues in his book "Drive" are essential for creativity and intrinsic motivation. His final ingredient is purpose. 

A Case Study

Why do we exist? Why are we doing what we are doing? These are questions of purpose. One study Pink shares shows how having a clear purpose in our work can increase motivation, leading to better outcomes.

Adam Grant, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist, performed a study on purpose with a group of call center representatives trying to raise funds for university scholarships. He split them into three groups. Group one read stories from previous employees about the personal benefits they received from the job, like growing in their communication skills. Group two, however, read stories from the people who actually received the scholarships from the funded money and how it positively impacted them. Finally, there was the control group that was given nothing.

What happened? “The people in the second group, who read about what their work accomplished, raised more than twice as much money, through twice as many pledges, as the other groups. A brief reminder of the purpose of their work doubled their performance” (Pink 138). Group two got re-inspired. Through reading personal stories from scholarship recipients, they were reminded that their work, which I’m sure could often feel mundane, made a tangible impact in people’s lives. Their spark was reignited, and it is evident in their raising more than twice the money of the other groups.

Group one, however, ended up being no more successful than the control group. The purpose they were presented with was merely, “What’s in it for me?” But that’s not inspiring. Watch any somewhat inspirational movie to figure that out. We need something bigger than ourselves to motivate us. Something we value deeply that drives us to act with zeal and gusto. What are some of these values?

What Do We Care About Most?

My church shared this article recently, which is a compilation of the 56 values that drive human behavior. The study is a compilation of data from cultures all over the world, and the findings from differing cultures are compared with one another. There are basic things on the list like financial security, but also things like generosity, religion, tradition, freedom of speech, and more. The number one value was family.

Some of these values are really positive, others arguably less so. Deci and Ryan, researchers I’ve mentioned in a previous article, found that recent grads who had profit goals (meaning the value that drove their behavior was wealth or fame) had increased levels of anxiety and depression, even if they were accomplishing their goals. However, “the people who’d had purpose goals (one example being helping others' lives) and felt they were attaining them reported higher levels of satisfaction and subjective well-being than when they were in college, and quite low levels of anxiety and depression" (Pink 141-142). What’s the lesson? Purpose is not enough. We must have a purpose beyond just building our little kingdom. That will only leave us toiling for more and more. To truly be human, we need something bigger than ourselves to drive our purpose. What’s your purpose? Do you know? What about your Scrum team’s purpose?

Scrum Teams

The Liberators Network, in their “Five Tips Every Starting Scrum Master Should Know” podcast, recommends that any time you have a new Scrum Master or a new team, the team needs to (re-)answer three questions:

1. What is the purpose of this team and the product we are creating?
2. Who is part of this team, and who are its stakeholders?
3. What minimal set of rules do we need to follow as a team to manage the complexity of our work while at the same time delivering value to our stakeholders?

Notice that first question. A Scrum Team must have a laser-focused understanding of their purpose and the purpose of their product. Why does the team exist? Why does our product exist? These are questions of purpose. A Scrum Team without these questions answered has no identity and no purpose. Instead of a Scrum Team, they are just a group of people who gather together to work on stuff. There may also be low levels of comradery, trust, focus, and commitment.

To help with this, the Scrum Team needs a clear Product Goal--something that is large and invigorating yet attainable and measurable. A significant product milestone a year out may be a good fit. And, if the call center study mentioned above can teach us anything, our product goal should emphasize the future delight of the stakeholders because of the fantastic product the team made.

On a similar note, sprint goals should be a clear stepping stone toward the product goal so that the value delivered to stakeholders is clear.

With clear product goals, the team knows their purpose for the long haul; with clear sprint goals, the team knows the purpose of the task in front of them. Both of these goals enable the scrum values of focus and commitment to flourish. Without them, these values will be wanting.

Is your Scrum Team’s purpose clear? Does your team’s product goal invigorate them? Are your sprint goals clear stepping stones toward the product goal? Maybe a retrospective with the team to talk about your purpose would be helpful. Or, you could propose to the team the idea of someone communicating the product goal at the beginning of every sprint planning and review. That way, their purpose is always in front of them.

In Conclusion

So, those are the three ingredients for intrinsic motivation and creativity--autonomy, mastery, and purpose. These are three things that Scrum Teams need in order to be as effective as they can be. And of course, a Scrum Master needs to foster an environment for them to flourish. 

To those who have read all these articles, thank you. I hope they have been helpful. I would love feedback on them. Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.

Thank you,

Daniel Kemp