Work is changing. More specifically, work is being changed.

Dan Pink continues to provide fascinating insights about this, and in his latest release, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, he mentions us (and we’re flattered by that, for sure!) and the benefits of ROWE.

Thank you, Dan!

C.A. Hurst, a ROWE supporter who regularly comments on our blog, has been making waves with his perspectives about change in education. Following, he shares his thoughts about Dan’s book and how ROWE can affect education, too…

“I just finished reading Dan Pink’s new book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.  Here’s Dan’s own cocktail party summary of Drive: ‘When it comes to motivation, there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system – which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators – doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way. This new approach has three essential elements:

(1) Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives;

(2) Mastery – the urge to get better and better at something that matters;

(3) Purpose – the yearning to what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.

Dan focuses on ROWE in his chapter on autonomy, explaining how ROWE gives people control over when, where and how they do their work. Of course, if you have control over your own life and time, then you have the opportunity to pursue mastery in an area of your choice. Whatever that choice may be, your work productivity will improve because you’re growing as a human being and you know it.  Happy people are productive people.  Furthermore, you have control over how you use your “purpose” time, that time that you devote to your community in whatever volunteer activities you choose. Giving back to our communities and our country is engrained into our culture. Not only that, it’s just good for ya! Makes your heart happy and full.

The ROWE mindset will be effective in any setting because it taps into a basic premise of R-E-S-P-E-C-T (I think I hear Aretha in the background!) and a view of basic human nature that assumes that we seek out what interests us and that we want to be active and engaged, rather than inert and passive. (Drive, ppg. 88-89)

Can ROWE work in education? My answer to that is an emphatic “YES!” Again from Drive, Dan gives a small sampling of five schools from different parts of the U.S. that approach education with a ROWE mindset; Big Picture Learning; Sudbury Valley School; The Tinkering School; Puget Sound Community School; and Montessori Schools .

Remember, ROWE is a mindset, a different way of looking at things. It’s about getting things done, not just taking up space.

As always, thank you for your continued support, C.A.

We encourage anyone who will be in the Twin Cities tomorrow (Monday January 18) to head over to Barnes & Noble at the Galleria in Edina for a discussion and book signing with Dan Pink.