Daniel Pink

Author cited in The Expertise Economy for his framing of intrinsic motivation and autonomy. Pink supplies the book’s articulation of the “deeply human need to direct our lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world” — quoted as the engine of performance and satisfaction at work, school, and home. The book leans on his distinction between autonomy and independence: autonomy “is not the rugged, go-it-alone, rely-on-nobody individualism of the American cowboy” but means “acting with choice — which means we can be both autonomous and happily interdependent with others.” Palmer and Blake use this to argue managers should focus on what gets done rather than how, while pairing autonomy with frequent feedback and trust.

Context: Daniel Pink is an American author known for business and behavioral-science books including Drive (on intrinsic motivation, autonomy, mastery, and purpose), To Sell Is Human, and When.

Where this appears

• The Expertise Economy — cited for the autonomy-vs-independence distinction and the “deeply human need to direct our lives” as the engine of intrinsic motivation.