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Why do we work? The question seems so simple. But Professor Barry Schwartz proves that the answer is surprising, complex, and urgent.
We've long been taught that the reason we work is primarily for a paycheck. In fact, we've shaped much of the infrastructure of our society to accommodate this belief. Then why are so many people dissatisfied with their work, despite healthy compensation? And why do so many people find immense fulfillment and satisfaction through "menial" jobs? Schwartz explores why so many believe that the goal for working should be to earn money, how we arrived to believe that paying workers more leads to better work, and why this has made our society confused, unhappy, and has established a dangerously misguided system.
Through fascinating studies and compelling anecdotes, this book dispels this myth. Schwartz takes us through hospitals and hair salons, auto plants and boardrooms, showing workers in all walks of life, showcasing the trends and patterns that lead to happiness in the workplace. Ultimately, Schwartz proves that the root of what drives us to do good work can rarely be incentivized, and that the cause of bad work is often an attempt to do just that.
How did we get to this tangled place? How do we change the way we work? With great insight and wisdom, Schwartz shows us how to take our first steps toward understanding, and empowering us all to find great work.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 1, 2015 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781476784878
- File size: 2294 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781476784878
- File size: 3171 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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August 1, 2015
Schwartz (psychology, Swarthmore Coll.), a prolific writer (The Paradox of Choice) and popular TED talk guest, looks at why we work and what makes work "good." Written like a TED talk and copublished with TED, Schwartz's concise synthesis of this idea is filled with rapid-fire examples, psychological studies and theories, and compelling anecdotes. The author suggests that our relationship to labor is complex and not easily distilled into a "paycheck." Likewise, he asserts that the elements that give tasks meaning and create engagement (purpose, variety, autonomy, and sense of belonging) also undergird company loyalty and profitability. However, Schwartz posits that we have too long believed in the false notion of the worker as pictured by Adam Smith and Frederick Taylor. To guide thoughtful change, he provides four fundamental questions to building institutions that foster "good" work that will help both the individual and the institution to grow. VERDICT Schwartz's succinct, knowledgeable, and well-documented work expertly applies his 40 years of psychological research to the fashioning of companies that encourage us to be our best selves. It will appeal to students of business and organizational psychology.--Jane Scott, Clark Lib., Univ. of Portland, OR
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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