In his newest book, "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us," author Daniel Pink asks businesses to look closely at the evidence on how monetary rewards hurt, rather than help, employee performance. He presents a compelling case that what really drives motivation is: 1) Autonomy, 2) Mastery, and 3) Purpose. At least for tasks that involve complex or creative thinking.

The book is a fast and interesting read. I recommend it with the caveat that the author has the tendency to gloss over small details that interfere with his premise. Most notably, Pink states that employees need control over who they will work with (their team) in order to achieve autonomy.  Nice idea in theory, but wrought with real-world implementation problems. Overall though, Pink's big picture insights into motivation have great value and relevance in business today. 

This 2009 video from TED Talks shows Daniel Pink presenting core concepts from the book.

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