Primed to Perform: Summary Review
This is a summary review of Primed to Perform containing key details about the book.
What is Primed to Perform About?
"Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation" by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor is a book that explores the science of motivation and how it can be used to build high-performing cultures in organizations.
Primed to Perform explains the counter-intuitive science behind great cultures, building on over a century of academic thinking. It shares the simple, highly predictive new measurement tool—the Total Motivation (ToMo) Factor—that enables you to measure the strength of your culture, and track improvements over time.
Summary Points & Takeaways from Primed to Perform
Some key summary points and takeaways from the book include:
* The Total Motivation Factor (TMF): The authors argue that there are six factors that contribute to a person's total motivation: autonomy, mastery, purpose, relatedness, fairness, and growth.
* Autonomy: People are more motivated when they have control over their work and their lives.
* Mastery: People are more motivated when they are learning and improving at their work.
* Purpose: People are more motivated when they feel their work is meaningful and contributes to something bigger than themselves.
* Relatedness: People are more motivated when they have a sense of belonging and connection with others.
* Fairness: People are more motivated when they feel that the rules and outcomes of their work are fair.
* Growth: People are more motivated when they feel that their work is helping them grow and develop.
* Culture and TMF: The authors argue that organizations can use the Total Motivation Factor to build high-performing cultures by creating an environment that promotes autonomy, mastery, purpose, relatedness, fairness, and growth.
* The role of leaders: Leaders play a critical role in creating a culture that promotes total motivation. They must understand the six factors and create an environment that fosters them.
* Measuring TMF: The authors argue that organizations can measure the Total Motivation Factor by surveying employees and gathering data on the six factors. This data can then be used to make improvements and build a stronger, more motivated culture.
Who is the author of Primed to Perform?
Neel is the co-founder of Vega Factor and co-author of Primed to Perform, published in fall 2015 by HarperBusiness. Previously, Neel was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, founding member of an award-winning tech startup, and employee of several mega-institutions.
Lindsay is the co-founder of Vega Factor and co-author of Primed to Perform, published in fall 2015 by HarperBusiness. Previously, Lindsay led projects at McKinsey & Company, working with large Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, universities and school systems.
Primed to Perform Summary Notes
Summary Note: Motivating Your Team for High-Performance: Understanding the Three Types of Motivation
Summary Note: Motivating Your Team for High-Performance: Understanding the Three Types of Motivation
To build a high-performance culture, understanding what motivates people is key. Motivation can be broken down into three categories: play, purpose, and potential. Play motivates us to take an action simply because it's enjoyable, while purpose motivates us to do something because we value the outcome and impact of our actions. Potential motivates us when we value the indirect outcomes of a certain activity, such as fulfilling a long-term goal.
Of these three, play is the most powerful motivator, as it's closest to the work itself. When we see our work as play, we're more likely to perform well. But purpose and potential should not be ignored, as they can still be strong motivators. The more closely connected these three are to the work we do, the more they'll influence our overall performance.
Understanding what motivates your team members is important, as everyone is different. Some people might be motivated by play, while others might be motivated by purpose or potential. By figuring out what motivates your team, you can create a high-performance culture that encourages everyone to do their best work. This can lead to increased productivity, better outcomes, and a more engaged and satisfied workforce.
As a leader, it's important to create an environment that fosters motivation. Encourage play by making work more enjoyable, such as by creating a fun work environment or by encouraging experimentation. Highlight the purpose behind your work, and make sure your team understands how their work is making a difference. And help your team see the potential outcomes of their work, such as by setting goals and celebrating successes.
By understanding the three types of motivation and using them to your advantage, you can create a high-performance culture that leads to success.
Summary Note: Understanding the Dark Side of Indirect Motivators in the Workplace
Motivation is a critical factor in determining performance and productivity in the workplace. However, not all motivators are equal, and not all are effective. While play, purpose, and potential are direct motivators that are closely linked to the work itself, indirect motivators such as emotional pressure, economic pressure, and inertia can lead to reduced performance and productivity.
Emotional pressure is the weakest of the indirect motivators, and it is often tied to feelings of guilt, disappointment, or shame. For instance, an individual may continue to practice the piano to avoid disappointing their mother or continue working at a job they dislike to boost their self-confidence. Economic pressure, on the other hand, is a stronger indirect motivator that encourages individuals to seek rewards or avoid punishment. Many workers put in overtime hours to earn a bonus or promotion, or simply to keep their job.
Inertia is the most debilitating of the indirect motivators. It occurs when individuals continue doing something simply because they did it yesterday, and they can no longer identify why they are doing it. Inertia deprives individuals of knowing why they are doing the work and can lead to reduced motivation, engagement, and satisfaction.
To create a high-performance culture, it is essential to understand the different types of motivators and how they impact individuals in the workplace. Direct motivators such as play, purpose, and potential should be prioritized, while indirect motivators such as emotional pressure, economic pressure, and inertia should be avoided. By fostering an environment that supports direct motivators and discourages indirect motivators, organizations can increase employee engagement, productivity, and overall performance.
Summary Note: Balancing Tactical and Adaptive Performance for Real Success
In today's rapidly changing business world, companies need to be adaptable to succeed. This means being flexible and breaking with the set plan to seize new opportunities, markets, or other surprises. But to achieve adaptive performance, a company's working culture must encourage creativity and problem-solving.
Adaptive performance can be boosted through direct motives of play, purpose, and potential. A culture that fosters creativity and innovation will adapt to change effortlessly. While adaptive performance is crucial to overall performance, companies often focus solely on tactical performance, which is easier to measure.
Tactical performance describes a person's ability to execute a plan, helping them focus their energy on essential goals such as increasing sales. Both adaptive and tactical performance are necessary for success, and companies need to pay attention to both to achieve real success.
Unfortunately, adaptive performance tends to fall by the wayside as it's harder to measure. Still, companies need to measure and manage their culture, just like managing their finances. A tool like ToMo can help measure a company's culture and performance.
Summary Note: Boosting Adaptive Performance with Total Motivation or ToMo
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, adaptive performance is a key factor for a company’s success. This refers to a company’s flexibility to break with a set plan and quickly seize new opportunities or markets. To boost a company’s adaptive performance, a working culture that encourages creativity and problem-solving is crucial. However, measuring adaptive performance can be challenging. Companies often tend to focus on tactical performance as it is easier to measure. Total Motivation or ToMo is a useful tool that measures a company’s adaptability by using six motives, including play, purpose, and potential, to calculate its ToMo score.
To use ToMo, a company needs to calculate its current ToMo by analyzing the six motives, identify the areas where adaptive performance can be improved, and develop an individualized strategy to boost positive motives and reduce indirect motives. Once the desired ToMo score is set, the company can generate a plan to implement a desired corporate culture in areas that produce specific outcomes.
Research has found that companies with great corporate cultures tend to have a ToMo score about 15 points higher than the industry standard. Additionally, ToMo is strongly correlated to customer experience, which has a direct connection to profits, customer retention rate, and cross-sales. One study found that the difference in revenue generated by a salesperson with positive ToMo and another with negative ToMo was 28%.
In summary, ToMo is a valuable tool that can help companies measure their adaptive performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies to boost positive motives. By using ToMo, companies can create a corporate culture that encourages creativity, problem-solving, and flexibility to adapt to changes quickly. Ultimately, this can lead to better customer experiences, increased revenue, and a more successful business overall.
Summary Note: Building a High-Performance Culture Starts at the Top
Building a high-performance culture is crucial for companies to succeed. To achieve this, leaders need to encourage positive Total Motivation (ToMo) among their employees. Leaders can do this by focusing on the direct motives of play, purpose, and potential. Encouraging experimentation, emphasizing shared values and common goals, and helping employees connect their work to personal goals are some ways to achieve this. Leaders also need to discourage indirect motives like emotional and economic pressures that can negatively impact ToMo. Reasonable goals and translating tactical goals into adaptive ones can help achieve this. When leaders promote positive ToMo and discourage indirect motives, employees are more engaged, and the company performs better. Studies have shown that companies with a higher ToMo score tend to have better revenue and customer retention rates. Thus, building a high-performance culture starts at the top, and leaders must lead by example to create a successful company culture.
Summary Note: Designing Jobs for Total Motivation
The book focuses on the importance of job design in inspiring adaptive performance and total motivation among employees. Most jobs are based on tactical performance and lack the elements necessary to motivate employees to perform at their best. To change this, leaders need to focus on showing employees the impact of their work, encouraging play, and helping them prioritize their tasks.
One effective way to inspire adaptive performance is by showing employees the impact of their work. This means familiarizing them with the entire process of their department so they can see how their actions produce an output. When employees understand how their work interacts with and supports that of others, they are more likely to identify ways to improve their performance.
To encourage play, leaders should open up opportunities for employees to generate new ideas. This can be done by giving employees time to meet with customers, visit competing stores or businesses, and speak with local producers. By encouraging employees to generate new, improved ideas, leaders can foster a culture of innovation and creativity within the company.
Helping employees prioritize their tasks is also essential for job design. Employees need to understand the line between their realm of authority and actions that require approval from higher-ups. When employees can prioritize their tasks and make decisions on their own, they are more likely to act on their ideas and try out new approaches.
In summary, effective job design is essential for inspiring total motivation among employees. Leaders need to focus on showing employees the impact of their work, encouraging play, and helping them prioritize their tasks. By doing so, they can create a culture of innovation and creativity, where employees are motivated to perform at their best and contribute to the success of the company.
Summary Note: Building a Culture of Total Motivation
In today’s fast-paced work environment, it’s essential for companies to understand the importance of Total Motivation (ToMo). It’s a combination of different factors that drive people to perform at their best. The author emphasizes the significance of building a common identity and individualized career ladders for promoting a culture of ToMo.
A common identity is formed when people share a common objective, a code of behavior, and a heritage. The common objective should inspire the team and explain the company’s purpose. A behavioral code empowers people to make decisions and solve problems, defining how decisions are made. The company’s heritage involves sharing examples of how the company has lived up to its identity.
Individualized promotion ladders are crucial for avoiding tactical performance increases. Studies show that when people are competing for promotions, they tend to focus on landing the promotion rather than producing results. This leads to a preference for low-risk tasks and tactical performance over adaptive performance. To address this issue, companies can create individualized career ladders that fit the preferences of their employees.
For example, the managerial ladder should be reserved for those who enjoy coaching, the expert ladder for those who like mastering technical skills, and the customer ladder for people who love working with clients and care about their satisfaction. This approach helps employees find their calling and perform their best while avoiding unhealthy competition for promotions.
By implementing these strategies, companies can build a culture of ToMo where employees are motivated to perform their best and achieve common objectives. A common identity and individualized career ladders can bring employees together and inspire them to take on challenges and achieve success.
Book details
- Print length: 368 pages
- Genre: Business, Leadership, Management
What is a good quote from Primed to Perform?
Top Quote: "Most organizations manage tactical performance—the ability to execute against a plan. But adaptive performance—the ability to diverge from a plan—is just as important. Because tactical performance and adaptive performance are opposites, they live in a tension that few leaders have learned how to balance.” (Meaning) - Primed to Perform Quotes, Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: “Getting organizational culture right is as difficult as it is critical. Doshi and McGregor provide numerous real-world recommendations for how to do this. They bring to bear years of hands-on experience that will prove invaluable to leaders in all sectors-corporate, non-profit, and public.” — Joel Klein, CEO Amplify, former Chancellor NYC public schools.
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in enhancing your personal growth, I suggest checking out my list of favorite self-development books. These books have been instrumental in my own personal development and I'm confident they can help you too.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
