What happens when you confine an animal in a box with nothing to do but push a lever to disperse food? According to a study by the American psychologist B.F. Skinner, he discovered that the caged animal would most likely press the lever vigorously. How does this relate to human work environments?

Barry Schwartz, psychologist, author, and professor analyzes and dissects factors that affect people's motivation for satisfactory work in his book entitled Why We Work. Barry and host Greg LaBlanc explore the psychological and economic factors that influence one's attitude toward working in this episode. 

They discuss how choices affect people, finding the sweet spot for altruistic work, and putting a roof over employees’ heads. Tune in to the end of the podcast to hear what he has to say about how educators can develop better character traits in students.

His simplified version of Skinner’s study and a starting point to consider reading Why We Work: 

“They press their metaphorical lever over and over again, hundreds of times an hour, thousands of times an hour. And, they do it for a wage. Why else would any sane human being do that work except to get paid? But, it doesn't follow from it. You know, if you give people work to do that no sane person would do. Of course, the only reason I'll do it is to get paid. But is that the way work should be? Is it possible to design workplaces that are not like assembly lines?”

His advice to enterprises and businesses on hiring, building the team, and team culture? 

“If you are running a company and you want to recruit the best people, you can't do it by dangling stock options. You just can't, they won't work for you. They'll work for somebody who also gives them some stock options, but for whom they feel at the end of the day, they don't have to take a shower and scrub the grime off their souls.”

What kind of work environment will help people thrive? 

“You want to make sure that the sort of concrete constraints managing to sustain a viable organization, don't completely take over the mission. So that they at least continue to co-exist.”

• Barry Schwartz Profile at Swarthmore
• Barry Schwartz at TED
• Skinnerian Psychology as Factory Psychology
• Why We Work
• Practical Wisdom
• The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less