You probably know the "What Motivates Us" video; Autonomy, Mastery and
Purpose.
In the engineering team we work hard on building on an
existing culture of autonomy and mastery. Great people are given the latitude to
tackle interesting challenges the way they feel is best. We have an egalitarian
culture where everyone is encouraged to challenge the status quo and push for
what they think this the best way forward. We support team members with training
opportunities, on the job coaching, conferences, regular actives like
retrospectives and the engineering debrief.
 |
| Photo by Tim Norris from Flickr |
The product management team can help elevate engagement and,
motivation even further, by helping explain the big fucking deal that is our business proposition.
Of course everyone buys into this, but are challenged by the
how. Where do I get the right stories? What are the right stories? How and when
should I share them?
This academic paper on transcendent purpose is great as it
gives a background to why thinking about the big picture is useful. It also
gives lots of examples of how different stories and different ways of thinking
about sometimes boring) work can be elevated in a way that makes us motivated
and engaged in the work in front of us.
