We all drag ourselves out of bed in the morning in the hopes that the work we do will be challenging, stimulating and perhaps even important. However, for the overwhelming majority of people in the world, the work they do is monotonous, meaningless and soul deadening. Why is it that the majority of work is done for no reason other than pay when material rewards have been proven to be poor motivators?

Barry Schwartz studies the link between economies and psychology, offering startling insights into modern life. His previous research has addressed morality, decision-making and the varied inter-relationships between science and society. In this TED Talk, Schwartz suggests our current way of thinking about work ignores the intangible values, apart from a pay check, that makes work satisfying.

In addition to creating things, science creates ideas and ways of understanding. Technology of ideas is far more powerful than technology of things, because false ideas about human beings will not go away if people believe they are true. Instead, as is evidenced by the factory system established during the industrial revolution, we create institutions and ways of living that are consistent with these very false ideas.

When capitalism was developed, it created a mode of production for goods and services in which all of the non-material satisfaction that might come from work was eliminated. In his talk, Schwartz encourages all of us to think about what kind of human nature we want to design. We all have the ability to craft a different human nature within our organizations, in order to encourage work that is meaningful on a level beyond the monetary.

To learn more, watch the video: The Way We Think About Work Is Broken.