Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices

At first glance this book seems to be leaning too much toward the scientific/academic side. I was actually dreading to read the book, however the authors have done a magnificant job of livening up each academic part with real world case studies. The main theme of this text is how we base our decision making on four psychological drives that every person is born with regardless of religion, race or other factors:1.) The Drive to Acquire (D1) - We all have it, it is normal but some have too much of it. Those who have an overdose of D1 tend to teeter on the edge of self-destruction and those around them. 2.) The Drive to Bond (D2) - Everybody likes to feel wanted and belong to some type of organisation (family, cultural, religion, hobby, etc., When a person engages in decicion making, they will usually decided positive for the person who has something in common with them. 3.) The Drive to Learn (D3) - Learning is a part of life and when this drive is not satisfied in people they become aggressive and restless. Have you ever seen a highly intelligent well-paid co-worker leave a job although this person never had any problems with peer or superiors? Chances are that this person was in dire need of a cerebal orgasam i.e. The person was somebody who needed to be mentally challenged. 4.) The Drive to Defend (D4) - We have learned certain beliefs and take them to be true until proven otherwise. When somebody attacks or tries to show us otherwise we become agitated, angry or beligerent because deep down in our subconscious we have a defense mechanism that does not want to be proven wrong.This is an excellent book for markets, negotiators and employers. What makes us tick inside our crainium. The authors have excellent examples taken from Hewlett-Packard and how they created a bond between employees and the company. Other scenarios show why some companies work extremely well with labour unions and some companies never seem to have any peace between management and unions. Why do we prefer a product over another? All of these answers are in this text.

This is evolutionary psychology as seen by two professors from the Harvard Business School (!). While some readers may be familiar with a lot of what is presented here, it is agreeable to get a perspective from another academic discipline and a new sense of application. It is especially pleasing because professors Lawrence and Nohria write well and have an appreciation of what an exciting time of biological discovery we are living in, a time when the convergence of knowledge and techniques from various disciplines is giving us the ability to look inside the black box of human nature previously closed.The authors' use of the term "drives" to designate the source of behaviors is familiar, but the idea that these drives come from modules in the brain, or a network of modules, is what is relatively new. Whether this is just another construct like Freud's ego, id, and superego is an open question. However--and this is important and at the very essence of what is going on in brain science today--unlike Freud's construct, the one presented here is based on something tangible in the brain's structure. As the authors report, recent advances in technology allow us to discern the brain's structure as it works. These observations provide a scientific basis for constructs attempting to explain human behavior. Whether there are four fundamental drives, as messrs. Lawrence and Nohria think, or some other number, or whether an entirely different construct is required, is also an open question. Personally, I find their array persuasive, and I think the idea of "drives" a valuable one. More important though is their understanding that we are motivated by more than rational self-interest, the so-called "invisible hand" from Adam Smith and the market place.Here are the drives as defined on page 10:D1 is to acquire objects and experiences that improve our status relative to others.D2 is to bond with others in mutually beneficial, long-term relationships.D3 is to learn about and make sense of ourselves and the world around us.D4 is to defend ourselves, our loved ones, our beliefs, and our resources.In should be noted that these four drives do not in any way contradict the general finding in biology that individuals tend to behave in such a way as to enhance their reproductive success. What is new is that such "selfish" behaviors include behaviors usually seen as altruistic. Yet I think the authors would enhance their understanding of the idea of "altruistic behavior" by reading Amotz and Avishag Zahavi's The Handicap Principle: A Missing Piece of Darwin's Puzzle (1997) in which the adaptive function of some altruistic behavior is to directly advertise fitness.It should also be noted, as the authors do on page 63, that "What drives behavior is a contest among the emotions, not the rational calculation alone." In other words, rationality leads to the creation of an emotion which competes with the instinctive emotion. This is an important concept. It is not

This absorbing and probing book explores the biological drives that explain our choices and behavior. Bridging the gap between evolutionary biology and the social sciences, this extraordinary interdisciplinary work shows that our actions are a consequence of a continuous struggle between four innate, subconscious, brain-based drives. These are the drive to: acquire objects and experiences; bond with others in long-term relationships of mutual care and commitment; learn and make sense of the world and of ourselves; and to defend ourselves, our loved ones, beliefs and resources from harm. A very interesting chapter applies this concept to work and organization. The authors present a model to explain human behavior and reveal a common heritage of all humans. The authors suggest that if we attempt to balance our four drives, we will progress forward to the next stage of human evolution. This is a rich and insightful work. Very highly recommended.

The authors advance the theory that the interplay between our 4 key biological drivers - getting, loving, learning and defending - is the catalyst of the decisions and, ultimately, the paths we choose in life. As a student of cause & effect, I found their attempt to elevate the discussion of "what drives us" beyond the typical psycho-bable to be laudable. How many of us act in the complete dark when it comes to some framework within which to understand our behavior?Their theory is especially timely given the rapid evolution of the intersecting fields of biology, nanotechnology and computing. Isn't it time to investigate the biological drivers behind what is still the most fascinating machine - man? Yes. Nor does the investigation by Nohria and Lawrence fall prey to a mechanistic characterization of human kind. They draw on a rich database of workplace experience for validation and move from here to compelling insights on the broad tapestry of human interaction. The ride is at times controversial and provocative, but never boring or mechanistic. Well worth the read.

This book is right, or at least on the right track. In contrast to many models of human behavior (economic = self-maximizing, etc) that aren't credible because they don't explain much of what we human beings are really like, this book presents a more complex model that, in my opinion, rings true. Even better, the authors don't try to claim perfection, instead being happy with being useful. In the best scientific traditions, the conclusions of this book are stated in such a way that it is clear what they know, what they think and what they hope. The authors are also unafraid of criticism (good science), confident that their thoughts are valid but quick to point out areas that need more research and in several cases, describing realistic experiments that could be conducted. Finally, this book is not limited to theoretical exploration but also describes specific do's and don'ts about leading groups of real people that can now be better undersood because of the better understanding of why people are the way they are.