Legal Law

Drive: Harnessing the Intrinsic Motivation of Lawyers

Daniel H. Pink’s 2009 book “Impulse: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” (“Impulse”) is packed with information that is highly relevant to today’s legal profession.

Drive’s core thrust is that motivating professionals like attorneys requires law firms to go beyond the traditional use of carrots and sticks, punishments and rewards. Pink argues that instead of focusing on these external motivators, what law firms should do is tap into the intrinsic motivational drive of their attorneys. This will result in a more attractive and ultimately more satisfying job. Not only will this reduce turnover and burnout for attorneys, Pink argues, it is, in fact, the secret to high performance.

Pink highlights three key aspects of work that make it most inherently satisfying: (i) autonomy; (ii) domain; and (iii) purpose. He argues that these components of intrinsic motivation are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, that, like the legs of a tripod, the apparatus of excellence cannot stand without each component in place.

If Pink’s argument has any merit, then the law would do well to pay special attention to each of the three components of intrinsic motivation in its human resource strategies. Here are some ideas on how to do it:

(i) Autonomy: There are five main ways in which firms can increase the general sense of autonomy of their attorneys. These include giving lawyers greater leeway on: (i) what to work on (subject autonomy); (ii) when to do their job (time autonomy); (iii) where to carry out their work (autonomy of the place); (iv) who to work with (team autonomy); and (v) how to do their job (technical autonomy). The idea here is not that firms have to grant their attorneys complete autonomy over all aspects of their work. It is simply that law firms have at their disposal five separate channels along which to promote greater autonomy for attorneys, and that increased autonomy along any of these five channels will result in a higher level of work satisfaction.

(ii) Mastery: Law firms can promote attorney mastery by aligning the difficulty of certain tasks with the overall skill or development level of their attorneys. Pink calls them “Goldilocks tasks,” tasks that are neither too difficult nor too difficult. The idea is that to develop mastery it is important that lawyers are committed; And to participate, they must face challenges that are well suited to their skill level. Tasks that are too challenging result in a feeling of overwhelming; tasks that are too easy result in boredom; Tasks that are neither too difficult nor too easy, but “the right ones” result in compromise. Commitment, in turn, leads to dominance. Law firms that are concerned with developing masterful attorneys must ensure that they are not overwhelmed or bored, that they are generally committed to their work. If companies achieve this balance, the work of their lawyers becomes their own reward.

(iii) Purpose: To make the work of their attorneys more satisfying, law firms would also do well to consider increasing the emphasis they place on meaningful, not just profitable, work that is, a job that gives their lawyers feel that they are making a positive contribution to something greater than themselves. This does not mean rejecting profit as a motive; it simply means making more room for non-profit contributions. This could mean putting together a mission or vision statement that upholds genuine values ​​related to nonprofits and ensuring that incoming attorneys share those values. It could also mean putting more emphasis on pro bono work, and perhaps including it as part of performance reviews. It could even mean hiring professional trainers to work with your attorneys. Whatever the approach, taking steps to instill a greater sense of purpose in many attorneys’ work lives will ultimately make them more engaged, creative, resourceful, and yes: satisfied.

It’s no secret that lawyers are, by and large, a notoriously unhappy bunch. It is also clear that attorneys are the most important resource in any law firm. Businesses that value this resource are encouraged to take the ideas presented in Drive seriously. In the end, when attorneys are satisfied with their work, everyone wins – not just the attorneys themselves, but also their colleagues, their firms, and most importantly, their clients.

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