(Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 18:36)

• Money cannot buy performance
  

Rewards or incentives by their very nature narrow our focus, dull our thinking and creativity…and therefore restrict our capabilities and performance. Incentives actually create totally the opposite of what they are supposed to do! Higher incentives = worse performance.

I like Dan’s point here especially in the light of what has happened with the financial crisis…it seems like it is time to review biased assumptions on which the most basic business & HR management principles are based.

• What the real incentives are: autonomy, mastery and… purpose!

Motivation is rather based on more intrinsic factors: the desire to do things because they matter, because they are part of something important and because we like them.  It is very simple and revolves around three elements:

Autonomy: The urge to direct our own lives

Mastery: The desire to get better and better at what we do and something that matters

and…Purpose: Doing what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves!

The latter is what interests us the most here. Few employees come to work each morning excited solely by the prospect of making money and increasing shareholder value. They want to be a part of something meaningful, something that contributes positively to society. Effective CSR or Sustainability initiatives can provide a larger context/ a greater purpose for employees to view their jobs and the mission of their organizations!

Beyond increasing employee loyalty, retention and attraction, CSR also enhances employee morale, motivation…and therefore performance!

CSR initiatives are something all employees can take pride in, and don’t forget that your employees can then be your best AMBASSADORS, especially to friends and family when they demonstrate that their organization is a trusted corporate citizen from the inside-out.

This is especially true for newest entrants to the workplace, i.e. the Millenials / Generation Y who increasingly a) want to live for more than work and b) like to feel that they are living for more than just themselves

These two prizes are another proof that this campaign will remain as THE campaign, not only as a revolution into political communications but mostly as a groundbreaking, forward-looking push to challenge communications conventions.

A campaign that we need to learn from for any kind of communications in order to break through to target audiences in a powerful, authentic and engaging manner, especially in the fields of CSR & Sustainability communications that are still (sadly) associated with greenwashing, “looking good” PR or spin.

:: What CSR & Sustainability comms lessons can we learn from the Obama campaign?

It is something that I had in mind for few months now. I have finally found some time to put a presentation deck together, to share with you all some of the key takeaways from the presidential campaign that I find extremely relevant to CSR & Sustainability in today’s turbulent times.

Watch the official video of the Obama campaign presented at Cannes below: