TED Talk Tuesday: What makes us feel good about our work?

What motivates us to work? We know it’s not all about the money. For Team CN&CO – as is the case for many other individuals around the world – our work has to carry a sense of meaning. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning. We need to know that what we do makes a difference in our lives and those of our partners.

Like the joy we felt – as a nation! – when the Ndlovu Youth Choir nailed it on America’s Got Talent. Or how proud we were as CN&CO to be part of the Insurance Institute of South Africa’s success in hosting the recent African Insurance Organisation conference in Johannesburg.

In this TED Talk, behavioural economist Dan Ariely pits Adam Smith against Karl Marx in an “efficiency versus meaning” smack down, which takes place in the knowledge based economy.

Who do you think wins?