Intro
A ‘do-gooder’ and optimist at heart, Nava Ashraf knows that humans are intrinsically motivated by serving one another, and her research seeks to prove it. A Canadian economist, researcher, and professor, Ashraf has spent almost two decades travelling the world, studying what incentives people to do their best at their work. Her research has opposed humanity’s black-and-white thinking about selfish people and altruistic people. Instead, she has proposed that all workers are motivated both by money and impact. Ashraf’s life has been dedicated to harnessing both financial and social incentives to discover ways that workplaces can motivate their employees.
I think we’ve deeply underestimated the desire of individuals to serve others.2
