We've all seen the oft-cited Gallup poll that reports that an alarming majority of the workforce is disengaged and unmotivated.

In Alive at Work, social psychologist Dan Cable argues that the reason for all the unhappiness is biological: organizations, in an effort to routinize work and establish clear-cut performance metrics, are suppressing what neuroscientists call our Seeking Systems, the part of our brain that craves exploration and learning.

The good news is that organizations can activate our Seeking Systems, and, as Cable explains, it doesn't take extensive...