Give An Example From Your Own Experience Or From Something E

Give An Example From Your Own Experience Or From Something You H

Give an example from your own experience (or from something you have heard about) that would be a good case of “rewarding A while hoping for B.” Can you think of any way the incentives could have been better structured? Additionally, consider Steven Kerr's statement that we are rewarding the wrong things and Daniel Pink's assertion that we are using the wrong kinds of rewards. Based on your own experiences, what do you think? And what conclusions does the evidence (research) support?

Paper For Above instruction

The concept of "rewarding A while hoping for B" encapsulates the common misalignment between organizational incentives and desired outcomes. A quintessential example from my personal experience involves employee performance incentives. In a previous role, employees were rewarded based on the quantity of work completed, such as the number of units produced, rather than the quality of those units. The management hoped this would encourage efficiency and productivity; however, it often led to compromised quality, increased errors, and ultimately customer dissatisfaction. The focus was on rewarding A (quantity), but the true goal B (quality and customer satisfaction) was not achieved, illustrating a misaligned incentive structure.

To improve this incentive structure, organizations could implement a balanced approach that rewards both quantity and quality. For example, performance bonuses could be tied to metrics that evaluate customer satisfaction or product defect rates alongside output volume. Such a system aligns incentives more closely with organizational goals, promoting not just high productivity but also high-quality outcomes. Furthermore, incorporating peer reviews or customer feedback into performance assessments can foster intrinsic motivation and accountability, leading employees to internalize the importance of quality rather than just meeting quantitative targets.

Steven Kerr’s assertion that organizations often reward the wrong things resonates strongly with this example. Rewarding quantity over quality fosters unintended behaviors that undermine organizational objectives. Daniel Pink’s emphasis on intrinsic motivation and the importance of autonomy, mastery, and purpose complements this perspective. Pink argues that traditional rewards—such as bonuses or commissions—are often ineffective for complex, creative, or knowledge-based work, because they can diminish intrinsic motivation. My own experiences confirm that intrinsic motivators such as interest, purpose, and autonomy significantly enhance performance and engagement, more so than extrinsic rewards alone.

Research supports this understanding. Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory highlights how intrinsic motivation leads to higher engagement, creativity, and performance when individuals feel autonomous and competent. Pink’s own research aligns with this, emphasizing the importance of purpose-driven work and the limitations of extrinsic rewards. Conversely, the over-reliance on monetary incentives can lead to short-term gains but long-term disengagement and unethical behaviors, as documented in studies on performance-based pay systems (Kohn, 1993; Gneezy & Rustichini, 2000). Therefore, effective incentives should balance extrinsic rewards with fostering intrinsic motivation and aligning organizational culture with meaningful goals.

References

• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The 'what' and 'why' of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
• Gneezy, U., & Rustichini, A. (2000). Pay enough or don't pay at all. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 115(3), 791-810.
• Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson.
• Kohn, A. (1993). Why Incentive Plans Cannot Work. Harvard Business Review, 71(5), 54-63.
• Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. Penguin.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67.
• Shalley, C. E., & Gilson, L. L. (2004). What leaders need to know: A review of social and contextual factors that can foster creativity. Leadership Quarterly, 15(1), 33-53.
• VanderVen, R. J., & Williams, K. P. (2014). Incentives and motivation in the workplace: An overview. Organizational Psychology Review, 4(2), 124-147.
• Wernerfelt, B. (1984). A resource-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 5(2), 171-180.
• Zhou, J., & George, J. M. (2003). Awakening employee creativity: The role of leader emotional intelligence. Leadership Quarterly, 14(4), 545-568.