Our discussion today made me think of an article I read during my undergraduate degree at Copenhagen Business School. In his article “Why Incentive Plans Cannot Work” from 1993 Alfie Kohn makes some of the critical points about rewards very clear. I think his stand on the issue is best illustrated by a couple of direct quotes:

“… rewards succeed at securing one thing only: temporary compliance.”

“They do not create an enduring commitment to any value or action.”

“Everyone is pressuring the system for individual gain. No one is improving the system for collective gain.”

“The number one casualty of rewards is creativity. As the late John Condry put it, rewards are the “enemies of exploration.””

I feel convinced that there is some truth to his standpoints although they tend to be a bit extreme and portray the issue as in a black and white manner. No matter what I definitely think it’s a piece worth taking into account when discussing the effects of incentives.