Readings

Punished by Rewards

Why Incentive Programs Cannot Work
A Visit from Alfie Kohn

"What gets measured gets done.
"What gets rewarded gets done more and better.
"Do this and you'll get that."

These words sum up the way American organizations strive to improve performance in the workplace. According to Alfie Kohn, it does not and cannot work. Who is Alfie Kohn? He's one of the leading thinkers and writers on the subject of human motivation. On October 30, 1996, SACTQ sponsored an up close, in-person discussion with Alfie Kohn, on the subject of rewards and recognition. What he said is causing many State organizations to rethink the way they treat employee recognition. Here's what Alfie said:
What do people need, beyond satisfying the physiological? Beyond security, safety, shelter, food and water? According to motivational psychologists Deci and Ryan, it distills to A, B, and C:

Autonomy: influence over what they do; self-determination
Belonging: connection to others, being cared for, affiliation
Competence: capable of doing things, creating, feeling successful

Ask yourself: What if you had to leave your current job and could choose among many other jobs, each job being as good or better than your current one. What would be most important to you? Your decision would probably be shaped by how much autonomy you have, whether the people seem like they would be good to work with (would you belong), and would you be given the chance to exercise competence. That's the big picture. In the "Old Paradigm" managing goes like this:

Impose specific objectives, targets
Evaluate individual's performance in relation to #1
Give or withhold rewards based on #2

Rewards are controls through seduction. Rewards in the workplace are rampant because it's how we treat everything—school, home, the economy, and the consumer environment. We're virtually programmed from infancy to respond to the promise, "If you do this, you'll get that." If you stop crying, Mommy/Daddy will give you a _________. We can all fill in the blank. But, don't rewards work? Seemingly. They deliver temporary compliance. The kid stops crying and peace is restored... until the next time. And what about the flip side: does punishment work? It, too, gets temporary compliance. Yet, rewards and punishment do not deliver authentic, long-term motivation and creativity.
WHY?? It all goes back to the ABC's of our basic needs—autonomy, belonging and competence. These six points explain why in greater detail.

Pay isn't a motivator. If there's not enough of it in your life, you'll become preoccupied with it, but it won't motivate you. An increase in money removes dissatisfaction and provides temporary satisfaction, but it doesn't motivate. Kohn says, pay people well, pay people fairly, and do what you can to put money out of their minds.
Rewards punish. Because it equates to doing things to people, the intent and effect are to control. If you want quality, you have to work with people, not do things to people. "Rewards are just control through seduction," the antithesis of autonomy. Incentives are control mechanisms; "If you do this . . . then you'll get that." And rewards punish by disappointing people who feel they're deserving but don't receive a reward.
Rewards rupture relationships. When the rewards are artificially scarce, they especially harm relationships among peers.
One employee of the month!
An annual handful of superior accomplishment recipients!
Rewards like these create competition among peers and have damaging effects on collaboration and teamwork. Rewards also harm relationships when they leave the non-recipients with the uneasy feeling that they aren't held in the same esteem by the boss as the award-winners. The injection of doubt into the relationship is a powerful detractor.
Rewards ignore true causes. According to Dr. Deming, 85% of all problems are caused by the system, beyond the influence of people. So the reasons for results that have lead to success and rewards may be embedded in the system, not due to personal accomplishments alone.
Rewards reduce risk taking, creativity, innovation, and higher-order thinking. People will avoid pursuing hunches and will be less creative if they think their reward will be jeopardized.
Rewards undermine intrinsic motivation. The more you focus on rewards, the more people lose interest in what they're doing. Intrinsic motivation means, "I want to do this because I care about the outcome." It grows out of interest in the task itself. Extrinsic motivation means, "If I do this, I'll get that."

Two myths about motivation:

Myth #1: You can motivate other people. In the KITP (kick-in-the-"pants") theory of motivation, the "kicker" is the one who motivates; the "kickee" is likely to comply temporarily, but certainly is not motivated except to get out of the way.
Myth #2: There's a single thing called motivation that people have more or less of. The fact is, there are qualitatively different kinds of motivation. Kohn advises: Stop asking how to motivate people. Start asking HOW people are motivated.

What can be done? In short, leadership can provide a system, a culture, and an environment in which people's natural curiosity and desire to succeed are unleashed. Here are Three C's that offer an excellent start:

Content: "If you want people motivated to do a good job, give them a good job to do." (Frederic Herzberg) A person is motivated by learning new things, demonstrating competence, doing valuable work, and understanding the work in relation to the organization's mission.

Collaboration: Provide regular opportunities for collaboration and teamwork. "All of us are smarter than any of us." (David and Roger Johnson, University of Minnesota)

Choice: Ensure that people are actively involved in decisions about what's going on in the organization. "Nothing can justify excluding the individual from . . . active and responsible participation . . . in decisions affecting his career." (Douglas McGregor)

So, how do you handle recognition? Kohn makes two recommendations:

If your purpose is to make others do more work, or work harder, don't.

If your purpose is just to appreciate, do it in private. A public acknowledgment turns a sincere thank you into a reward that feels controlling, that has unintended negative effects. Describe what you've noticed, ask questions such as, "How did you do this? What made you think of doing it this way? How did you manage to get this finished with all the other priorities you're facing?" It's a conversation, not a ceremony. That's what promotes the feeling of autonomy, belonging and competence. That's what creates the environment that brings out the motivation that's inherent in all of us.

by Kathleen Evans