Compensation and Benefits Issues Analysis
the assertion that money may motivate someone to do something, but it will not make them enjoy what they are doing or improve their overall performance. There is some evidence that suggests that the more you use rewards to “motivate” people, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the rewards. At least 70 studies have found that rewards tend to undermine interest in the task (or behavior) itself; this is one of the most thoroughly replicated findings in the field of social psychology Studies that have examined this question directly have repeatedly shown that the more salient or reinforcing the reward is, the more it erodes intrinsic interest. (Kohn)
I have mixed feelings about his statement that seminars and articles on how to motivate should be avoided. I have attended motivational seminars and read articles on how to motivate employees. It is true that some use money as an incentive or other rewards, but many do teach that motivation comes from making people feel as though they have a stake in whatever they are doing, thus, it is more meaningful to them to do a good job.
Finally the last question posed is “What does it all mean?” The author suggests that to motivate by making an employee feel like they belong and to create a workplace that is collaborative and feels like a community is about “working with”. The rewards and punishment is seen as “doing to”, and they are basically “control through seduction.” I agree with this argument because I also believe if a workplace is enjoyable and everyone feels like they are apart of the organization and not just manipulated they produce better, long-lasting results. As a final thought Mr. Kohn says “the problem isn’t with the dollars themselves, but with using dollars to get people to jump through hoops. He closes by saying he practices and is very familiar with three basic beliefs. They are; Pay people well, pay people fairly, and do everything possible to take money off peoples minds. He then uses an excellent analogy and example of a company that practices that philosophy and is extremely successful.
I agree with the authors overall philosophy and that compensation must be fair and if you treat people fairly and justly, most of the time, they will give you their best.
In my experience, there have been many times when managers and business owners tried to use money to provide incentives for their employees only to be sorely disappointed. I have also seen people use, and have used myself other types of incentives, such as praise and seemingly small insignificant things to motivate a workforce with great results. I believe that these concepts can work in any organization if given the chance.
References:
Kohn, A. (1998), Compensation and benefits review, March/April 1998, Challenging
Behaviorist Dogma: Myths About Money and Motivation, retrieved June 21, 2003,
from the World WideWeb:www.alfiekohn.org/managing/cbdmamam.htm