MODERN SALES
as the product nudges toward
completion. If you want to motivate
people to do algorithmic tasks
which are often monotonous and
boring then reward and punishment
will work very effectively.
Heuristic tasks however are very
different. They are tasks where
the outcome can be reached in a
number of different ways, where
the individual needs to experiment
for best results and may have to
come up with something new. If
you want to motivate people to do
heuristic tasks which involve using
their brain, personal experience
and common sense then reward
and punishment will NOT work.
In fact, according to renowned
psychologist Edward Deci and two
colleagues who went back over
30 years of research assessing
128 experiments on motivation,
“tangible rewards tend to have
a substantially negative effect
on intrinsic motivation.” In fact,
the long term damage caused by
offering short term rewards is one
of the most robustly proven findings
in social science.
Science has demonstrated beyond
doubt that rewards can:
• Reduce motivation by turning
something enjoyable into a chore
• Reduce creativity
• Diminish results
• Foster bad behaviour
• Inhibit good behaviour
• Cost the business more and more
to maintain results
We live is a volatile, uncertain,
complex and ambigious (VUCA)
world. That world requires heuristic
ability not algorithmic ability. It’s
estimated that 70 percent of job
growth will come from heuristic
work which does not respond to
reward and punishment. So forget
about bonuses and lofty incentive
schemes. They are expensive and
often counterproductive.
Instead focus on ‘fit’.
Fit: Amplify
‘Brightside’, minimise
‘Darkside’ and
understand ‘Inside’
When we understand personality
and embrace its impact on
performance from the board room
to the locker room we can unlock
our own and other peoples real
potential. When we appreciate
how we do what we do, why we do
what we do and how we manage
to mess things up when under
pressure we can put ourselves in
a role that amplifies our natural
‘brightside’ while mitigating our
innate ‘darkside’ because we finally
understand what’s driving us from
the ‘inside’.
When everyone in a team or
business appreciates ‘fit’ and
are in the right role and the right
environment that honours their
unique gifts, outlook and values
then we are all much more likely
to be productive, creative and
happy because we are doing what
we would do naturally if left to
our own devices. Armed with
those insights we can consciously
and successfully orchestrate ‘fit’
for ourselves and our people for
optimal long term performance.
Warren Kennaugh is a Behavioural
Strategist who works with elite
corporate leaders, gifted professional
athletes and world leading teams. He
is a speaker, researcher and consultant
who is the author of FIT: When Talent
and Intelligence Just Won’t Cut It
(Wiley). See why the elite work with him
at www.warrenkennaugh.com or contact
at [email protected]
April 2016
ModernBusiness
35