E-Book Overview
Over the past 30 years, many social psychologists have been critical of the practice of using incentive systems in business, education, and other applied settings. The concern is that money, high grades, prizes, and even praise may be effective in getting people to perform an activity but performance and interest are maintained only so long as the reward keeps coming. Once the reward is withdrawn, the concern is that individuals will enjoy the activity less, perform at a lower level, and spend less time on the task. The claim is that rewards destroy people's intrinsic motivation. Widely accepted, this view has been enormously influential and has led many employers, teachers, and other practitioners to question the use of rewards and incentive systems in applied settings. Contrary to this view, the research by Cameron and Pierce indicates that rewards can be used effectively to enhance interest and performance.
E-Book Content
Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation
REWARDS AND INTRINSIC MOTIVATION Resolving the Controversy Judy Cameron and W. David Pierce
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cameron, Judy, 1953Rewards and intrinsic motivation . resolving the controversy / Judy Cameron and W. David Pierce. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-59311-383-4 1. Employee motivation. 2. Achievement motivation. 3. OrganizatIOnal behavior. 4. Psychology, Industrial. 5. Interpersonal relations. I. Pierce, W. David. II. Title. HF5549.5.M63C35 2002 158.7-dc21 2001043794 British LIbrary Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copynght © 2002 by Judy Cameron and W. David Pierce All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express wntten consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001043794 ISBN· 0-89789-677-7 First published in 2002
Pnnted in the United States of America
8" The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39 .48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acknowledgment
Our research was supported by the Social SCience and Humanities Council (SSHRC) of Canada.
Contents
Part I: Introduction
An Introduction to the Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation Controversy
3
Part II: Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation: A Look at the Early Research
2 How Rewards Got a Bad Reputation
11
3 Why Rewards Do Not Deserve a Bad Reputation
23
Part III: Theoretical Disputes Over Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation
4 Theoretical Perspectives on Rewards as Harmful
37
5 Theoretical Perspectives on Rewards as Helpful
59
Part IV: The Empirical Evidence for the Impact of Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation
6 An Overview of the Experiments on Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation
87
7 A Critique of Meta-analyses of the Effects of Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation
101
vi
Contents
8 A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation
115
9 Discussion and Implications of Our Meta-analytic Findings
155
Part V: Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation: A Sociohistorical Perspective
lOA Sociohistorical Analysis of the Literature on Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation
177
Part VI: Practical Applications of Rewards
11
The Effective Use of Rewards in Everyday Life
201
Part VII: Conclusion
12
Resolving the Controversy over Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation
231
References
235
Index
251
PART I INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation Controv