Incentives

Incentives can be an effective way to get people to do thinks that they wouldn't otherwise, due to lack of motivation or whatever the reason may be. Dr. Stolovich, PhD (2002) created a list of 8 steps meant to help companies "develop effective incentive programs" for their employees.

Excerpts from Stolovich (2002)

Event 1) Assessment.

Management determines that performance levels are inadequate because of a shortfall in motivation. Part of this assessment process is a “gap analysis,” to assess differences between a company’s goals and employee performance. If the gap analysis shows that employees are capable but lack the effort necessary to improve performance, then an incentive program can be a useful way to change that behavior.

Event 2) Program Selection.

In considering the alternatives, it is best to adopt a quota-based incentive program, or at least a piece-rate (or reward for performance) model that gives each person the opportunity to earn awards by surpassing attainable performance benchmarks.

Event 3) Work Value.

Incentives increase performance by boosting the value people assign to work goals, causing them to make stronger commitments to those goals and achieve them. The program has to provide the meaning, rewards, communication, and support that foster a sense of value.

Event 4) Establish Training and Communication.

Once an incentive is perceived as having adequate utility value, people should focus on their abilities to perform the relevant tasks. This process includes training support and regular communication to make sure people do the right things that contribute to success.

Event 5) Support.

People have to believe that the organization will support their performance goal and provide incentive rewards fairly. This requires careful attention to the ways rewards are given, how the rewards are distinguished from compensation or (for resellers) pricing issues, and the fairness with which awards get disbursed.

Event 6) Emotional Appeal.

The biggest performance gains come when people become emotionally engaged. With careful consideration, incentive awards should have a positive impact on emotion and organizational spirit.

Event 7) Measurement.

Three motivational outcomes should be measured: active choice—choosing to do the targeted work in the intended manner, commitment—persisting over time, and mental effort—thinking clearly.

Event 8) Analysis and Feedback.

The incentive program must be analyzed against the performance objectives and costs, with information recycled in order to adjust future programs.

These steps could be useful in the development of some kind of incentive program to encourage park visitors to engage in low-impact recreational practices, such as 'leave no trace' practices, or dispose of their trash and recycling properly and avoid littering. It could also help in developing a program that gets people to pick up trash and litter that already exists in state parks. These steps don't translate exactly to those kinds of contexts, but the insights like getting people emotionally engaged, making the incentives useful, and breaking up goals into attainable (and rewardable) tasks can be useful in any context.

Resources.

Stolovich, H. (2002). Incentives, Motivation and Workplace Performance: Research and Best Practices. International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), & The Incentive Research Foundation. https://theirf.org/research_post/incentives-motivation-and-workplace-performance-research-and-best-practices/#top

No generative AI was used in the creation of this post.