Incentive Counts

Offering star or flower shaped stickers is a prevailing method to motivate students, especially young children, to live up to expectations. Though much to adults’ bewilderment, it has been proved significantly effective.

I share their confusion, because after all, those stickers have nothing of practical use but the function of encouraging students. But amazingly, notwithstanding the same purpose, the stickers provide more stimulation than oral praise. In my opinion, the children’s inclination reflects humans’ innermost desire to be rewarded materially, so as to be convinced that they really have done a neat job.

Our research project leader seems cunningly conscious of this method. Whenever we hold a discussion about the project, he brings along some snacks or fruit. To my observation, we tend to be much more efficient and quick-minded with the promising prospect of some food. Apparently the reason is more than the hypothesis that the exercise of the mouth exercises the brain. Personally, the incentive brings a great deal of contentment and appreciation, so that my willingness of contributing more to our group work grows magnificently. I guess other group members feel much the same way.

Unfortunately, human beings are greedy creatures. As long as there is precedent, we expect the same or more of incentive. If our leader fails the anticipation, we become slack in our devotion to work, though not plainly perceptible. That reminds me of a famous experiment about three and four. A group of monkeys were offered three bananas in the morning and four bananas in the afternoon. A month later, they were offered four in the morning but three in the afternoon. The total number was the same, but monkeys showed serious resentment at this change. As is shown in the experiment, giving incentive is far from an easy job. It plays a role as drugs; if not well dealt with, it may become addictive and cause dissatisfaction or jealousy, in a working environment.

Incentive shares some traits with presents. Hardly anyone stays unmoved at small but pleasant surprise. We just love it, in whatever age and in whatever condition, especially when it’s related to appreciation or encouragement of the effort we take. So for employers, it would be a useful technique; but for employees, they’d better be aware and alert in order to get their fair reward. All in all, enjoy offering and receiving the incentive!