Rewards
We change our behavior when given gifts that reinforce actions and goals
Rewards can have a powerful effect on behavior, increasing spending, loyalty and worker motivation. However, done wrong, they can also demotivate.
Phipps et al. (2015). Impact of a rewards-based incentive program on promoting fruit and vegetable purchases. American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105.
The study
Setup
58 households in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had their fruit and veg shopping monitored for 8 weeks. Half were offered a 50% discount reward on all fruit and veg purchased and half were not.
Results
Results showed that the reward increased healthy food purchasing behavior from 6.4 to 16.7 servings of fruit and veg on average per week per household.
In detail
Key Takeaways
Rewards come in two types: Extrinsic and Intrinsic.
Extrinsic rewards are economic: pay, discounts, working conditions, gold stars, healthcare, promotions etc.
Intrinsic rewards are emotional, coming from a sense of achievement through skill and hard work, unplanned verbal praise from authority figures, and peer recognition.
Too much extrinsic will lessen internal motivation as it’s seen as controlling, especially if they’re later removed (Murayama et al., 2010). Ensure that they’re significant enough to motivate against task boredom (Hidi, 2015) and are in line with the market needs of employees / customers.
Focus on rewarding intrinsically - seen as a superior reward (Deci et al., 1999) - with greater levels of trust, choice and freedom to make one’s own decisions. You’ll be rewarded with a more motivated, loyal following as a result.
Rewards
We change our behavior when given gifts that reinforce actions and goals
Rewards can have a powerful effect on behavior, increasing spending, loyalty and worker motivation. However, done wrong, they can also demotivate.
Phipps et al. (2015). Impact of a rewards-based incentive program on promoting fruit and vegetable purchases. American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105.
The study
Setup
58 households in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had their fruit and veg shopping monitored for 8 weeks. Half were offered a 50% discount reward on all fruit and veg purchased and half were not.
Results
Results showed that the reward increased healthy food purchasing behavior from 6.4 to 16.7 servings of fruit and veg on average per week per household.
Key Takeaways
Rewards come in two types: Extrinsic and Intrinsic.
Extrinsic rewards are economic: pay, discounts, working conditions, gold stars, healthcare, promotions etc.
Intrinsic rewards are emotional, coming from a sense of achievement through skill and hard work, unplanned verbal praise from authority figures, and peer recognition.
Too much extrinsic will lessen internal motivation as it’s seen as controlling, especially if they’re later removed (Murayama et al., 2010). Ensure that they’re significant enough to motivate against task boredom (Hidi, 2015) and are in line with the market needs of employees / customers.
Focus on rewarding intrinsically - seen as a superior reward (Deci et al., 1999) - with greater levels of trust, choice and freedom to make one’s own decisions. You’ll be rewarded with a more motivated, loyal following as a result.
Rewards
We change our behavior when given gifts that reinforce actions and goals
The study
Setup
58 households in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had their fruit and veg shopping monitored for 8 weeks. Half were offered a 50% discount reward on all fruit and veg purchased and half were not.
Results
Results showed that the reward increased healthy food purchasing behavior from 6.4 to 16.7 servings of fruit and veg on average per week per household.
In detail
Pairings
Give what is otherwise hard to come by
When rewarding behaviour, consider gifts that are rare or cannot be attained by any other means. For example, consider manufacturing a product that can only be attained by those on the highest tiers of your loyalty programme. Or, an invitation to special event that only happens once a year.
Where can you provide a scarce reward to make people feel valued? Remember, scarce needn't mean expensive, just restricted in public supply.
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Rewards
