20th
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
I’m always interested in stories about how people try to motivate others, so this story written by a software business owner debating how to reward one of his temporary employees struck a chord with me. Basically, an intern came up with a profitable side business — and ended up getting some conditional stock shares (in a private company)… I don’t quite see how that’s a great reward, but then again, it’s a good deal for the employer.
Part of the thought process behind not handing out “performance based” bonuses for engineers was that it could hurt morale for the other workers. Coworkers could ask: “Where’s MY bonus?” or “Why shouldn’t I only work as hard as they pay me?” And that line of thought reminds me about the cultural differences in workforces — where some workers feel free to share their compensation packages while others feel offended by requests for income info from their co-workers. If information wants to be free, you’d think it’d be easier to find out what your position’s full benefits package was….
