Hidden Benefits of Reward: A Field Experiment on Motivation and Monetary Incentives

Ola Kvaløy, Petra Nieken and Anja Schöttner

Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems from Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich

Abstract: We conducted a field experiment in a controlled work environment to investigate the effect of motivational talk and its interaction with monetary incentives. We find that motivational talk significantly improves performance only when accompanied by performance pay. Moreover, performance pay slightly reduces performance unless it is accompanied by motivational talk. These effects also carry over to the quality of work. Performance pay alone leads to more mistakes. Adding motivational talk makes the difference. In treatments with performance pay, motivational talk increases output by about 20 percent and reduces the ratio of mistakes by more than 40 percent.

Keywords: Verbal Motivation; Performance Pay; Field Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 J33 M52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-cta, nep-exp and nep-hrm
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Related works:
Journal Article: Hidden benefits of reward: A field experiment on motivation and monetary incentives (2015)
Working Paper: Hidden Benefits of Reward: A Field Experiment on Motivation and Monetary Incentives (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:trf:wpaper:451

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