Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation: Resolving the Controversy

265 Pages·2006·16.896 MB·English

by  Judy Cameron, W. David Pierce

Rewards and
Intrinsic Motivation

REWARDS AND
INTRINSIC
MOTIVATION
Resolving the Controversy
Judy Cameron and W. David Pierce
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cameron, Judy, 1953-
Rewards and intrinsic motivation . resolving the controversy / Judy Cameron and W. David
Pierce.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59311-383-4
1. Employee motivation. 2. Achievement motivation. 3. OrganizatIOnal behavior. 4. Psychology,
Industrial. 5. Interpersonal relations. I. Pierce, W. David. II. Title.
HF5549.5.M63C35 2002
158.7-dc21 2001043794
British LIbrary Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copynght © 2002 by Judy Cameron and W. David Pierce
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without
the express wntten consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001043794
ISBN· 0-89789-677-7
First published in 2002
Pnnted in the United States of America
8"
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39 .48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acknowledgment
Our research was supported by the Social SCience and Humanities Council (SSHRC) of Canada.
Contents
Part I: Introduction
An Introduction to the Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation
Controversy 3
Part II: Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation: A Look at the
Early Research
2 How Rewards Got a Bad Reputation 11
3 Why Rewards Do Not Deserve a Bad Reputation 23
Part III: Theoretical Disputes Over Rewards and Intrinsic
Motivation
4 Theoretical Perspectives on Rewards as Harmful 37
5 Theoretical Perspectives on Rewards as Helpful 59
Part IV: The Empirical Evidence for the Impact of Rewards
on Intrinsic Motivation
6 An Overview of the Experiments on Rewards and Intrinsic
Motivation 87
7 A Critique of Meta-analyses of the Effects of Rewards on
Intrinsic Motivation 101
vi Contents
8 A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Rewards on Intrinsic
Motivation 115
9 Discussion and Implications of Our Meta-analytic Findings 155
Part V: Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation: A Sociohistorical
Perspective
lOA Sociohistorical Analysis of the Literature on Rewards and
Intrinsic Motivation 177
Part VI: Practical Applications of Rewards
11 The Effective Use of Rewards in Everyday Life 201
Part VII: Conclusion
12 Resolving the Controversy over Rewards and Intrinsic
Motivation 231
References 235
Index 251
PART I
INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1
An Introduction to the Rewards and
Intrinsic Motivation Controversy
Most parents and educators would agree that the ideal student is one who per
forms academic tasks at a high level, shows high interest and involvement in
school activities, is willing to take on challenging assignments, and is an overall
self-motivated learner. Most of us would agree that in an ideal workplace, people
are productive, happy, and proud of their accomplishments. More generally,
most of us want to live in a society where people contribute to the welfare of
others, are free to choose among a variety of activities, have a sense of com
petence and achievement, and feel contentment in most aspects of their life. We
agree with these values. However, how to attain these ideals has aroused far
less consensus.
One way in which society attempts to achieve its goals is to punish undesir
able behavior. Teachers give detentions for incomplete school assignments in
the hope that students will develop a sense of responsibility for their work.
Parents criticize their children's work habits to instill standards of high achieve
ment. Employers threaten loss of jobs to motivate workers to be more produc
tive. The legal system punishes those who break the laws in order to teach
responsibility, maintain order, and protect the freedom of others.
Systems of punishment have been designed and maintained as ways to achieve
the aims of high productivity, satisfaction with achievement, caring for others,
and so on. The fact is, however, that punitive systems have never attained these
goals. Instead, the use of punishment has resulted in resentment, discontent,
feelings of low self-worth, and attempts to overthrow those who wield power.
In other words, punishment backfires.
I