Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A'S, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In Punished by Rewards, Alfie Kohn challenges many of the sacred ideas that fuel our modern culture. Despite the widespread use of both punishments and rewards, the evidence is strong that neither approach is very effective at motivating people. From the corporate world to the classroom, the tradition of behaviorism is almost ubiquitous, where gold stars, grades, prizes and even cash are dangled before people under the common perception that doing so will improve their performance.
Research shows that this method is unlikely to bring about lasting change, high quality work, or true attention to the task at hand. In fact, it can do the exact opposite. Many studies show that if we reward people for behavior that they enjoy, they often cease doing it once the reward is taken away. By approaching training with threats and bribes, we interfere with the development of intrinsic motivation and replace it with a focus on external ramifications.This changes the focus from the activity at hand to the end result, which reduces creativity and saps the joy from the work. Even though we may feel better using the carrot than the stick, the reality is that neither approach is truly helpful.
How can this be true, when both rewards and punishments appear to work so well? Studies show that while people can be induced to be more productive for a period of time, this is true only for quantity, not quality. The changes also rarely last, and need to be constantly reinforced with new rewards or punishments in order to induce a new round of temporary change. Rewards can have other effects too. When prizes and rewards are in limited supply, a competitive environment ensues. This can reduce cooperation, mentoring, and teamwork, and even encourage people to game the system to get the reward.
These ideas have great ramifications in the workplace, the classroom, and in the home. Although it may be easier to punish a child who misbehaves, the only thing it teaches the child is the use of power over others. We may think we are making a point about a misbehavior, but the point we are really making is that we have the power, and we are willing to use it. As a result, future thought will focus on how not to get caught rather than on how the situation could have been handled differently.
This is a big problem. Perhaps THE big problem. Mindfuless psychology and Buddhist tradition insist that all of our suffering is caused by not being in the moment. Flow studies demonstrate that optimal experiences are best cultivated through attention and presence. Attention is powerful medicine, and instead of learning to direct it and use it, we are trained to trade it for trinkets.
I have a long way to go to recover from my own submersion in this paradigm, but I am actively engaging in my life in ways that I hope will reduce it's impact. As a parent, I am intimidated by the work ahead of me, weaning off the easy solutions and responding to the moment rather than from habit or convenience. I feel compelled to undertake this journey with my children, however, as the benefits of developing this presence in them far outweigh any temporary relief I may get from a threat or a bribe. Habits can be hard to break, however. Luckily, Kohn ends on an encouraging note, and suggests that even small steps in this direction are better than none. We can wean off punishments, recognize the harm that bribery can do, and perhaps choose our battles more wisely so that we throw down the gauntlet less often. We can invite participation from those we are working with in order to develop better skills at solving our problems with creative cooperation and compassionate communication. Together we can help create a brighter future for us all.
I would recommend this book to parents, teachers, managers and anyone working towards creating a more egalitarian world.
Research shows that this method is unlikely to bring about lasting change, high quality work, or true attention to the task at hand. In fact, it can do the exact opposite. Many studies show that if we reward people for behavior that they enjoy, they often cease doing it once the reward is taken away. By approaching training with threats and bribes, we interfere with the development of intrinsic motivation and replace it with a focus on external ramifications.This changes the focus from the activity at hand to the end result, which reduces creativity and saps the joy from the work. Even though we may feel better using the carrot than the stick, the reality is that neither approach is truly helpful.
How can this be true, when both rewards and punishments appear to work so well? Studies show that while people can be induced to be more productive for a period of time, this is true only for quantity, not quality. The changes also rarely last, and need to be constantly reinforced with new rewards or punishments in order to induce a new round of temporary change. Rewards can have other effects too. When prizes and rewards are in limited supply, a competitive environment ensues. This can reduce cooperation, mentoring, and teamwork, and even encourage people to game the system to get the reward.
These ideas have great ramifications in the workplace, the classroom, and in the home. Although it may be easier to punish a child who misbehaves, the only thing it teaches the child is the use of power over others. We may think we are making a point about a misbehavior, but the point we are really making is that we have the power, and we are willing to use it. As a result, future thought will focus on how not to get caught rather than on how the situation could have been handled differently.
This is a big problem. Perhaps THE big problem. Mindfuless psychology and Buddhist tradition insist that all of our suffering is caused by not being in the moment. Flow studies demonstrate that optimal experiences are best cultivated through attention and presence. Attention is powerful medicine, and instead of learning to direct it and use it, we are trained to trade it for trinkets.
I have a long way to go to recover from my own submersion in this paradigm, but I am actively engaging in my life in ways that I hope will reduce it's impact. As a parent, I am intimidated by the work ahead of me, weaning off the easy solutions and responding to the moment rather than from habit or convenience. I feel compelled to undertake this journey with my children, however, as the benefits of developing this presence in them far outweigh any temporary relief I may get from a threat or a bribe. Habits can be hard to break, however. Luckily, Kohn ends on an encouraging note, and suggests that even small steps in this direction are better than none. We can wean off punishments, recognize the harm that bribery can do, and perhaps choose our battles more wisely so that we throw down the gauntlet less often. We can invite participation from those we are working with in order to develop better skills at solving our problems with creative cooperation and compassionate communication. Together we can help create a brighter future for us all.
I would recommend this book to parents, teachers, managers and anyone working towards creating a more egalitarian world.
