Rethinking rewards: rewarding A and Hoping for B

Abstract

It would seem to be well established wisdom that if a particular behaviour is desired, that should be rewarded rather than any other behaviour. Based on a case study of two hospitals in a Canadian province, Abhoy Ojha concludes that in situations where it may not be practical to reward the desired behaviour, a related behaviour could be rewarded in order to elicit the behaviour desired. An adequate understanding of the complex relationship between rewards and behaviour may allow organisations to design systems that are seen to encourage one behaviour, but also elicit multiple other desirable behaviours.