Alfie Kohn:  Myth-Buster
on Education, Homework, Punishment, Incentives, and Rewards

Alfie Kohn recently spoke to about 250 people at an LCC/ "Capital Quality Initiative"  Here are a few concepts I captured in my notes and from the handouts at the lecture. (more at www.alfiekohn.org)

• Our culture is marinated in behaviorism.  At work, at school, and at home, we take for granted that the way to get things done is to dangle goodies in front of people.
   
• Many of our current approaches to management, teaching, parenting, and leadership are based upon false assumptions about human nature.  This old paradigm is based upon "theory X" -- the belief that people are basically lazy.  "Theory Y," on the other hand, states that people want to do meaningful things.  Theory "Y" assumes that people will not only accept but also seek responsibility and have the capacity to exercise a high degree of imagination and creativity.
   
• Adherents to the old paradigm give or withhold awards, impose specific objectives, and appraise performance...   they tend to do things to versus doing things with people.
   
• At least 2 dozen studies show that rewards undermine performance.  Pay isn't a motivator.  Incentives can't work in the long run. 
   
• Why?  Because they are controlling.  Rewards rupture relationships.  The more people "want" the reward, the more damaging to relationships.  Research shows that excellence depends upon teamwork, both because of the exchange of ideas it fosters and the climate of social support it creates.  But the scramble for rewards -- particularly when they are made scarce, creating competition -- destroys this valuable cooperation. 
   
• Incentive-driven employees will not ask for help when they need it.  Instead, they will often conceal problems to appear infinitely competent, or they will resort to flattery. 
   
• Rewards reduce risk-taking.
   
• Punishments and rewards are not opposites.  They are two sides of the same coin, and the coin does not buy very much. 
   
• A dozen psychological studies showing that the more people are led to think about rewards, the more they prefer easy tasks.  Why?  Not because of laziness, but because incentives encourage concern about what one is going to get.
   
• Rewards undermine interest.  People think, " If they have to bribe me to do it, this must be something I don't want to do."
   
• If rewards do not work, what does?  Kohn recommends paying workers well and fairly and then do everything possible to help them forget about money.  A preoccupation with money distracts everyone -- employers and employees -- from the issues that really matter.
   
• Q:  How do you motivate people?     A:  You don't.  It's impossible, it's unnecessary, and it's undesirable. 
   
• It's better to ask "How are people motivated?"  To revive and resuscitate and help people recover their own internal motivation, we should maximize choices.  Let students design their learning experiences.  
   
• These issues might be abbreviated as the three Cs of quality:  choice, collaboration, and content.  Choice means worker should participate in making decisions about what they do.  Collaboration means they should be able to work together in effective teams.  Content refers to the job's tasks.  to do a good job, people need a good job to do.   Doing these things is much more difficult than dangling goodies fin front of workers. but manipulating behavior by offering regards, while a sound approach for training the family pet, can never bring quality to the workplace.

Here are a few of the dozens of articles on his website: