Money is a terrible incentive. That’s why the promise of a raise at work doesn’t result in more productivity. Sometimes productivity goes down because, as it’s been found time and again, money is often a demotivator.
Threats are ineffective too. Getting “grounded” rarely motivates good decision making in children. The threat of detention doesn’t produce better behaved students. Sometimes the opposite occurs. Even death is a bad motivator of change (see Alan Deutschman’s work).
What people want, which happen to be the same things that serve as good incentives, are freedom, respect, and responsibility.
Freedom to be creative and make decision.
Respectfully listened to and taken seriously.
And enough responsibility to make a difference.
These are effective incentives because inherent in them is meaning and satisfaction, neither of which derive from money or fear.
This is why fear-based schooling or the promise of material gain don’t help us learn and grow. If there’s not a direct line between learning and meaning, learning becomes a chore and comes to a screeching halt. If there’s not real satisfaction in the learning process, the body (and mind) literally shut down.
