Since the early 1990s, when teams became a corporate trend, a lot of work has turned into teamwork. Companies have assigned more and more responsibilities to teams, rather than individual employees or departments, and collaboration is seen as critical to getting good work done. And yet most performance management systems still rely on a set of recognition and reward programs aimed primarily at motivating and guiding employees toward reaching their individual goals. This runs counter to one of the most fundamental premises in the psychology, management, and economics fields: people are more likely to do things for which they get recognized and rewarded. Rewarding employees based on individual performance while hoping for teamwork is a classic example of “rewarding A while hoping for B.” So why don’t more companies use team-based recognition and rewards?
Teamwork Works Best When Top Performers Are Rewarded
Otherwise, people free-ride.
March 14, 2016
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.