Why extrinsic rewards are so bad for motivation

by Tim Topham

Do rewards motivate people? Absolutely: They motivate people to get rewards! So states Daniel Pink in his engaging book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. According to his research, extrinsic rewards, particularly “if-then” or “contingent” rewards (“if you do this, then you’ll get that”) snuff out all self motivation and creativity, regardless of ... Why extrinsic rewards are so bad for motivation