Anyway, as it turns out, pizza ended up being the biggest incentive to the workers, who out-performed the regular employees by 6.7 percent.
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“Ariely promised one group a ‘Well Done!” text message from a manager at the end of the week. Folks that were promised a cash bonus only clocked in at a 4.9% increase above the control. However, the workers were also suckers for flattery: the complimentary text message group came in a close second with an increase of 6.6 percent. A fourth control group was sent no message.
In other words, it would have been better for the employer to offer them no incentive whatsoever.
According to a study led by Dan Ariely in his forthcoming book Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations, the prospect of tucking into a pizza as reward for hard work trumps even the promise of receiving a cash bonus. In fact, the pizza reward beat out both money and praise in productivity increase. It goes to show that money is not our sole motivator.
At the end of the study, the ‘Well Done!’ text was the ultimate victor. If I played Will Ferrell in the film Elf (which is my ultimate goal in life), my four main food groups would be pizza, pasta, Doritos, and shame.
What does it all mean?
“Extrinsic motivators can stop having much meaning – your raise in pay feels like your just due, your bonus gets spent, your new title doesn’t sound so important once you have it”, Wharton professor Adam Grant told The Wall Street Journallast year. He initially wanted the pizza reward to be a pie delivered to the employee’s home, instead of a voucher.
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‘But the sense that other people appreciate what you do sticks with you, ‘ Wharton professor Adam Grant told The Wall Street Journal past year.
