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These two books deal with the subject of extrinsic employee motivation from very different perspectives. Kohn delivers a harsh conceptual critique of the very use of extrinsic rewards. Because of its popularity and its unique point of view--challenging the use of pay-forperformance rewards-the book by Kohn should be read by anyone with a professional interest in employee compensation and/or motivation.
In contrast, Nelson pursues a more applied goal. He offers a catalog of cases in which organizations have used extrinsic rewards effectively. Nelson's book has value for those interested in finding practical ways to use extrinsic rewards (like praise and recognition) to create and/or sustain employee motivation. In the following lines, I review first and more extensively Kohn's book, and then deal with Nelson's 1001 Ways to Reward Employees.
Punished by Rewards is divided into three parts. The first part contains the conceptual framework Kohn has erected against the use of rewards. Kohn presents the foundation of his diatribe: a caricature of classical (operant) learning theory which he describes as the "do this and you will get that" paradigm. He argues that using rewards is wrong because the provision of rewards reframes relationships as simple economic exchanges and dehumanizes reward recipients. Kohn claims that rewards are not effective because, in his view, they seldom result in permanent behavioral changes. He proposes five reasons for the failure of extrinsic rewards. These reasons include notions such as "rewards punish," "rewards discourage risk-taking," and "rewards kill intrinsic motivation." Finally, Kohn applies these same concepts to suggest that praise, as commonly used, represents another example of controlling rewards that can only have dysfunctional consequences.
In the second part of the book, Kohn applies his conceptual framework to critique the practice of using rewards in different settings. In separate chapters, he deals with pay-for-performance rewards in the workplace, rewards in the classroom, and the role of rewards in raising children. In the third and final part, Kohn makes recommendations for a world without extrinsic rewards. He calls for the exclusive use of intrinsic motivation in the workplace, advocates self-directed and collaborative learning in the classroom, and suggests we should raise...