Punished by Rewards：The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes

Thebasicstrategyweuseforraisingchildren,teachingstudents,andmanagingworkerscanbesummarizedinsixwords:Dothisandyou'llgetthat.Wedanglegoodies(fromcandybarstosalescommissions)infrontofpeopleinmuchthesamewaywetrainthefamilypet.Drawingonawealthofpsychologicalresearch,AlfieKohnpointsthewaytoamoresuccessfulstrategybasedonworkingwithpeopleinsteadofdoingthingstothem."Dorewardsmotivatepeople?"asksKohn."Yes.Theymotivatepeopletogetrewards."Seasonedwithhumorandfamiliarexamples,PunishedByRewardspresentsanargumentunsettlingtohearbutimpossibletodismiss.