Response to Framing Questions | The Rise of the Network

After yesterday’s class, I became more interested in intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.  My framing question asking why financial incentives lowers levels of activity was answered really well with the example of the Israel daycare. I guess when I was asking my original framing question, I was assuming the worst in us: that we will only do things if there is a financial incentive.  My assumptions were  somewhat correct, however, in that we do things because we are motivated in some way. After hearing about how the parents of the kids at the daycare would pick their kids up even later since they felt like they were paying for the extra care, it reminded me that another trait of human nature is that we all think someone owes us something. Plus, the amount the daycare was charging per fifteen minutes is way less than what the teachers/caretakers would really charge if they billed an hourly rate. So  the parents were still inconveniencing the daycare, but they used their payment to validate why they should not feel guilty.

This makes me wonder what creative ways employers are motivating their employers, especially in ways other than more pay or a bonus. Would it be wise for companies to focus more on offering intrinsic motivations? I would assume, given the economy, companies are thinking of more creative (i.e. cheaper) ways to motivate and reward employees. I wonder how this is working out and if there are any studies on this.

From what I’ve seen in the workforce, simple public recognition (i.e. intrinsic motivators), has been one good way to motivate people. Although, this has also backfired. Now that the economy is recovering, people are expecting raises and bonuses. So how does a company strike a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators?

These motivators are interesting to look at when considering the blogging community. There are bloggers who write because they’re trying to build credibility, send a message, or simply because they enjoy it—all without getting paid for. Then there are bloggers who get paid to write. I wonder which content is better and more effective. We could look at two bloggers with similar levels of writing skills and compare the hits and comments on their site.

As we’re delving further into “Here Comes Everybody,” I look forward to learning more about the power of the individual and what motivates them to make their voice heard online. And, I’m especially fascinated by the power of one’s voice.