What motivates people to change the way they work? When organizations introduce new processes or systems, or when they want to stimulate performance for certain business practices, they often assemble dedicated task forces, assign them specific goals, and identify deadlines and financial rewards.
Incentives Don’t Help People Change, but Peer Pressure Does
Results from a study on hand hygiene at a hospital.
March 23, 2017
Summary.
What motivates people to change the way they work? When organizations introduce new processes or systems, or when they want to stimulate performance for certain business practices, they often turn to short-term financial rewards to encourage employees to act. But are they effective, particularly in the long-term? An analysis of a hand hygiene initiative at a California hospital shows that peer pressure, and not a cash bonus, may be a better catalyst for creating lasting behavioral change.