Page 30 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

1

The
CHA P T E R 1

Workplace

“Carrot-on-

a-Stick”

“ The only carrots that interest me are the
number of carats in a diamond.”
—Mae West
“

arrots and sticks” refers to using rewards and
punishment to motivate others. This system is
Cbased on the principles of operant conditioning.
Similarly, there is the expression “carrot-on-a-stick,” which con-
jures up the image of a carrot tied to a stick held just beyond the
reach of a donkey to encourage the animal to go faster. In orga-
nizations, “carrots” refer to rewards or incentives dangled in
front of employees to motivate them to strive toward some goal.
These incentives range from coffee mugs to lucrative financial
bonuses and everything in between. The obvious assumption is