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Goal Setting and Monetary Incentives: When Large Stakes Are Not Enough

Author

Listed:
  • Brice Corgnet

    (George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866)

  • Joaquín Gómez-Miñambres

    (Department of Economics, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837; and Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866)

  • Roberto Hernán-González

    (Department of Economic Theory and Economic History, Universidad de Granada, Campus de la Cartuja, 18011 Granada, Spain)

Abstract
The aim of this paper is to test the effectiveness of wage-irrelevant goal-setting policies in a laboratory environment. In our design, managers can assign a goal to their workers by setting a certain level of performance on the work task. We establish our theoretical conjectures by developing a model in which assigned goals act as reference points to workers’ intrinsic motivation. Consistent with our model, we find that managers set goals that are challenging but attainable for a worker of average ability. Workers respond to these goals by increasing effort and performance and by decreasing on-the-job leisure activities with respect to the no-goal-setting baseline. Finally, we study the interaction between goal setting and monetary rewards and find, in line with our theoretical model, that goal setting is most effective when monetary incentives are strong. These results suggest that goal setting may produce intrinsic motivation and increase workers’ performance beyond what is achieved by using solely monetary incentives.Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.2068 . This paper was accepted by Uri Gneezy, behavioral economics .

Suggested Citation

  • Brice Corgnet & Joaquín Gómez-Miñambres & Roberto Hernán-González, 2015. "Goal Setting and Monetary Incentives: When Large Stakes Are Not Enough," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(12), pages 2926-2944, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:61:y:2015:i:12:p:2926-2944
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2014.2068
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    intrinsic motivation; incentives; goal setting; reference-dependent preferences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management

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