In 1949, psychologist Harry F. Harlow experimented to understand human behavior. The test was conducted on eight rhesus monkeys.
The experiment was like this.
For two weeks, the monkeys were tasked with solving a puzzle. There was no incentive or reward for the monkeys to finish the puzzle without any instructions.
Harlow observed that the monkeys performed exceptionally well. Within two weeks, all eight had completed the challenge. There were no incentives or food given for completing the puzzle.
Harlow’s team decided to change the experiment. In a second trial, they decided to motivate the monkeys using a food reward. Successful completion would award the monkeys with raisins The results were interesting: The incentives didn’t improve task performance. It made the performance worse. Monkeys made more errors. They solved the problem less frequently. Instead of acting as a supplement to the positive behavior, the incentives seemed to become a distraction.
What did you learn from this story?
How does the intrinsic motivation improve the performance at work?