Carrot vs. Stick Approach to Motivation

 Principle of Reinforcement

 Miller Burns

Motivation has a lot to do with incentives and the different types that are the most effective for different people and certain situations. A well-established motivational theory is the “Carrot and Stick” approach which is centered on using rewards to incentivize and motivate their subordinates, or using penalties to decrease the likelihood of a certain action taking place. According to Life and Business coach Ana Martin, this carrot or stick analog refers to the old story that "in order to get a donkey to move forward and pull the cart you would dangle a carrot in front of him or hit him with a stick from behind." The stick in this case represents fear to produce immediate results and prompt compliance. The Carrot acts as the incentive and as the motivational tactic if it is appealing enough to the donkey (person) to seek after with passion. It is the job of the Leaders to decide the proper tactic to use.











 Citation

Martin, Ana. "Carrot or Stick Approach?." Aim To Be Carrot or Stick Approach Comments. N.p., 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. .