Wrong Compensation. A semiconductor chip maker conducted an experiment. Workers worked four days a week and took a break. On the first workday, Monday, if they produced a certain number of chips, the company gave them a $30 bonus to motivate their work. However, there was no compensation for the remaining three days. The same bonus was offered again when work resumed after the holidays. The workers were divided into groups, and only on the first day did they earn a bonus: the first group received no reward, the second group was paid the same amount, the third group received a pizza coupon, and the fourth group got a compliment text message, with their productivity monitored for the other three days. Results showed that the first group, with no compensation, had the lowest productivity. The highest productivity was seen in the praise letter group, followed by the other groups. The company suffered a loss because of the $30 bonus. Social motivation and financial motivation are different....
In a rapidly evolving technological market, companies thrive not by producing durable, long-lasting products but by continuously innovating new models. If car manufacturers create vehicles so robust that customers drive them for over 30 or 40 years, those companies risk failure. Therefore, product cycles are crucial in manufacturing: if they are too short, trust is lost; if they are too long, bankruptcy follows. Nevertheless, newcomers often aim to make them more robust. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”