--- title: "Monetary Motivation: Too Much of a Good Thing is Bad, Too" id: "22006" type: "post" slug: "monetary-motivation-too-much-of-a-good-thing-is-bad-too" published_at: "2014-03-07T19:06:54+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T03:44:12+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/03/07/monetary-motivation-too-much-of-a-good-thing-is-bad-too/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/03/07/monetary-motivation-too-much-of-a-good-thing-is-bad-too.md" excerpt: "Why monetary motivation causes productivity deviation. Also: one inventive expert's insight into road bumps that impede innovation." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "employee performance" - "Leadership" - "Motivation" - "psychology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monetary Motivation: Too Much of a Good Thing is Bad, Too Offering a bonus can make employees more dedicated to a project, but there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. So says [The Build Network’s Adam Vaccaro (opens in a new tab)](http://thebuildnetwork.com/team-building/incentives-enticing/) , referencing the results of a psychological study from [Radboud University (opens in a new tab)](http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/minds-business/overdosing-on-incentives.html) in the Netherlands. It found that participants whose brains normally had a high level of dopamine—the chemical that stimulates reward-seeking behavior—proved less skilled at accomplishing a designated analytical task when they were promised a bigger reward than did those who were offered a smaller one. While Vaccaro says the research exposes a noteworthy characteristic, he points out that the study wasn’t conducted in a work environment. “[E]ven if it was in a business atmosphere, and even if you knew all your employees had high dopamine levels, the task itself was still the sort of deadline-driven work that required a very specific solution,” he writes. “So the findings might not be applicable to more collaborative, open-ended, left-brain sort of work.” Still, Vaccaro says, the study makes an intriguing finding on how rewards don’t always equal a greater work performance. ### Tweet of the Day **Is creativity really that hard to harness?** Writer and speaker [Gregg Fraley offers (opens in a new tab)](http://greggfraley.com/blog/2014/02/21/eight-politically-incorrect-statements-about-innovation/) up eight politically incorrect statements frequently made about innovation: > Can you handle the truth about [#innovation (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/innovation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ? Provocative [#Keynote (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Keynote?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#mpi (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/mpi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#meetings (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/meetings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [http://t.co/Uvb5V2YE07 (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/Uvb5V2YE07) > > — greggfraley (@greggfraley) [March 6, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/greggfraley/status/441578363497377792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ### Other good reads today **Keep the creative juices flowing.** [Inc.com suggests establishing “hot groups” (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/sam-bacharach/how-to-harness-individual-creativity-with-hot-groups.html) made up of employees equally enthusiastic about the same bright ideas. **Trying to win folks over** **on social media?** [Cvent has some tips (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.cvent.com/blog/liz-king-for-cvent/3-keys-to-penetrating-the-social-media-circle-of-trust) on how to break through the “social media circle of trust.” **Creating a strategic plan** for your nonprofit is one thing. Implementing it across various departments is another, [Meredith Low writes (opens in a new tab)](http://meredithlow.com/strategic-plan-look-shelf/) . **As baby boomers pass the baton to millennials,**you need to hold onto their knowledge. [XYZ University (opens in a new tab)](http://xyzuniversity.com/2014/02/the-boomers-are-leaving-keep-their-knowledge/) shares some ways to do it. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Alexis Williams](https://associationsnow.com/author/alexis-williams/) Alexis Williams & Alexis Davis are contributors to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/alexis-williams/) Tags: [#employee performance](https://associationsnow.com/tag/employee-performance/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Motivation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/motivation/) [#psychology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/psychology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoMagic Johnson: 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting Opening KeynoteJune 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/18/magic-johnson-2025-asae-annual-meeting-opening-keynote/) - [VideoAmerican College of Emergency Physicians: ACEP Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation ProgramSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-college-of-emergency-physicians-acep-geriatric-emergency-department-accreditation-program/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents Practical AI-How Associations Are Putting It To WorkJanuary 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/01/29/associations-now-presents-practical-ai-how-associations-are-putting-it-to-work/) - [PodcastWhy Associations Must Rethink Learning and Community TogetherMarch 26, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/03/26/why-associations-must-rethink-learning-and-community-together/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F03%2F07%2Fmonetary-motivation-too-much-of-a-good-thing-is-bad-too%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !