Prosocial Bonuses Increase Employee Satisfaction and Team Performance
| Title: | Prosocial Bonuses Increase Employee Satisfaction and Team Performance |
| Author: |
Anik, Lalin; Aknin, Lara B.; Norton, Michael Irwin; Dunn, Elizabeth W.; Quoidbach, Jordi
Note: Order does not necessarily reflect citation order of authors. |
| Citation: | Anik, Lalin, Lara B. Aknin, Michael I. Norton, Elizabeth W. Dunn, and Jordi Quoidbach. "Prosocial Bonuses Increase Employee Satisfaction and Team Performance." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13–095, May 2013. |
| Full Text & Related Files: |
13-095.pdf (169.8Kb; PDF) 
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| Abstract: | In two field studies, we explore the impact of providing employees and teammates with prosocial bonuses, a novel type of bonus spent on others rather than on oneself. In Experiment 1, we show that prosocial bonuses in the form of donations to charity lead to happier and more satisfied employees at an Australian bank. In Experiment 2, we show that prosocial bonuses in the form of expenditures on teammates lead to better performance in both pharmaceutical sales teams in Belgium and sports teams in Canada. These results suggest that a minor adjustment to employee bonuses – shifting the focus from the self to others – can produce measurable benefits for employees and organizations. |
| Terms of Use: | This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#OAP |
| Citable link to this page: | http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10646420 |
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