If you want people to perform better, you reward them, right? Bonuses, commissions, their own reality show. Incentivize them. … But that’s not happening here. You’ve got an incentive designed to sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity, and it does just the opposite. It dulls thinking and blocks creativity.

Source: "The Puzzle of Motivation." TEDGlobal 2009. Aug. 2009. Conference Presentation. Additional Information: According to this Dan Pink quote, contrary to popular belief, rewards do not inspire creativity or motivate people to perform better in business. In the TEDTalk this quote was taken from, Pink, a career analyst, explains this phenomenon and other findings of his research on motivation. Watch the full TEDTalk here: Dan Pink - The Puzzle of Motivation

“The Puzzle of Motivation.” TEDGlobal 2009. Aug. 2009. Conference Presentation.