Dec 23 2008
Book Review: Reward Systems by Steve Kerr
Yesterday I finished a very good little book that I’ve been reading during my daily commute. It’s Reward Systems, by Steve Kerr, which I picked because I have been involved in managing groups and organizations for several years now from a variety of perspectives.
Reward Systems was a fantastically enlightening, though concise and quick, read. I can see myself referring back to this book again and again. I found a great deal of valuable information and insight throughout the text, giving me all kinds of thoughts about ways to better motivate people and teams, and effectively reward them for performance.
The one little disagreement I had with Kerr, the author, was in regards to negative reinforcement. He is generally against it, but my experience is that in certain organizations, if handled the right way in conjunction with a reward system, a negative reinforcement approach can provide real benefit. I think most successful athletic coaches will tell you the same.
Aside from that, though, I found Reward Systems to be a fantastic management resource. I’m going to strongly recommend it to colleagues and contacts.
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