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Management MuseAuthor: Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin
Management Muse is a leadership and management podcast for professionals who want to improve communication, increase employee engagement, and build high-performing teams. Hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin draw from organizational science, management research, and decades of experience to deliver actionable insights that improve workplace performance. Topics include leadership development, team dynamics, performance management, workplace culture, change leadership, and strategic communication. Whether youre leading a team or working within one, Management Muse helps you strengthen your skills and drive meaningful results. Language: en Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Ep 108 - The Motivation Trap (Why Rewards Are Trickier Than You Think)
Episode 110
Tuesday, 12 May, 2026
If you only read one book on motivation, you might be missing half the story. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dig into the messy, controversial, and often misunderstood science of motivation. They explore intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, how reward systems are easy to mess up, and why popular advice often oversimplifies what actually drives people at work. From sales targets to healthcare metrics, Cindi and Geoff explore where well-intentioned rewards changes create frustration instead of motivation, and what to do instead. Before you change compensation, bonuses, performance metrics, or incentives, listen to this one. Motivation is not simple — and your people will feel it if you treat it like it is. Episode Highlights: Why motivation advice is often oversimplified The pros of cons of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation The research controversy behind rewards How to avoid accidentally breaking motivation while trying to improve performance The key elements employees need to feel satisfied with changing targets Navigating the messy business of changing pay structures Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ACzmEnAqjxI Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get a FREE chapter of The Uncertainty Playbook: https://managementmuse.com/newsletter/ Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Uri, Gneezy. Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work, Yale University Press, 21 Mar. 2023, https://a.co/d/07vHQsd7 Doshi & McGregor. Primed to Perform, Harper Business, 6 Oct. 2015, https://a.co/d/0ibqm98O Amabile and Kramer. The Progress Principle, Harvard Business School Press, 2011, https://a.co/d/0eFJn0Ow Cameron and Pierce. “Reinforcment, Reward, and Intrinsic Motivation: A Meta-Analysis,” Review of Educational Research, 64 (3), 363-423, Fall 1994, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1170677 Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
