The Carrot Principle

In short, the writers “The Carrot Principle,” Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, posit that the most effective and therefore profitable businesses are the result of a motivated set of employees, and the most effective way for a manager to motivate her employees is by providing them with positive reinforcements. They provide a good deal of evidence, form a number of studies to prove that the real factors that motivate workers are not things like money or benefits, but are things like recognition and career development opportunities. The allusion being that the carrot is a better motivator than the stick.
To me this thesis, doesn’t really seem like anything new, since it is basically the same as Frederick Herzberg’s theory of motivational and hygiene factors. Things like pay and job security are the things that people see as essential necessities at their job, but the things that make people truly happy are working in an environment where they feel that they are appreciated and are making a positive impact.
While I think that the message of this book is for the most part right, the fact that such a short message was spread out over a couple hundred pages was a little annoying. I would recommend that people read the first couple chapters of this book or skim through it rather than read the entire thing.