PERFORMANCE RELATED PAY (INCENTIVE PAY SYSTEM)


There have been a lot of criticisms from different quarters against incentive/performance related pay system. The occupational psychologists question the ability of performance related pay (PRP) to motivate positively; leading in this line of argument is Kohn (1993) who argued that “incentives can only succeed in securing temporary compliance”. Stating that their use cannot change underlaying attitudes, while the attempt to do so ultimately damagesthe long term health of the organization by undermining relationships, and encouraging employees to focus on short-term aims.


According to Hendry et:al; 2000: Sociologist saw it as a means of reinforcing management control at the expense of workers autonomy; while management thinker such as W. Edward Deming  in his view says that: incentive pay or performance related pay substitutes leadership for ‘supervision’ removing organizational hierarchies and managing people with as little direction and control as possible.

The major criticisms of performance related pay (PRP) are summarized by Gemoz-Meja and Balkin (1992, Cannell and Wood (1992), Pfeffer (1998) and Purcell (2000)  as follows:

§  Employee performance related pay (PRP), especially where the incentive is substantial; tends to develop a narrow focus to their work. They concentrate on those aspects they believe will initiate payment, neglecting the other part of the job.

§  PRP because of its individual nature, tends to undermine team-working. People focus on their own objectives at the expense of cooperation with colleagues.

§  PRP tends to discourage creative thinking, the challenging of established ways of doing things and a questioning attitude among employees.

§  Budgetary constraints often lead managers to reduce ratings, creating a situation in which excellent individual performance is not properly rewarded

§  When the results of performance appraisal meetings have an impact on pay levels, employees tend to down play their weakness. As a result development needs are not discussed or addressed etc.
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