Incentives, Status and Thereafter: A Critical Survey

Abstract

This article provides a critical discussion on the working of status as an instrument to elicit desirable effort within an organization. It postulates a comprehensive survey of the studies on incentive, especially non-monetary incentives like status. Different studies are summarized concisely and elaborate comments on the divergent views on valuation for status, the relationship between monetary and status incentives, the technique of modelling status and the cost of introducing status have been illustrated. The article underlines some probable adverse consequences associated with the use of the status incentive. Status works by creating inequality and has strong unwarranted influence even beyond organizational purview. It emphasizes the need for profound research to account for the optimal and prudent use of status as incentives. JEL Classification: L2, D21, D86