laupäev, 1. detsember 2007

Kuis toimib Homo oeconomicus?

Novembrikuises ajakirjas Science tutvustatakse neuroloogidest ja majandusteadlastest koosnevat Bonni ülikooli teadusrühma, kes on alustanud tänapäeva ühiskonna homo oeconomicuse toimimise uurimist. Oma rühma launchimiseks tehti "sooja" eksperimentide seeriaga, mis käsitlesid tasu mõju meeskatsealuste motivatsioonisüsteemile. Et tasustamise ja motivatsiooni teema on üle maailma suht põhjalikult läbi uuritud, siis nimetan seda tõepoolest soojenduseks, millele loodetavasti lähiajal tuleb lisa.

The Bonn researchers used brain scanning to show how much we as humans take others' earnings as a measure of our own success. The study found that whether or not people made big paychecks, for example, was less of a motivating factor than whether they made MORE than their coworkers. In other words, winning the arbitrary “competition” appears to be more important than the reward itself. Which may be why Donald Trump is so fond of saying that money is not a motivation for him “except as a way to keep score.”

"This result clearly contradicts traditional economic theory," explains Bonn-based economist Professor Dr. Armin Falk. "The theory assumes that the only important factor is the absolute size of the reward. The comparison with other people's rewards shouldn't really play any role in economic motivation." It is the first time that this hypothesis has been challenged using such an experimental approach. It does not mean, of course, that the absolute size of the reward has no impact on the "reward centre": more excitement was registered in response to 60 euros than 30. "But the interesting point to emerge from our study is that the relative size of one's earnings plays such a major role," Armin Falk insists.


Ehk siis - raha motiveerib, eriti veel, kui kolleeg saab sama töö eest vähem :-)

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