Mitigating the Adverse Effect of Monetary Incentives on Voluntary Contributions Online

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Qiao, Dandan; Lee, Shun-Yang; Whinston, Andrew B.; Wei, Qiang
• 署名单位: National University of Singapore; Northeastern University; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; Tsinghua University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0742-1222
• DOI: 10.1080/07421222.2021.1870385
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 82-107
• 关键词: task-difficulty; motivation; performance; rewards; work

摘要

Numerous online information systems (e.g., question and answer [Q&A] forums, citizen science communities, and review websites) rely heavily on volunteer contributions. Managers have used monetary incentives to induce individuals to increase their contribution level. However, monetary incentives could also generate adverse effects, which could dampen individuals' intrinsic motivation and lead to lower contribution quality when incentives are small. To address this issue, we propose two intervention strategies, goal-setting and challenge-seeking, and conduct a series of randomized experiments. We find that small monetary incentives, when combined with the appropriate intervention strategies, can motivate users to increase contribution quantity while simultaneously sustaining high quality. Thus, integrating such intervention strategies with small incentives can be a cost-effective way to encourage voluntary contributions. Our research contributes to the literature on incentive provision and provides theoretical and practical implications for platforms relying on voluntary contributions.