Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work by Uri Gneezy - Non Fiction - Hardback

Details
Condition: Brand New
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780300255539
Publisher: Yale University Press

Overview
Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work is a sharp, highly readable dive into why the incentives we design so often backfire. Behavioural economist Uri Gneezy unpacks the gap between what organisations say they want and what their reward systems actually encourage, using vivid, real-world case studies from business, healthcare, education and everyday life. It's essential reading for managers, policymakers, parents, and anyone who has ever wondered why a well-intentioned reward scheme produced exactly the wrong result.

About the Book
Why does a CEO who preaches teamwork reward only individual achievement? Why does a hospital that champions patient care pay doctors for speed? Gneezy argues that every incentive sends a signal, and when that signal contradicts the stated goal, people respond to the signal, not the slogan. Drawing on decades of research in behavioural economics and game theory, alongside field experiments and case studies, Gneezy shows how misaligned incentives quietly sabotage teamwork, innovation, honesty and quality across workplaces, schools, hospitals and governments. He walks readers through famous failures and lesser-known cautionary tales, then builds a practical framework for designing incentives that actually align with the outcomes leaders say they want. Rather than offering a simple checklist, the book trains readers to think diagnostically: to ask what signal a given incentive truly sends, to whom, and what behaviour it will realistically provoke. The result is a book that is as useful for a startup founder setting sales targets as it is for a parent deciding how to reward a child's schoolwork. Praised by economists and management thinkers alike, Mixed Signals combines rigorous research with an engaging, conversational style, making complex behavioural science accessible without dumbing it down.

• Written by a leading, widely cited behavioural economist
• Packed with real-world case studies from business, sport, healthcare and education
• Offers a practical framework for designing better incentives
• Accessible, jargon-free writing style suited to general readers
• Ideal for managers, teachers, parents and policymakers alike
• A thought-provoking gift for anyone interested in behavioural economics

About the Author
Uri Gneezy is a leading behavioural economist and the Epstein/Atkinson Endowed Chair in Behavioral Economics and Professor of Economics and Strategy at the Rady School of Management, University of California San Diego. His research on incentives, deception and motivation has shaped how academics and business leaders think about human behaviour, and his work has been widely covered in the media and is frequently cited in discussions of behavioural economics and incentive design.

Why You'll Love This Non Fiction Hardback
Smart, witty and endlessly practical, this hardback delivers genuine "aha" moments on every page. Perfect for business readers, students of economics, or anyone who manages people and wants incentives that actually work.

Please Note: Cover shown is the UK edition; ISBN and format are as stated above and dispatched as brand new.