Question

How do you design a pay plan that motivates people to do their best work? A new study by three Harvard researchers suggests a novel answer: Shortly after you hire new workers, give them a raise.

"Previous research has shown that paying people more than they expect may elicit reciprocity(相互作用) in the form of greater productivity," notes Deepak Malhotra, a Harvard business-administration professor who worked on the study. What he and his colleagues found, however, was that the connection between more pay and extra effort depends on presenting the increase "as a gift—that is, as something you've chosen to do purely as a nice gesture, with no strings attached."

Malhotra and his team studied 267 people hired by oDesk, a global online network of freelancers, to do a one-time data-entry project for four hours. All of the new hires were people in developing countries, for whom hourly wages of $3 and $4 were higher than what they had been making in previous jobs.

The researchers split the group up into three equal parts. One group was told they would earn $3 an hour. A second group was initially hired at $3 an hour but, before they started working, they got a surprise: The budget for the project had expanded unexpectedly, they were told, and they would now be paid $4 an hour. The third group was offered $4 an hour from the start and given no increase.

Even though the second and third groups were eventually paid the same amount, the second group worked harder and produced more—about 20% more—than either of the other two. People in the second group also showed the most stamina, maintaining their focus all the way through the assigned task and performing especially well toward the end of the four hours. Interestingly, the more experienced employees in the high-performing group were the most productive of all, apparently because their previous work experience led them to appreciate the rarity of an unexpected raise.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Malhotra points out that higher pay, in and of itself, didn't promote productivity: People who made $4 an hour from the beginning worked no harder than those who were hired at $3 and were then paid $3.

To get the most impact from their pay plans, he adds, companies might consider not only what to pay new hires, but when to pay it.

"The key thing is how you present [the reason for an increase]," he says. Doling out extra money could promote productivity most "if you make it clear that the pay raise is something you're choosing to do just because you can. Our theory is that people will reciprocate. If you do something nice, they'll do something nice back."

1.What does the underlined word “stamina” most probably mean?

A. The quality of being intelligent or clever.

B. The quality of doing something difficult or dangerous.

C. The physical or mental energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time.

D. A particular method of doing an activity, usually involving practical skills.

2.Why did the second group produce more than the other two groups?

A. Because they thought they were better paid than the other groups.

B. Because they were experienced employees from developing countries.

C. Because an unexpected raise reminded them of their previous work.

D. Because they felt they were nicely treated and tried best to repay it.

3.What can we infer from this passage?

A. No pains, no gains.

B. It matters not what we give but how.

C. Honesty is the best policy.

D. Actions speak louder than words.

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.D

3.B

【解析】

试题分析：如何给工人工资能激发他们工作的积极性哪？三名哈佛大学的研究者做了一项研究给了一个新奇的答案：雇佣新员工之后，很快给他们加薪。

1.词义推测题。根据单词所在的段落的意思可知，第二组在完成所分配的任务中一直显示最有耐力，表现越来越好，所以该词的意思是长时间做一件累人的事所需要的体能和精力。因此选C。

2.推理判断题。由文章开头和最后的说明可知，如果你为他们做了好事，他们会回报。所以第二组的人认为他们得到了好的待遇而努力去做好工作回报。故选D。

3.3】推理判断题。由文章的意思可知，本文通过一个实验证明，要想激发工人努力工作，不是给他们高工资，而是给他们意料之外的报酬。A. No pains, no gains.不劳无获；B. It matters not what we give but how.重要的不是我们给什么而是如何给；C. Honesty is the best policy.诚实是最好的政策；D. Actions speak louder than words. 行动胜于雄辩。故选B。

考点： 社会类短文阅读。