In all Societies, there are incentive systems to raise performance. When people perceive the outside intervention as controlling, they reduce their intrinsic motivation. In contrast, when people are perceiving the outside intervention to be a support, their intrinsic motivation is raised. Awards are typically perceived as a support rather than control, and it is likely to affect performance positively.
Awards are everywhere and always have beenThere are many awards in orders, medals, decorations, prizes, titles, and other honors. It would be hard-pressed to find any area of society in which awards are absent. Not only governments bestow awards. Awards are also of importance in culture, arts, and sports. For arts, prominent examples are the Academy Awards (Oscars), film festivals at Cannes, Venice, or Berlin, the Emmy award for television, and the Grammy award for music. There are regular sports for the title of Olympic or World Champion. Awards also apply to the military, where decorations are extremely important, old, and abundant. The awards relate to social status, social comparisons, reference groups, identity, reputation, symbolic and intrinsic incentives, and, of course, the whole area of motivation.