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：文章大意：本文是一篇调查研究。一项新的研究表明，在雇佣新的工人不久就给他们涨工资会极大调动他们的工作热情。

1.词义猜测题。根据“stamina”所在的句子…. stamina, maintaining their focus all the way through the assigned task and performing especially well toward the end of the four hours.可以推知，想要集中精力完成任务而且要干完四个小时一定要有充足的精力和体力。故stamina指“毅力，精力”答案选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段句子A second group was initially hired at $3 an hour but, … they were told, and they would now be paid $4 an hour.可知，第二小组刚开始的工资是每小时3元，但开始工作之前得到了涨工资的惊喜，所以这时候他们的情绪肯定很高涨，认为自己受到了重用。故答案选D。

3.推理判断题。根据实验表明第二小组和第三小组虽然得到的最后工资是一样的，但是发给工资的方式不一样，效果也自然不一样。所以推断，我们给什么不重要怎么给才重要。故选B。

考点：考查调查研究阅读