Salespeople being paid commissions is a common practice, but it can lead to various recurring problems like high turnover and internal disputes.
Research suggests that higher incentives, like commissions, can actually reduce performance in some cases, which is a counter-intuitive result.
The debate over sales commissions reflects two different views of worker motivation: Theory X, where employees are seen as lazy and need external rewards, and Theory Y, where workers are viewed as self-motivated and thrive on autonomy.