The hottest Incentives Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Measuring developer productivity? A response to McKinsey 2

Software Design: Tidy First? • 3380 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
💼 Business Productivity Team performance Investment decisions Incentives Management
  1. Measuring outcomes and impact alone can lead to gaming the system and disadvantages for the business
  2. Team performance is often more important than individual performance, as seen in sports like soccer
  3. Investing in engineering should be treated as research & development, making small bets and doubling down on promising ones

Taiwan vs. US Chip Subsidies: Bolstering the Sacred Mountain

ChinaTalk • 192 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Incentives Manufacturing
  1. Taiwan allows companies to choose which technologies to invest in, unlike the US and South Korea which target specific areas to strengthen the supply chain.
  2. Taiwanese lawmakers grant significant discretion to government ministries in managing subsidies, in contrast to the US and EU where subsidies are tightly regulated.
  3. Taiwan's central government manages and funds the most significant incentive programs for the semiconductor industry, a strategy that reflects a commitment to enhancing existing strengths.
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More office time is the cost of bureaucracy

Make Work Better • 130 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
💼 Business Workplace culture Employee engagement Incentives
  1. Big firms face challenges with hybrid work due to the complexities of communication and maintaining connections as the team size increases.
  2. Research shows that structured hybrid working can boost employee satisfaction and retention, proving effective in small to medium-sized organizations.
  3. Efforts to reduce meeting time, like Asana's meeting purges, can lead to significant productivity gains by eliminating unnecessary meetings and introducing focused work days.

Why Health Insurance Systems are Mismanaged

In My Tribe • 455 implied HN points • 01 Jul 23
🏥 Health Politics Health Insurance Incentives Costs Government Market
  1. Incentives in health insurance systems can be misaligned, leading to issues like services being rationed for those with expensive illnesses.
  2. Government can create artificial pools within health insurance to avoid selection games, but challenges in insurer-provider conflicts may persist.
  3. Integrating health insurance with health care, like in HMOs, can help manage costs, but compensation methods for HMOs and providers remain contentious.

Even if Lots of Mental Illnesses Are Just Preferences, Caplan Is Still Wrong About Mental Illness

Bentham's Newsletter • 353 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Philosophy Treatment Incentives Stigma
  1. Caplan argues that if something is responsive to incentives, it can't be a mental illness.
  2. Preferences can be irrational and harmful, making them akin to mental illnesses.
  3. Mental illness can be a complex judgment based on normative considerations and other factors.

Big firms have different incentives

New Things Under the Sun • 192 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
💼 Business Innovation R&D Incentives Productivity
  1. Large firms conduct R&D at the same rate as small firms, but they may focus more on process innovations rather than product innovations.
  2. The cost spreading advantage incentivizes larger firms to focus on process innovation, spreading costs over multiple products.
  3. Larger firms may be less inclined to engage in product innovation due to the replacement effect, potentially competing against their own existing products.

The Gamification of Creativity: Unlocking Potential in the Workplace

UX Psychology • 39 implied HN points • 01 Dec 23
💼 Business Creativity Motivation Incentives Research Innovation
  1. Consider implementing gamification with elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to boost creativity more effectively than relying solely on monetary rewards.
  2. When motivating for creativity, excess monetary rewards may not yield better results. Focus on fostering meaning, autonomy, and purpose in tasks instead.
  3. Applying moderate pressure through aspects like performance penalties or time constraints can increase focus, effort, and creative output when used thoughtfully.

The Shitty Stack System

Trying Truly • 124 HN points • 22 Jun 23
💼 Business Management Incentives Collaboration Leadership
  1. Relying on fear and coercion for motivation can be damaging and counterproductive in the workplace.
  2. Implementing competitive ranking systems can lead to toxic work environments and hinder collaboration.
  3. Replacing negative incentives with positive sum dynamics, such as teamwork and personal development, can ultimately lead to greater success and organizational growth.

How to improve social media - Part I

Optimally Irrational • 4 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Social media Incentives Consensus Algorithms
  1. Improving social media platforms can lead to more constructive and reasoned discussions by favoring consensual views
  2. Social media is like a game of status where users compete for social recognition through likes and reposts
  3. Different social media platforms have unique cultures of interaction shaped by social norms which influence user behavior

How to improve social media - Part II

Optimally Irrational • 3 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Algorithms Social media Networks Incentives
  1. Content creation on social media platforms can be improved by incentivizing users to produce better quality content that appeals broadly across partisan lines.
  2. Implementing systems like upvoting and downvoting mechanisms can help reduce extreme and polarizing content on social media platforms.
  3. Platforms can consider algorithms that prioritize consensual content and users' contributions from diverse perspectives to enhance the quality of information presented.

Why you are frustrated by your organisation

Optimally Irrational • 13 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
💼 Business Management Corporate culture Ethics Workplace dynamics Incentives
  1. Beneath the overly positive facade of organizations, there's often a reality of dysfunction and disillusionment.
  2. The principal-agent problem highlights the conflict of interests between individuals and the organization's goals, leading to misaligned incentives.
  3. Managers can prioritize personal gains, reputation, and short-term benefits over the organization's success, perpetuating issues like hyperactivity and micromanagement.

Golden Handcuffs[Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 79 implied HN points • 21 May 22
💰 Finance Compensation Stocks Incentives Investing Financial Analysis
  1. Golden handcuffs are financial incentives designed to keep employees with a company for a specific period by offering benefits like stock options.
  2. Companies use golden handcuffs to retain good talent, align employee incentives with company success, and when cash flow is limited.
  3. Considerations when dealing with golden handcuffs include potential stock value fluctuations, public vs. private company shares, and evaluating companies for true value amidst market hype.

Crime and Punishment

Economic Forces • 4 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
🚌 Education Economics Legal system Decision-making Incentives
  1. Economic tools can be applied to both market and non-market activities to analyze decision-making involving costs and benefits.
  2. Designing the optimal punishment for crimes involves balancing the deterrence benefit with the enforcement costs.
  3. Consideration of incentives for law enforcement and decision-makers is crucial in designing effective systems to prevent over-enforcement and extortion.

Michigan's Big Vaccine Game

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 30 Apr 21
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Policy COVID-19 Government Incentives Vaccination
  1. Michigan's re-opening plan tying restrictions to vaccine thresholds is a sensible approach that shifts vaccine hesitancy from individual to societal responsibility.
  2. Creating a team effort by rewarding everyone involved when individual milestones are met can be an effective motivator, as seen in the comparison to toilet training children.
  3. The Michigan plan of gradually lifting restrictions at specific vaccination thresholds with built-in measures to prevent gaming could serve as a successful template for other regions.

Job performance and parental leave in Covid-19

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 07 Sep 20
💼 Business Performance reviews Incentives Crisis Management
  1. Companies reacted to challenges faced by parents during Covid-19 by granting them extra leave, which was necessary for maintaining productivity and work-life balance.
  2. Leadership decisions during crises like Covid-19 show the importance of balancing fairness with acknowledging the need for superior performance.
  3. Effective communication, fair treatment for all employees, and providing incentives for performance are critical for ensuring resilience and success during major events like Covid-19.