The study investigates the impact of mission alignment and financial incentives on worker productivity, revealing that mission-aligned workers are 72% more productive, while financial incentives can increase output by 35%, particularly for those lacking alignment. Mission alignment fosters intrinsic motivation, reducing the reliance on financial incentives, while mismatched workers benefit from them to some extent. The findings suggest that organizations should prioritize hiring mission-aligned workers for sustained productivity gains.

1. Mission Alignment, Financial
Incentives, and Worker
Productivity
Key Insights from the Study

2. Introduction
• Key Questions:
• How productive are mission-aligned workers
compared to others?
• Can financial incentives substitute for mission
alignment?

3. Conceptual Framework
• Core Concepts:
• Mission alignment increases productivity
(intrinsic motivation).
• Financial incentives motivate workers,
especially those lacking mission alignment.
• Substitutability of mission and financial
incentives.

4. Study Design
• Study Details:
• Real-effort experiment during 2012 U.S.
presidential election.
• Participants randomly assigned to aligned or
mismatched missions.
• Compensation: Fixed wage vs. piece-rate
incentive.

5. Empirical Analysis
• Key Findings:
• Mission-matched workers produced 72% more
output.
• Financial incentives increased output by 35%.
• Incentives boosted productivity more for
mismatched workers.

6. Discussion
• Implications:
• Mission alignment drives engagement,
reducing need for financial incentives.
• Financial incentives mitigate productivity loss
from misalignment.
• Mission preference intensity affects
productivity (stronger preferences = higher
effort).

7. Conclusion
• Takeaways:
• Mission alignment = Higher productivity.
• Financial incentives help mismatched workers
but don't fully compensate.
• Organizations should focus on mission-aligned
hires for long-term productivity.