Incentivize
/ɪnˈsɛn.tɪ.vaɪz/
verbC1
Definition
Incentivize means to offer a reward or benefit to motivate people to do something. It is often used in business, work, or economics when companies want to encourage employees or customers to act in a certain way by giving them bonuses, discounts, or other advantages.
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See It in Action
To motivate someone by offering rewards or benefits
- •The company incentivizes employees with bonuses for good performance.
- •Governments sometimes incentivize people to recycle by giving discounts.
- •Schools incentivize students to attend classes regularly with prizes.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "incentivize" like "help" or "push," but with a reward that makes people want to do something more
- ✓Picture a teacher giving stars or stickers to students to motivate them to study harder
- ✓It's the feeling when you want to do a task because you know you will get something good afterward, like a prize or money
- ✓Sounds like "in-SENT-ivize" → imagine sending a message that says "You get a gift if you do this"
- ✓Think of a company offering extra money to workers who sell more products—this reward encourages more effort
- ✓NOT like "force" (which makes people do something by pressure), "incentivize" encourages by giving a positive reason
- ✓NOT like "ask" (just requesting), "incentivize" gives a special reason or reward to motivate action
- ✓NOT like "bribe" (which is often illegal or secret), "incentivize" is a formal and accepted way to encourage
Try Other Words
- •Motivate: to give a reason to do something (Use when you want to explain the general idea of causing action)
- •Encourage: to support or cheer someone to do something (Use when no specific reward is involved)
- •Reward: to give something good after an action (Use when focusing on the gift or prize itself)
- •Stimulate: to cause interest or activity (Use when talking about increasing activity, often in economics or business)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "in-" (meaning "into" or "cause to"), root "centivize" (from "incentive" meaning a reason or reward), suffix "-ize" (to make or cause)
- •Etymology: From the noun "incentive" + verb-forming suffix "-ize," meaning to give incentives or rewards
- •Historical development: The verb "incentivize" became popular in business and economics in the late 20th century to describe motivating behavior through rewards
- •Modern usage: Common in business, economics, and management to describe actions that encourage people with benefits or rewards
Reflect & Connect
•How do different types of incentives (money, praise, gifts) change the way people behave?
•Can incentivizing always lead to good results, or can it sometimes cause problems? Why?
Fill in the blanks
1.The company decided to incentivize employees ___ meeting their sales targets by offering bonuses and prizes.
2.When a government wants to protect the environment, it might incentivize citizens ___ recycling more often.
3.Incentivize is different from just asking someone to do something because it usually includes a ___ or reward.
4.Sometimes, businesses incentivize customers ___ buying more products by giving discounts or gifts.
5.If you want to incentivize teamwork, you should offer rewards that ___ everyone involved.
6.Unlike forcing someone, to incentivize means to motivate by giving a ___ reason to act.
7.When a school incentivizes good attendance, students feel more ___ to come to class regularly.