The Challenge

This company’s board was unequivocal: We will meet our revenue targets – or else. But achieving sales objectives required the completion of a new software release under a tight deadline, and the developers were anything but motivated. Fatigued and disenchanted, they couldn’t see “what was in it for them,” especially with the holidays approaching and the extraordinary hours they would have work in order to meet the deadline.

The Solution

When the CEO contacted The Center Group, he assumed there was a simple, straightforward equation: X more dollars = Y more productivity. We suggested that there might be other factors as well, and encouraged him to survey his managers and developers to find out what they really wanted.

He was surprised by what he found. Monetary compensation was only one part of the picture. What the team also needed was recognition for their contributions and achievements, including celebratory events, additional vacation time after completion of the project and, yes, financial rewards.

The Center Group developed a program of compensation incentives tied to delivery schedules, with payouts at each stage.

Along with the other incentives, the positive, collegial atmosphere of the events seemed to make a huge difference. With greater momentum and better morale, the software developers met their deadline, the sales team met their revenue goals, and the board was satisfied.