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Incentives explain more than intentions
People respond to the rewards, costs, and constraints built into a system.
The idea
A policy can have a noble goal and still create unintended behavior if the easiest rewarded action differs from the intended one.
An example
Rewarding support staff only for short call times may reduce waiting but also encourage rushed, lower-quality help.
Put it into practice
To predict behavior, identify what the system actually rewards—not what it says it values.
Test yourself: What best predicts behaviour inside a system?
What it actually rewards and penalises
Correct. Behaviour often follows the real reward structure, including unintended incentives.
Explanation and illustrative examples by One Card Wiser. Source linked for further reading.
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