Why Incentives Fail: Rethinking Motivation, Energy & Workplace Design

Why do incentives often fail even in well structured, well resourced organizations?In this episode of Infinite Dialogues with Oti Jay, behavioral design consultant Roman Rackwitz explores a deeper way of understanding performance, motivation, and engagement.We discuss why people choose to invest energy in certain environments and withdraw from others, how systems shape behavior more than individuals do, and why traditional motivation models often miss the mark. Roman also shares insights from the Drive Method and explains how meaningful design can create lasting engagement without pressure or rewards.If you’re a leader, educator, or anyone interested in human behavior and performance, this conversation will shift how you see motivation and work.