Which of the following is a potential consequence of misaligned rewards?

• A. Increased alignment with norms.
• B. Faster adoption of best practices.
• C. Improved collaboration without effort.
• D. Erosion of norms or encouragement of undesired behavior.

Answer: (D)

When rewards don’t line up with the behaviors a culture values, people adjust what they do to chase the reward. That shift in incentives can weaken the norms the organization wants to maintain and even push people toward behaviors that are undesired or harmful. Over time, the reward structure teaches what actually gets rewarded rather than what should be valued, so norms erode and problematic actions become more common. For example, if recognition goes to individuals who hit short-term metrics while collaboration and long-term quality are ignored, people may withhold information or compete rather than help each other. Because misaligned rewards push people toward the rewarded outcome (not the desired norms), erosion of norms or encouragement of undesired behavior is the natural consequence.