Creative Commons (BY CA) licence granted by the authors. First published on March 31, 2012
Last Modified on Oct 23, 2012. Please keep us updated if you adopt this model and make improvements.
By Tiberius Brastaviceanu, Kurt Laitner, add your name here
Content on this document is Creative Commons (BY CA). Only SENSORICA logo is copyright
Incentives System
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This document explains the incentive system operating within SENSORICA, an open, decentralized, and self-organizing value network, designing, producing and distributing optical fiber-based sensors.
Table of contents
Self-esteem/Recognition/Achievement
Incentives in context of projects Projects
General description
The incentive system is an active system that sends specific signals to members, in context, as they perform activities within a value network. These signals are designed to remind members about the connection between their efforts and the rewards awaiting them. In other words, the output of the incentive system decorates the environment, remembering members why they are doing what they are doing. The role of this system is to build and maintain awareness about the meaning and the importance of the actions produced by members.
Types of incentives
Members of SENSORICA have expressed multiple interests in the network.
See Wikipedia definition of motivation.
External and extrinsic
“Performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome.” [Wikipedia]
Tangible revenue
The value accounting system tracks members’ contributions (time, ca$h, materials...) and builds a chart of relative contributions to projects. This pie chart is used to redistribute revenue generated by projects that reach maturity (exchange products on the market).
Access to assets
The SENSORICA network already offers a variety of valuable assets. The most important ones come from affiliates, their skills and their talents. Moreover, the affiliated labs offer expensive tools and instruments, that can be shared within the collaborative space (see example of Philippe’s lab and Maxim’s lab). The pool of shareables is a list of material assets that are shared more freely across the network, see SENSORICA labonline network.
Prize and awards
SENSORICA has been already awarded a few prizes. All members associate with our victories, because they are part of the venture. See SENSORICA timeline.
Acknowledgement
Some SENSORICA members are motivated by publications, technical and scientific.
Intrinsic
“Driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure.” [Wikipedia]
Learning and curiosity
We have created an educational section which is meant to transfer knowledge to new members. Moreover, our collaborative culture allows members to acquire new skills while contributing to different projects. Transfer of know how occurs naturally by working in proximity in SENSORICA labsonline and other affiliated labs (see example of Philippe’s lab and Maxim’s lab).
From Abraham Maslow
Belongingness/Love/Friendship
SENSORICA is a collaborative environment, a tight network where individuals can share and help each others at many levels
Self-esteem/Recognition/Achievement
Within SENSORICA individuals are treated as peers. Their social status in the “old world” become almost irrelevant within the network. Thus, the network offers individuals a chance for renewal, for rebirth. Peers are fairly evaluated based on their contributions, which can be of different nature.
Self actualization
SENSORICA offers equal access to all processes, it is based on the notion of equipotentiality, and every one is given a chance to grow. See also Acceptance, the need for approval.
From Manfred Max-Neef: Fundamental Human Needs
**Subsistence, Participation, Creation, Freedom (most relevant subset)
Others
Idealism
The need for social justice. SENSORICA is a pilot project for the emerging p2p economy which offers more freedom the individuals and a greater possibility of self-determination.
Independence
The need for individuality. SENSORICA is not a power structure and gives more freedom to individuals than hierarchical organizations based on institutionalized power. SENSORICA offers a greater possibility of self-determination.
From Daniel Pink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdzHgN7_Hs8
Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose
Other aspects
SENSORICA offers an environment that reduces cognitive dissonance for individuals that are sensitive to individual freedom, sustainability, ethics...
Examples
Incentives in context of projects Projects
Projects have a paths to market associated with them (see example for the Mosquito project). The incentive system pulls information from the path to market associated with a project and displays it in context, within the environment of the project.
Other important documents
Dimensions of Reward
see http://www.mindmeister.com/86243784/value
Purpose
Acting and creating impact in a way that is in alignment with your personal values. From an organizational viewpoint this values alignment is a key driver for success. Combined with effectiveness alignment (of of organizational goals and priorities with personal competencies and engagement) this is even more powerful.
Freedom
As freedom is a complex concept, it is partially represented in other dimensions.
- Freedom of Time
- Freedom of Expression (Mastery)
- Freedom from Needs (Security)
- Freedom to Act (Autonomy)
Autonomy
You shouldn’t need permission to add value. In current systems permission is required in a myriad of forms before one is permitted to add value. These barriers should be removed wherever possible. Of course you do not have permission to destroy value.
Security
One of the primary drivers of accumulation of anything (stuff money food) by humans is the idea that there may not be enough later and they need to have something to fall back on. Meeting scarce needs is essential to freedom. Coming to an understanding that scarce needs will always be met is security.
Reputation
Reputation is itself a complex multidimensional structure. It is a predictor of the probability of value add within the context it applies and so acts as a dimension of value as well. Out of context it may mean nothing (or be partially applicable) though it is sometimes misused here.
Dimensions of Reputation
- Identity - a stable identity is required to attach reputation to
- Trust - the determination of how much past behavior predicts future behavior layered over directly experienced or validated past behavior
- Authenticity - degree of assuredness of identity and validity of inputs
- Experience - experience demonstrated by the identity
- Expertise - expertise demonstrated by the identity
- Commitment - is the identified party willing to make commitments
- Accountability - does the identified party keep commitments
- Engagement
- Attention - timeliness, regularity and amount
- Participation - timeliness, regularity, quality and amount
- Contribution - timeliness, regularity, quality and amount
- Deliverables - timeliness, regularity, quality and amount
- Accreditation - third party trusted institutional validation
- Validation - network closeness weighted trust in assertions of experience, expertise, identity
- Credibility - a past behavior of meeting commitments
- Impact - demonstrated ability to create change in behavior of other people (a spiral relationship with reputation)
- Context - experience, expertise, and accreditation are all contextual, application of reputation outside its context should be carefully considered
Authority
The authority to make decisions on behalf of an organization is generally a reward for demonstrated ability to make demonstrably good decisions within your prior roles, and the accumulated value you have produced for the organization. It may be related to your reputation and ability to influence others. It may relate to certain competencies held (an engineer is usually required to make engineering decisions).
The authority to make decisions in a political field is often based on force, or the threat of force, and supported by a process to choose those given the authority from those granting the authority (say democratically electing representatives, with citizenship as its basis).
Authority can be determined by a Governance Equation (possibly re-using dimensions of value) and/or may require criteria for “membership” or “citizenship” if a voting mechanism is used.
Impact
The ability to see that your actions result in change. Further the ability to tangibly trace your actions to that change. Feeds *reputation and *authority.
Expertise (Mastery)
Doing something well is intrinsically satisfying, but also leads to higher *impact, which feeds *reputation and *authority.
Experience
Doing something often and over a long time lends robustness to *expertise. It tends to increase the probability someone can add value in their area of expertise. Gaining experience is a reward for effort in a domain, but is also a dimension of value.
Accreditation
A blending of expertise, experience, and reputation (in that the trusted third party provides a seal of approval that is worth something in the marketplace).
Appreciation (Recognition)
The simple act of recognizing and appreciating effort is a motivator and reward. Accumulated it leads to *reputation
Influence
The ability to convince others to act. It feeds *authority and derives from *expertise *experience *accreditation *reputation
Relationship (Intimacy, Attention, Belonging)
Human beings have an inherent need to belong. They often participate solely for attention or belonging purposes, and value intimacy as a reward for patronage or contribution.