Whether or not someone does or does not take a particular course of action often boils down to a competition between different incentives. When a criminal considers robbing a bank, they must weigh the negative incentive of going to prison or getting shot in the attempt against the positive incentive of potentially coming away with a lot of money. When an employee is struggling to get out of bed in the morning, they must weigh the positive incentive of getting a few more minutes of rest against the negative incentive of getting in trouble with their boss.
Incentives are often subtle and even hidden, but they drive so much of human behavior, they are a crucial tool for managers to influence the behavior of their workers.
