If you are a fan of history you may have read tales of children and adults in previous centuries who were beaten as they worked, punished for non-performance and in many cases publicly humiliated when things went wrong.

The view of those in charge was that fear of punishment would lead to a greater motivation towards success.

More recent research has shown that motivation by reward, recognition of good behaviour and careful support and encouragement can achieve far more than any form of punishment. That is not to say that there is never an occasion when punishment is appropriate but when trying to generate excellence in performance, reward programmes are a good place to start.

Increasingly reward programmes are gaining publicity. Schools are starting to implement them all over the world and even local authorities are seeking to embrace the key principles as they reward people for recycling their rubbish, paying their bills on time or for demonstrating community spirit. 

But how do you start a rewards programme if you have not had one before? How do they work and why is it important that they do?

To explore this issue and to give you very practical information that you can adapt to your own situation, this Motivation by Reward programme explores all the key areas and provides examples of how to set up your own scheme.