What are the incentives that most motivate project team members working within high uncertainty context? : A quantitative study on the use of incentives in projects

Abstract: Incentives that efficiently motivate employees are crucial to any successful organization.The aims of this research are to find out the most frequently used incentives as well as the most motivating ones for projects team members working within high uncertainty context. The following paper is composed of four main parts. First, the theoretical framework explores the different theories on incentives such as the agency and self-determination theories, as well as the different types of incentives. Also, it covers theories on uncertainty and its implications on projects.Then the thesis quantitative methodology has been developed. Thereafter, a quantitative study has been conducted using a web-based questionnaire and addressed to 89 project team members working in the IT sector, in France. Finally, a discussion part includes our findings in relation to the theory.The results from our study have shown different tendencies in terms of incentives’ frequency of use and their motivational impact. “Autonomy at work”, “Flexible hours” and “Participation in decision making” are the three most frequently used. In terms of motivation, “Participation in decision making”, “Group training program” and “Autonomy at work” are the most impactfulfor project team members working within high uncertainty context.